Sunday, June 3, 2018

Why and What For??






Colossians 1:15-17  "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."


         Sometimes, we get a little too self-focused in our lives.  Maybe we are frustrated with our circumstances, our failings or feel lost without direction in our lives.  God knew our mind struggles would come, so He gave us an answer in Colossians 1 to our common questions of... 'Why am I here?' and 'What am I here for?'  Today's blog will focus on these two questions.
      "Christ is the eternal wisdom of the Father, and the world was made in wisdom. He is the eternal Word, and the world was made by the word of God. He is the arm of the Lord, and the world was made by that arm."  [M. Henry]

      Why am I here?

       Someone once said, 'I didn't ask to be born!'  That's right, but God thought of you before the world began and loved you into creation. His thoughts and ways are far greater than our own.  Psalm 139: 13-16  "For you created my inmost being; knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."   "I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." ISAIAH 44: 2A (CEV)  "God’s motive for creating you was his love. The Bible says, 'Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.'  "You were created as a special treasure of God’s love! God made you so he could love you. This is a truth to build your life on." [R. Warren]
       "Our heavenly Father’s desire is for us to develop Christlike character and grow in intimacy with Him. He wants us to experience the richness of His love and wholeheartedly show Him devotion. He will use trials and difficulties to accomplish His good purposes for us." [intouch.org]


      What am I here for?

       As the verse above states, 'all things have been created through him and FOR him.'  We are here to fulfill God's will here on Earth.  "It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end." [R. Warren]  The best way to discover your purpose in life is to look to and ask your Creator, God Almighty.  Turn to God's Word, not the world.  "The Bible says, “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

       "God created us to live in heaven with him for eternity. Heaven is our home, not Earth. That’s why we sometimes experience discontentment and dissatisfaction in life. We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be! Otherwise, we might think we can live without God. He created us to long for something much better — a home is heaven with him.You will never feel completely satisfied on Earth, because you were made for more. You will have happy moments here, but nothing compared with what God has planned for you. This is also why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. But this is not the end of the story. Realizing that life on Earth is just temporary should radically alter your values."  [R. Warren]

May your mind be focused on your Creator and His purposes as you start each God-given day of your life.  You are no accident, but a part of God's purposeful plan.