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God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess about the question, "What is the meaning of life?"
"It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for," Ephesians 1:11 (the Message). "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."
Three insights into this verse and how God gives each of us a purpose for living comes from Dr. Rick Warren in his "Purpose Driven Life."
FIRST: We discover our identity through a relationship with Jesus Christ. God prescribed every detail of every person's body. He deliberately chose our race, our skin and hair color, and every other feature of our body.
God also decided the exact time of our birth and death, and where we would live. Every detail of our lives has been planned.
Warren reminds us that God made us so he could love us. Love is the very essence of God. He made us and He will take care of us.
SECOND: God was thinking of us long before we even thought about Him. Throughout our life, we may choose our career, our spouse, our type of lifestyle, but we do not get to choose our purpose.
Our purpose is to love God. Tragically, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they chose to live without Him here on earth.
Please read Colossians 2:6 for consistent, daily support for your close relationship with God.
When we understand that there is more to life than just here and now, and we realize that this life is simply preparation for eternity, we will make different choices on a daily basis.
THIRD: Each person's lifetime on earth fits into a much larger purpose that God has designed for eternity. Not only were we created by God, but we were also created for Him. The ultimate goal of the entire universe is to show the splendor of God. He made it all for His glory.
Jesus prayed to His Father in John 17:4, "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do." He honored God by fulfilling His purpose on earth.
So, our number one assignment on earth is to know God. As Warren emphasized, "You may know a lot about a lot of things, but if you don't know God personally, you're missing the first reason you were created."
How then, do we bring glory to God? We worship Him, and this is far more than local Sunday worship services. When we use our life for God's delight, everything we do can become an act of worship and thanksgiving.
We learn to love other people in God's family. This is called fellowship, and it prepares us for eternity, where those who have accepted God's son, Jesus, will fellowship together forever.
We bring glory to God by telling others about Him. God does not want His love and purpose kept a secret. He expects us to share it with others.
The Bible promises in John 1:12, "To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
Our identity is in eternity, and our homeland is heaven. Once we fully grasp this truth, we will stop worrying about "having it all" on earth. We already have it all in God's love, if we will only turn around and accept the arms of Jesus.