January-March
Why am I here?” “What is the purpose of my life?” “What can give meaning to my life?” Maybe you’ve asked yourself these same questions, and you can be sure that you are not alone! These questions arise to any intelligent person and bother their conscience! The answers you will get will differ widely and will determine your life goals and the overall outcome of your life.
Solomon, the wisest man on the planet, asked himself, what is the reason of one’s life? “What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3). He had investigated “all the works that are done under the sun” (verse 14). “For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 6:12). After the end of his research, Solomon concluded that “all is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Job, the righteous man of Bible times, did not reach a better conclusion: “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” “He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not” (Job 5:7; 14:2). Man is running, planning, striving, and in the end, . . . there is nothingness and vanity.
If we are not satisfied with the above answers, we need to ask Someone who really knows—Our Creator! If someone puts a complicated invention in your hands, that you have never seen before, the easiest way for you to understand how it functions would be to ask the creator or manufacturer, or to read the owner’s manual.
It is only in God that we can discover our identity, our purpose, and our destiny. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, . . . all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16, emphasis added).
Yes, we have a destiny! A wonderful, extraordinary destiny! “We have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, . . . that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1:11, 12, emphasis supplied).
This is our goal and destiny—to be a living revelation of God is to the world! His principles, His love, and His character are to be so wonderfully interwoven in your and my experiences, that when people see us, they will understand God. Besides, as people see Christ in us, they may tell us, “We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23, emphasis added). This is the “glory” of having, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
What amazing fact is that God answers our questions about our purpose in life, by demonstrating to us how we can live such a life successfully! Christ came into our world as a Son of man and embodied this destiny. He proved that every son and daughter of Adam can achieve perfection through faith in Him.
Satan lies to us suggesting that we will find happiness and fulfillment in living selfishly for ourselves. How sad that the great majority of humanity accept this lie! “A man may gather all he can for self; he may live and think and plan for self; but his life passes away, and he has nothing. The law of self-serving is the law of self-destruction.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 624. But we can discard the enemy’s lies and accept Jesus: the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)!
Do you wonder what the life of Jesus was like when He was on this earth? His life was not fun and easy; it was full of trials and disappointments. Yet despite His trials, Jesus had joy, and peace, and fulfillment!
“The Saviour’s life on earth was not a life of ease and devotion to Himself, but He toiled with persistent, earnest, untiring effort for the salvation of lost mankind. From the manger to Calvary He followed the path of self-denial and sought not to be released from arduous tasks painful travels, and exhausting care and labor.”—Steps to Christ, p. 78. [Emphasis supplied.]
All those who have tried living the same type of life have experienced a meaningful and “abundant” life! Even with less religiously inclined people, like Albert Einstein, seized this reality when He said, “Life isn’t worth living, unless it is lived for someone else.”
This means that there is only one-way worth living and that is being “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).
Then, what was the purpose of Christ’s life? “ ‘The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.’ (Matthew 20:28). This was the one great object of His life. Everything else was secondary and subservient. It was His meat and drink to do the will of God and to finish His work.”—Ibid.
If you chose it, this can be the great purpose of your life, too! And there is no greater joy than to see that you’ve blessed somebody, helped somebody, and that you’ve saved somebody!
Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck have been friends for more than 40 years. They were born 36 hours apart in 1975, in a small town in Oregon. They attended the same schools, went to the same church and even were best men at each other’s weddings. Their parents and grandparents were friends!
When Justin was 16 years old, he had a car accident that put his life on a very dramatic course. As a result of the accident, an autoimmune disease attacked his nervous system causing it to shut down and inducing his muscles to atrophy. Little by little Justin lost the ability to use his legs. He chose not to give up but to adapt to his changing condition. Then, he started to lose the ability to use his arms. His condition continued to deteriorate. There were times of severe depression, and times to perk up and adapt to the new realities. Justin’s closest friend Patrick was in constant contact with him. They would visit each other regularly despite being a few states apart; their families would vacation together. Patrick would help Justin any time and in any way possible.
Justin was a graphic designer for Fortune 500 companies, but now he had no use of his arms or legs. The autoimmune disease had robbed him from walking, standing and using his upper body.
A life-long traveler, Justin was watching a show about the Camino de Santiago trail one day. This trail, which is over 1000 years old, is a network of roads for pilgrimage and inspiration in Europe. Justin had a vision to travel this trail. He did not think “WHY GO?” but “WHY NOT GO?” He met with Patrick a few days later, and they watched the video together. Justin asked Patrick what he thinks about it, and he simply said: “I will push you!” Patrick agreed. He would make his friend Justin’s dream come true. He would push him along that long trail of 500 miles.
After two years of preparations and training, and after an off-road wheelchair had been built, the two friends started the journey of their life in France! Pushing or pulling his friend’s wheelchair through the Pyrenees Mountains, over 4000 feet heights, Patrick still carried a heavy backpack. They went through rocky passages, through muddy steep trails, while often other pilgrims helped them along the way. Patrick and Justin would go on and on for five weeks until they reached their goal. They wobbled into the Santiago de la Compostela Plaza in front of the cathedral! After all their efforts, overcoming discouragements and all challenges, the two friends were welcomed by their wives and hundreds of other people who cheered and applauded them. The 500-mile journey had reached a happy and successful end!
“I will push you!” We all know that this expression is a spiritual object lesson, not an actual act of compulsion. “The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 22. [Emphasis added.]
The question is how shall we push or pull people home, to the Father’s heart?
“We shall seek to present to them the attractions of Christ and the unseen realities of the world to come. There will be an earnest longing that those around us may ‘behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29).”—Ibid., pp. 78, 79.
The love of Christ revealed on the cross “constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5:14)! Pulled by the love of God, like Philip when he found the Saviour, “we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour. Then the Spirit of God through faith produces a new life in the soul.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 176. That life of God, lived in our hearts, will attract others to the Lord through our ministry!
Whom will you push? Anyone who is swimming against the stream.
“When men have to swim against the stream, there is a weight of waves driving them back. Let a hand then be held out, as was the Elder Brother’s hand to a sinking Peter. . . . Let the one who is supposed to have moved wrongly be given no occasion by his brother to become discouraged, but let him feel the strong clasp of a sympathizing hand; let him hear the whisper, ‘Let us pray.’ The Holy Spirit will give a rich experience to both.”—Our High Calling, p. 177. [Emphasis supplied.]
Have you heard about employees of the Japanese Railways who were pushing people into crowded trains so that they may reach their destinations? We are paid by Christ’s blood to do the same—to “push” people into the train of salvation! That means to call, to admonish, to exhort, to persuade, and to help them arrive under the wings of the Most High!
Who gets the most joy, the benefactor or the recipient? One of the most amazing realities of following Christ’s way of life is that the benefactor receives the greatest joy. For “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
“The effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption. He has granted men the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature and, in their turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellow men. This is the highest honor, the greatest joy, that it is possible for God to bestow upon men.”—Steps to Christ, p. 79, [Emphasis added.]
“Real happiness is found only in being good and doing good. The purest, highest enjoyment comes to those who faithfully fulfill their appointed duties.”—My Life Today, p. 168.
“Those who consecrate body, soul, and spirit to God’s service will constantly receive a new endowment of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the life of His life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in mind and heart.”—In Heavenly Places, p. 62.
“To everyone who offers himself to the Lord for service, withholding nothing, is given power for the attainment of measureless results.”—Ibid. p. 62. [Emphasis added.]
“So those who are the partakers of the grace of Christ will be ready to make any sacrifice, that others for whom He died may share the heavenly gift. They will do all they can to make the world better for their stay in it. This spirit is the sure outgrowth of a soul truly converted.”—Steps to Christ, p. 78.
Reaching the Plaza of God’s Cathedral
“I will push you!” These words come from the heavenly dictionary! When someone is discouraged to the point of collapsing or giving up, would you say, “No problem, I will push you!” Imagine the joy of those you would! To see them succeeding, to see them surmounting obstacles, and at the end reaching the plaza of God’s cathedral, the Sea of Glass (Revelation 14:1), Imagine the smile of joy and thankfulness on your face as you receive the hug of our Lord Jesus welcoming you home and others you “pushed” toward Him to the gates of the New Jerusalem! Imagine the welcoming anthems, not of few unknown spectators, but of the heavenly choir and orchestra of billions of angels, who’ve accompanied you all along the journey of life. Now they’re celebrating the victory you had by finding your life purpose to live FOR OTHERS and not for yourself. You’ll discover that being a blessing to your neighbors and living the life that Christ had so expensively bought for you was worth living! That life which measures by the life of God!
May the Lord bless you that you may be there at the plaza of God’s cathedral—the Sea of Glass—with the people you “pushed” to Jesus Christ and heaven!