The Mission in Life

Did you ever wake up in the morning and think to yourself, "What am I doing all of this for?" I have to tell you that I've had that thought many times. The days become weeks, the weeks become months, then years and suddenly you are looking at your life passing you by and the question has to be asked, "Is this all there is?"

As you might be able to tell, today has been a bit melancholy for me, (read yesterday's blog!). That's why I'm writing this kind of post. I need to remind myself of the mission. I have close relatives that have used up almost all of the time that God has allotted them on this Earth and they still haven't answered the big questions. The individuals that I'm referring to have been blessed in a material way, so they have the luxury of leisure time. Isn't that the goal? The thing that most people spend their entire working lives striving for is to have the time to do whatever they want. For some it's retirement. For others it might be a hobby or a "fun" career. My observations have led me to believe that most of these folks are either keeping themselves so busy that they don't have to face the hard questions or they indulge themselves in destructive pursuits like alcohol, drugs, pornography or other illicit behaviors.

My relatives have chosen the latter. Many famous people like Howard Hughes, Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain have found that the pleasures of life that they desired so much, left them empty. The fact of the matter is this, the good things in this world were NEVER meant to satisfy us. God warned us about the folly of loving the world. 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." The pursuit of comfort and diversion inevitably ends in bitterness, pain and an incurable dearth of satisfaction. I've always said that Mick Jagger, lead singer with the Rolling Stones said it best, "I can't get no satisfaction!"

Most people don't have the time to contemplate the whys of life. They are far too busy trying to put bread on the table and convince themselves that they have a modicum of control over their own destiny. These folks don't have the luxury of stepping back from their lives and waxing philosophically. Life becomes a search for small comforts and tawdry glories. When is our next vacation? My son made the soccer team. I got a 10% raise and a promotion at work. In the end, socioeconomics and other externals don't matter. Regardless of our stations in life, we all have to face the facts. Nothing brings permanent satisfaction, time is running out and no matter what I do, my life will end in tragedy. I will either be wiped out in some cataclysm or I'll die lying on my bed gasping for my last breath.

OK, OK D. L. enough of the macabre prose!! So what is our hope? One of the great men of the Old Testament, the man that had it all, King Solomon figured it out. He was wealthier that any man in history. He had over 1000 wives and concubines. His earthly kingdom was extensive and he ruled in peace his entire life. God granted him more wisdom than any other human being and he was incredibly intelligent to boot. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon lists all of these assets and recounts his many experiences. When he piled all of the "good things" in his life in front of him and measured them, he could only say, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" His answer to the big question: Ecclesiastes 12:13 "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."

The only satisfaction in life is to fear God, in other words, have a healthy dread of displeasing the Master, and to keep His commandments. To put it in New Testament terms, keep the Royal Law, which is to sacrificially love others. Simply put, love God and love others.

In order to love God, we need to figure out what He wants us to do. Jesus said in John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you." So what does He want us to do? Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

If you want to wake up tomorrow and KNOW what to do, this is it! You can't demonstrate your love for God or your love for others in any better way than to let everyone in your path know the good news of Jesus Christ. The mission: Pour your life, the life of Christ, (Galatians 2:20), into everyone you meet. God made you as a tool in His hand for a purpose. I want to wake up tomorrow with that thought!

His servant,

D. L. Culiver