At some point in our early years, we ask ourselves about the purpose of life. Our initial thought is that it is something significant to be achieved and we won’t be responsible for our purpose until we are out in the world on our own. But before that occurs, some of us have parents who thrust a purpose upon us, often an opportunity lost in their own lives, and we pursue it to please them. Some of us are told that we can be whoever we want to be and we start to make plans for the future without much understanding of what significance is, like a child who wants to drive an ice cream truck when he grows up. Others make no plans at all and hope they will recognize something worth doing when it presents itself. Or they listen to a charismatic person who simply tells them what is important and they believe him. Regardless of our category, we all start out with the desire to do something significant with our lives and we will be the judge of our success. Tragically, when we reflect retrospectively on how we spent our lives, we often conclude that we have been a failure.
Then comes the ‘blame game’. Did we fail through no fault of our own? Were circumstances stacked against us so that no matter what we did, our life wouldn’t matter? If it wasn’t our fault, then we have a right to be angry. But time has made it impossible for us to start over so the best we can do is make things better for our children, to give them opportunities that we were denied. And from that feeling arises an amalgam of altruism and personal desire. We will promote ourselves by declaration to be successes if we can force those with abundant resources to share them equally with the less fortunate and the next generation will be better off than we were because of our efforts. Unfortunately, it’s well within man’s nature that those with abundant prosperity are unwilling to share unless they feel a sense of guilt for how they acquired their significance. And so, a class war begins.
The conflict can take many forms, with prejudice being its poster child. And ultimately frustration leads to physical violence. In such an environment, it becomes hard to say who is on the right side. Are those who make demands correct or is it the ones who deny them? No matter— once injuries are received on both sides, revenge takes over as their cause and the philosophy behind their position is sidelined. That is the destiny of all man-made wars, the feeling that God is on our side.
But does God really take sides in a dispute over personal significance? The Christian Bible says no. Rather, God outlines how all men, regardless of their status in life, can achieve personal significance by becoming a child of God. As a member of God’s family, you are granted the benefits of living with Him. The process is an adoption based on no personal merit. Unlike man’s way, it isn’t an achievement after struggling against other men (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
Another thing it isn’t, is a process to prosperity. The health and wealth gospel is a fabrication of manipulative men. Expecting God to give you whatever you want because you became a Christian and prayed for it, isn’t necessarily part of his plan for your life. The promise God does give is that you will have no regrets for believing and following Him when your physical life is over. But in the here and now, you may still endure hardship and tragedy in His service.
So, if your dire circumstances don’t change, what is the big advantage of living life God’s way? There are actually two great advantages. The first is that you achieve personal significance immediately. You come to understand that by accomplishing God’s will, you are amassing rewards with eternal value instead of temporary ones. Your lifelong search for purpose is fulfilled without guesswork, knowing that His will for you always has meaningful consequences. Without waiting for physical death, you understand that service to God is the most fulfilling thing that you can do.
The second advantage is that you are helping the next generation with the most important decision they will make in life, whether to trust the gospel of Christ or not. Your example will be noticed and retained by the children and grandchildren in your family. The precepts you learn and teach from the Bible will guide the people you love into their own lives of personal significance. And even if they reject your teaching, they can’t say that you never wanted to help them with life’s struggles.
That’s the beauty of God’s way, it helps instead of hinders. It doesn’t require striving for earthly things or hurting other people in the process of achieving personal significance. There is no cultural war to be fought because all men are offered the gospel message without regard to their wealth, race, or environmental upbringing. Everyone is on equal footing when the offer of salvation is given to men and women. And there’s no blame to be levied at yourself if you fail because all manner of wrongdoing by you is forgiven by God if you trust in, and follow his way.
The choice is simple, obedience to God or yourself. If you choose to be in charge, you will doubt the significance of your life and may never find a lasting, worthwhile purpose. With God in charge, He imputes his purpose to you and you will have no regrets when you look back on your life.
