What Is Your Purpose in Life?

“What is your purpose in life?”

This is a question that often makes us pause and think for a moment before answering it. Why? Because sometimes we are confused, and even forget what our purpose in life is.

We wake up at the crack of dawn, get neatly dressed, arrive at campus or the office on time, are willing to work late into the night, and so on, yet do not know the purpose of doing all that other than to earn a reward (good grades, bonuses, salary).

But is that really the full extent of our purpose in life as Christians?

Life: An Endless Race or a Flowing River?

Some of us may be living without a clear purpose, like a program running automatically. Wake up – study / work – do hobbies – sleep – wake up – study / work, and so on, with that routine repeating every day.

A life like this is like racing on a circuit with no clear rule about how many laps must be completed to reach the finish line. No matter how hard the driver has trained, how well the car’s engine has been prepared, and how special the suit is, I am sure it would be the most boring race in the world.

I often hear the statement, “Just live life as it comes. Go with the flow like a river.” This is actually similar to living without purpose. Because if we simply surrender to the current, we do not know where it is taking us. Indeed, that does not mean the outcome will always be bad; it may turn out well. However, the tendency is downward, like the nature of water that flows from a high place to a lower one.

So this is why purpose in life matters: to keep us truly living. Without purpose, our lives will become stuck, stagnant, and basically, as good as dead.

Our spiritual lives can also experience similar stagnation or weariness. “Why does it feel like it is just the same old thing, huh? Year after year there is no growth in faith. No character that changes. It feels like getting farther and farther from the Lord,” along with other negative feelings. We become Christians without purpose.

The Purpose of a Christian’s Life

Jesus answered him: "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” – Matthew 22:37

From the verse above, it is clear that the purpose of Christians or followers of Christ is to love the Lord. This is the greatest commandment: to love with our heart, soul, and mind means to love the Lord in every aspect of our lives.

Why do we need to love the Lord?

The answer is simple: because the Lord loved us first.

There are so many things that prove how great the love of the Lord is for us. One of them is the creation of the world in Genesis 1. Before the Lord created human beings, you and me, He first prepared the world for us to live in, not carelessly, but with great detail. The Lord made light, separated the waters and the land, created plants and animals, the things humans need to survive. Imagine if His creation had been done without a plan. For example, if humans had been created first. Of course we would be floating in space with no natural resources to cultivate and consume, right? “From one man He made all the nations and peoples of mankind to inhabit the whole face of the earth, and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling places.” – Acts 17:26

The Lord orders our lives in such a way, not creating us by some lottery method. He is a God of purpose and an expert in planning. He has a plan for why you, for example, were born in Indonesia, as part of tribe A or B, and so on. Perhaps if we took the time to reflect on and write down every expression of the love of the Lord in our lives, the list would never end.

After understanding why we love the Lord, let us move on to the next question.

How do we love the Lord?

To be able to love, we need to know personally the one we love. At the very least, we know his love language. For example, there are friends who feel loved when they are given gifts. There are also friends who feel ordinary about receiving gifts, but when you give them words of encouragement, they feel loved. Likewise in our relationship with the Lord: do we know Him personally yet? What does the Lord like? What makes Him angry? Roughly speaking, what is the love language of the Lord? "Now then, if you truly listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine." – Exodus 19:5

These are the words of the Lord to the people of Israel when He revealed Himself on Mount Sinai. From that verse, we know that the love language of the Lord is to be heard and obeyed. He is very pleased when we hear / read His word and carry out / hold fast to that word. John 14:15 states that if we love the Lord, we will obey all His commands.

It is indeed easy to say, “I am a Christian and I love the Lordvery much.” But have we been consistent and serious in reading the word of the Lord ? And after we understand it, are we willing to carry it out wholeheartedly? If not, let us repent, and let us do that repentance sincerely.

By understanding our purpose in life as Christians and knowing how to achieve it, our days will be full of passion. There will be no boredom; there will only be enthusiasm and optimism, because we have an intimate relationship with the Lord.

May this article help you determine your purpose in life. Enjoy the extraordinary journey with the Lord!

*Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every region. If you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

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