In one of the best-selling Christian books of all time, The Purpose Drive Life, by Pastor Rick Warren, I was really fascinated by the subtitle: What on Earth am I Here for? Right near the beginning of the book Pastor Warren makes the following powerfully critical statement: “The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.”1
Is it any wonder that the thousands of Self-help books on the market never seem to be able to answer the question: What on Earth am I Here for? For as Pastor Warren suggests the problem is that too many people begin at the wrong starting point – ourselves. But since the Scriptures clearly tell us that we were created by God and for God the only way we will ever find our purpose in life is to start with God and not ourselves.
My friends what worldview you hold is critical to finding meaning in life. If you hold to a atheistic or Darwinian evolutionary worldview then you must conclude that you are clearly here by accident, and thus finding your purpose for being will never be found. Self-help books, as I already stated, start with the wrong starting point, ourselves, as if self can answer the deep questions of life such as where did I come from, what’s my purpose for being, and where do I go when I die? And religion also has the wrong starting point when it tells us that one of the thousands of unknown deities can somehow reveal ultimate truth and meaning.
Only Christianity has the right starting point – the Bible and Jesus! For you see the Bible tells us that God had you on His mind before the universe was created and that He created you for His purposes. Not only that but God designed you to have an intimate relationship with Him, both now and for eternity. And as you get to know your Creator better, get set for the most amazing adventure of a lifetime, one filled with great meaning, the possibility to experience continuous joy and peace, and the incredible promise of eternal life.
For the first 28 years of my life my starting point for finding meaning in life relied on three very unreliable sources – me, myself, and I. As a result I tried everything to satisfy and fill the God-shaped hole in my heart except God. But once Jesus opened my blind eyes and revealed Himself to me, I began to realize that I was a lost sinner desperately in need of a complete transformation from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. And praise God once I accepted Jesus into my heart my life radically changed and I learned the great secret to a joy filled and meaningful life – and that is to glorify God and enjoy Him now and forever.
And may I leave you with something to ponder: No Jesus, No peace. Know Jesus, Know peace!
1 The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for…