What is the Purpose of Life? — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

I’ve always been impressed by people who can invent things, something that I just can’t do. There are amazing stories out there of individuals like the late Tom Patterson, who held the patent on the ATM pin technology. We take for granted the ATM machines we use, but we forget there had to be someone who invented that system. Tom Patterson also developed the first lightweight camcorder.

He was an American businessman who worked alongside four American US presidents, including Ronald Reagan, who asked Tom to open up the global economy in China. A remarkable man, he died in 2019. But interestingly, Tom was more than that. He was also a deeply committed Christian author. He helped many thousands of pastors with his encouraging books, including Living the Life You Were Meant to Live. The book was successful, not just for Christians, but for anyone.

And Tom wrote this interesting statement:

In order to see where you’re going, you need to gain a perspective on where you’ve been and what you’ve been gifted by God to be. There are times, he said, when we each need to go up to the mountain top to be able to see the terrain below.

I think that’s a really good statement. Life can drag you down if you’re not careful, and you might say, is this all that life is offering me?

What is my purpose? There’s got to be more to life than this.

No one wants to live a life that’s got a void or an emptiness with no meaning, and life has a habit of passing us by because we get bogged down with the daily necessities that take over our thinking. Before we know it, another 12 months has gone, and we tend to survive in the moment and live for the day.

In Chapter one of the Purpose Driven Life book, Pastor Rick Warren tells about Doctor Hugh Moorhead. He is chairman of the Department of Philosophy at the Northeastern University. He wrote to 250 well-known philosophers and scientists, writers and intellectuals around the world, and he asked them the question, what is the purpose of life? And then he published all their responses in the book.

Actually, the book was not all that helpful. These professional people offered their best guesses. Some admitted they made up their own purpose of life. Some admitted they didn’t have any idea as to what the purpose of life was, and if Doctor Moorhead knew to let them know. It was Carl Jung, a famous psychiatrist, who said:

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I don’t know the meaning, the purpose of life, but it looks as if something was meant by it.

Many leaders throughout the world believe that life on Earth has no purpose. It’s not very positive, is it? So my question this morning is, what is your purpose in life? It’s a question that really matters because it is deeply personal. It’s about your beliefs, what motivates your behaviour and actions, and what defines you individually. Research has shown that people who find direction in life are happier, and it leads to healthier behaviours and lower stress levels.

Many years ago, the prophet Isaiah from the Old Testament asked the same question in Isaiah 49:4. He asks, My work all seems so useless. I’ve spent my strength for nothing, for no purpose at all?

But then we have the amazing words of Jesus to a group of Jews one day. It’s recorded in the New Testament. If you obey my teaching, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free in John 8:31-32. The group here were confused because they were not slaves to anyone. The Israelites believed that God had set them free from Egyptian captivity, and they already lived in freedom. So why did they need to be set free?

During the Second World War, the Nazis had a sign erected in concentration camps that said, Work makes you free. Well, this grossly distorted the meaning of freedom. So in John chapter 8, Jesus says, If the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free. Free, free from what? Free from confusion about my purpose. If you have Jesus as the centre of your life, you will be free to be happy and to have a meaningful life. It’s all about this word significance. Being a child of God gives you an amazing sense of significance because you matter to Him, and that’s a very settling and peaceful way to live. You matter to God. You are made by God to live forever.

So this morning, what is the purpose of your life?

Let’s Pray

I thank you, dear Lord, that today I am not left to stumble around trying to find the answer to the question, the purpose of life – What is it?

I know that in union with you I can discover what I’m supposed to do and to be, and the best way forward. Thank you, Lord, for your word, the Bible, that encourages me to trust in you for everything, in all things day by day. Amen.

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