Are we born to just live and die as all things natural?
Isn’t there a greater reason for living?
What is the purpose, the goal I can seek and aim for?
Am I just born to live and die?
We all experience many stages of life. Life begins in mother’s womb, then we grow from infancy into childhood, and eventually adulthood. In many cases, we assist God in the birth of our own children and lend guidance through their early development. Then our children repeat the process of birthing and raising their children.
Yes, God created and blesses this repetitive cycle that has continued since Adam and Eve. However, this process is not our purpose for living. God has provided a clarity regarding His intention and the purpose for each of us.
What is the purpose of my life?
In Scripture’s first mention of humanity God announced His intent and purpose for each of us, as His offspring. He proclaimed we are created to be His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). This phrase comes from Hebrew words that mean: reflection and resemblance. God created us to be expressions that reflect and resemble Him. This can be somewhat mind-boggling since He is the Creator and we are His creations.
It is important to realize creation includes the processes of design, making, and forming. While God created Adam and Eve with purposeful potential; He did not say they were finished or mature, and their actions verified it. As with our first parents, we all mature through developmental growth.
Our purpose is to be expressions that reflect and resemble God.
This natural life is more about our consciousness (mind, will and emotion) forming and molding into levels of maturity (Galatians 4:19). As offspring of Adam and Eve, we are all born with a deposit of God’s Spirit, “the spirit of life.” As children of our heavenly Father, all have the potential to develop into mature reflections and resemblances of God.
What do I commit to?
It can be helpful to know what is the image and likeness of God. Our book Created To Relate defines God’s reflective resemblance as His heart’s expressive character, attitude, and personality (CAP). Everything God does demonstrates His heart.
We are all in the process of being formed, molded, and transformed into better reflective resemblances of God’s CAP (see Genesis 2:7; Colossians 1:15; 3:9-10).
For example, we have little or no control over many factors in life such as our parents, heritage, the society we are born into, or the historical time frame we live in. And yet, the choices we make concerning what we have been given can make a big difference. The way we relate to God and one another is ultimately based on the values and qualities illustrated in our own CAP.
Our spiritual purpose in this life brings the greatest fulfillment.
What am I birthed to achieve?
While natural goals are good to have, achieving our spiritual purpose brings the greatest sense of fulfillment. As growing and developing children, our goals should support our purpose of maturing into better expressions of our heavenly Father’s nature. This is best achieved through transforming fellowships with God and one another.
May we give ourselves to God’s declared purpose for each of us: developing into more mature reflective resemblances of His heart’s CAP. May we become better demonstrations of His CAP in everything we say and do.
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder