What's your reason?

I've been talking about living life, and about making an impact with your life, so I think I should talk about the meaning I've found in life.

Since the dawn of time, the ultimate question has been asked in a number of ways. "Why do we exist?", "What is the meaning of life?", and "Does God exist?" My answer to these questions are that yes God does exist, and He created you with a purpose.

It only makes sense to ask "What is the meaning of life?" if we believe that life was created for a reason. If life simply evolved on Earth by accident, if we just happen to be here, then life cannot have any meaning. Life can only have meaning if it was created for a purpose. If there is no Creator, then there can be no meaning of life.Of course, people can try to find meaning in life without believing in a Creator. We can set ourselves goals—wealth, fame, helping others—and decide to devote our lives to achieving them. If we do this, then in some sense our lives seem to become about achieving wealth, or fame, or whatever, to take on that meaning. It seems possible to impose meaning on life through our own decisions and desires.

Most people who ask "What is the meaning of life?" really mean something like "What goals should we set ourselves?" There is a misunderstanding here, however; meaning cannot be imposed on life through our decisions and desires. The attempt to impose meaning on a life that would otherwise be devoid of meaning fails.

People can try to find meaning in life without believing in a Creator in just the same way as they can try to find meaning in random scribbles or in clouds. If one looks at a cloud hard enough for long enough and applies enough wishful thinking then one can find a hint of a familiar face or object, and try to project this meaning onto it. That doesn’t make a cloud a portrait, though; it doesn’t give it true meaning. Thinking that the meaning of life is the pursuit of our self-set goals is like seeing a face in a cloud and calling it a portrait. The true meaning of life depends on the reason for our creation. If we want to find the meaning of life then we need to ask why we were put here.

Christianity gives one answer to this question. The reason that we are here is that God created us to have a relationship with him. This is why God created a universe fit for human life, and why He laid down guidelines for how to live our lives. According to the Bible, each one of us is created for communion with God; God wants to know us, to love us, and to rejoice with us. In the Bible God tells us that the barrier to this relationship is sin, but since Jesus gave His life for us (John 3:16), then God heals that relationship, removes that barrier no matter how great it has become, and restores us.

If the world around you doesn't fulfill your expectations, and thoughts like "What do I live for?" and "What is the meaning of my life?" keep bothering you, we need to talk. It's not a feeling of melancholy, and no medicine will cure it. Rather the answer is you are so special, and you were created with a divine purpose. But you have to follow God to find the way to live.

There are many reasons why a person will make the choice to pursue Jesus. Where do you fit?

●I am an adventurous person and am willing to explore who God is. I have always been fascinated with the idea of the supernatural.

●The life I am living is miserable and I am searching for the way out. Life cannot be this pointless. (John4:11-13, 10:7-10)

●I have seen examples of family and friends who have lived a life with God and I want to have the same thing. I have always have respect for sincere Christians that really know God. The Christians I know are not perfect, but they seem to be fulfilled in life. (II Corinthians 3:1-3)

●I am not sure what eternity will really be like, but I don't like the sound of existing in a timeless realm of despair and regret. I am scared of going to hell. Heaven sounds like a pleasant place where I would like to go. (Luke 16:24-30, Hebrews 11:7, Jude 21-23)

●I have been raised in an atmosphere where there is a God consciousness and I have accepted that. Yet, I refuse to believe that what my family and friends are participating in is all that God has to offer. (Luke 19:1-10, John 3:1-5, Acts 10:1-8, 19:1-7)

●I cannot shake the felling that I am not living the life that God wants me to live. (Revelation 3:21)

●I have read or had someone tell me what the Bible says. I believe it is true and I can see that there are some things that I am lacking. (Acts 2:37-38, 16:29-34, Hebrews 4:12)


What is the common thread in ALL the reasons that we think of?
A: FAITH (Hebrews 11:5,6) Believing that there is "someone" that is bigger and greater than you.

So what is the "Meaning of Life"? -- The answer to this question cannot come from human intelligence or reason, but only from the Creator himself who transcends our material world. God gave us the ability to choose whether we live by His moral laws or by whatever values we assign to ourselves through our own reason. As we find, we are not mere robots placed on this earth by God. Rather, we have absolute free will to follow what He says or not. We can either recognize God as the Creator of the universe, or we can deny that He exists. We can choose to live a meaningless life or a life with absolute and eternal purpose. The choice is up to you. What do you believe?