The purpose of my life is to glorify God. That’s all.
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Many men spend their whole lives trying to find their purpose in life. They look in wealth, political influence, the company of women, and possibly something else I haven’t thought of yet. But, I have been blessed to have found my purpose in life at such a young age. Some men do eventually find the purpose of their lives. But many find it at the end of their lives.
I think King Solomon was one of such men. He wrote a memoir that is today known as “Ecclesiastes”. It is widely believed that he wrote it at the end of his life. He stated that wealth, political influence, and pleasure did not bring meaning to his life. (Ecclesiastes 5:10, Ecclesiastes 4:16, Ecclesiastes 2:1) At the end, he eventually found that his purpose in life was to respect God and obey his commands. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 (By the way, this is the second to last verse in the whole memoir of Ecclesiastes.)) Respecting God and obeying his commands brings glory to God. I found my purpose in life through my relationship with God.
I have believed that there is a God for almost my whole life. But, I did not know God personally until I was 10 years old. It was near Resurrection Day (Easter) of 1994. A traveling missionary came to my school facility that night and told the gospel story that night. I had probably heard the gospel many times before. But, that night was the first time I ever understood it completely. I learned that God loves me and everyone else. (John 3:16) I also learned that my thoughts and actions are displeasing to God. (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:2,3) And, I learned that any attempt I make to please God on my own strength is futile. And therefore, it is impossible for me to have a relationship with God without divine intervention.
Fortunately, God intervened. God sent his own son, Jesus, down to earth in human form to make it possible for me to have a relationship with God. For that to be possible, Jesus took the punishment for my sins by being brutally abused and killed by sinful men. When God raised Jesus from the dead, my sinful nature was defeated as well as the sinful nature of all other people who believe in him. (Ephesians 2:4,5,6) That evening in 1994, I prayed to accept Jesus by confessing my sinful nature, accepting Jesus’s death and resurrection as atonement for my sins, and asking God to come into my life. Ever since then, God has been slowly but surely revealing himself to me.
Over the last 23 years of my life, God has been transforming me into his own likeness. Over the last 10 years of my life, he has been doing it by dealing with my pride. Selfish pride is the only major sin I have been struggling with recently. Unfortunately, according to C.S. Lewis, pride is the worst sin of all. As I keep on getting compromised by pride, God keeps on combating my pride by allowing humiliating things to happen to me. As unpleasant as these humiliations are, God gives me an incredible peace that only he alone can give.
I earned my Master’s degree in December 2009, after 2 and a half years of torturous (and sometimes humiliating) grad school. After that, I searched for a job for 8 months. It was a very long and despair filled 8 months. I eventually found a job. It was my dream job. And, I think it was a gift from God. I have now been working there for 6 years. God has blessed me immensely. He has blessed me with a great family, great friends, and abundant resources. Although God’s providence is the only explanation for my great life, I still continue to struggle with pride. And, God is still having to teach me humility.