The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

Many people seek to use God for their own personal fulfillment, but this approach goes against the natural order and is bound to fail. Remember that humans are created for God's purposes and not the other way around.

The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because they typically begin at the wrong starting point—themselves. They 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 themselves will never reveal their life’s purpose.

The Bible states that it is God who directs the lives of his creations and that everyone's life is in his control. People only exist because God wills it, and they were created by God and for God. Without this understanding, life will never make sense. Only by connecting with God can one discover their origin, identity, meaning, purpose, significance, and destiny. All other paths lead to a dead end.

Anthropologists have noted that worship is a universal urge, hard-wired by God into the very fiber of our being—an inbuilt need to connect with God. And while we may think that worshipping God is something we can only do during church services, it actually goes much beyond that. It should be a part of our lives, from the moment we wake up to the moment we close our eyes.

Our goal in worship is to bring pleasure to God, not ourselves. God is not moved by tradition in worship but by passion and commitment. Everything we do should be done for God, with an awareness of his presence. True worship is sincere, passionate, and not half-hearted or hypocritical. The Bible calls us to praise God at all times and to work with all our hearts for his glory, not human recognition.

The most important lesson God wants us to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like Him, so love is the foundation of every command He has given us.

While loving everyone may not be easy for some, it's essential if we want to live fully and in alignment with God's commands. The Bible tells us to show special love for God's people and to help anyone in need, especially those in the faith community.

Remember that relationships are the essence of life. It is through them that we grow in love. And without love, life would not be meaningful. Therefore, love should be our top priority. In the end, we will be evaluated based on our love for eternity, and God says that the way to love Him is by loving and serving His family.

Becoming like Christ is not about losing one's personality or becoming a mindless clone. Rather, it's about developing the values, attitudes, and character traits that reflect God's nature. This transformation takes time and involves growth, not just imitation.

To allow Christ to live through us, we must obey and cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work. We must choose to let go of unhealthy thoughts and habits and instead replace them with new, godly ones. God uses his word, the people around us, and life circumstances to shape us into his image. The ultimate goal of spiritual maturity is to learn to love like Jesus, and this can only be accomplished by being in a relationship with others.

As followers of Christ, it's important to realize that we've been given a new life with a purpose. We were created to serve God and show our love for others, and Jesus sacrificed his life so we could be saved.

Being a Christian means being a servant and a minister of God. No matter who we are or what we can do, God has a special role for each of us. We are unique, handcrafted by God with specific talents and gifts. He uses every experience in our lives to shape us and prepare us so we can offer our service to the world.

It's important for us to find and use our spiritual gifts, but we shouldn't compare ourselves to others. Each of us has been shaped in different ways to serve God. This can be done by listening to our hearts, using our abilities, embracing our personalities, and fulfilling our life's greatest mission.