Although Des’ree, British soul singer who achieved fame in 1980s with her song Life, didn’t give us much details as to what really constitutes life – her lyrics do give us a food for thought in understanding our fears and mixed feelings regarding what concerns as men and women in this big wide world.
The purpose of life presupposes, among other things, that there is a reason for our existence. A reason that motivates our rising up early to the bustling activities of the day. A reason to live and not die. A reason that justifies our struggle for survival – a very good reason, consequently, not to give up or give in to suicide.
If there a reason for living?
In 2019, there were 5,691 registered deaths by suicide in England and Wales, equating to an average of eighteen suicides per day in the country. This statistic is indicative of the frightening possibility that some people get to a point in their life where they see no reason for living. Knowing and understanding the purpose of life is the key determining factor that influences our thought process and decisions, our attitude and behaviour and our emotional stability while shaping our goals and interests and providing a sense of direction and meaning to every pursuit we venture into.
The realisation of the purpose of life is what brings personal fulfilment in the life of man; this is what Abraham Maslow refers to as the peak experience. At the peak experience, a man becomes full of endless joy and satisfaction – a state in which Saint Irenaeus refers to as ‘a man fully alive’. Many believe that the purpose of life can be found in wealth accumulation, a particular kind of lifestyle and affluent standard of living. Others also feel that family (spouse and children) and friends can fill the void, some resort to pleasure, job, career or talent; whereas, others cling on to religion as what constitutes the essence of life. However, the pursuit of the aforementioned goals has never truly brought anyone to that peak experience as indicated by this saying that ‘vanity upon vanity, all is vanity’ (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 14). If peak experiences were to be realised through any of these goals, the elite would have been the most advantageous and extremely happy people. Yet, it appears the rich and famous are among the most miserable and unsecure people, especially when their lives end in the most unfortunate deaths through suicide, such as Jeffrey Epstein, and drug overdoses as seen with Whitney Houston and many other Hollywood personalities.
As it is written in the Bible, there is a purpose for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1), this includes the purpose for man’s existence. Even the wicked is allowed to exist for the day of trouble (Proverbs 16:4) and that his final destination is hell and the lake of fire, which was also originally ordained for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41, 46). God created all things (Isaiah 45:7; Psalms 33:6; Genesis 1:4) including all men great or small, white or black (Genesis 1:26, 27; Psalms 104:29, 30; Job 33:4). As a creator, it is only God that holds the ultimate purpose for every form of existence and all that He created, which includes mankind (Job 33:15, 16), and the scripture made us understand that it is not in man as a creature to direct his own affairs (Jeremiah 10:23, 24; Proverbs 20:24) just as it is absurd for a computer to invent its own operating system – Windows or IOS) – (Proverbs 3:6; 16:1, 9).
Knowing the truth in life
Just as it is for a computer, the operating system for a man is the motivation and pattern of thoughts that influence his lifestyle, and this is what the book of Jeremiah refers to as ‘ways’ of a man (Jeremiah 6:16). It is these patterns of thoughts that become the roadmap for fulfilling the purpose of life. Since man’s ‘ways’ always leads to a destination, physically or spiritually (heaven or hell), every thought pattern, or ‘ways’, must bring him to a predetermined destination (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus, the wisest teacher and the true Son of God, has come and made us understand that there are two ways, a narrow way and a broad way (Matthew 7:13, 14), and obviously, there is one way, which every man travels by default without the knowledge of God. This leads to death physically and spiritually (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25), and there is a way that God provides not only for safety but also for superabundance of life, referred to as the eternal life, which is only through Jesus Christ (John 10:10; 14:6). Besides the ‘ways’, there is also the driving force that propels these thought patterns. In the case of the narrow, or Jesus, way is the leading of the Spirit of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14 ); however, the broad way is the malfunctioning of the human system thinking through selfwill that it is capable of doing what it cannot do. Contrary to the plan and purpose for creation, we see lack instead of abundance; pain instead of pleasure; bitterness instead of joy; cursing instead of blessing; corruption instead of incorruption; pandemonium instead of paradise; and death instead of life, which confirms Job’s assessment that man born of a woman is prone to trouble just like the sparks always fly upward (Job 5:7; 14:1).
What is the purpose of life?
The purpose and intent of God for creating life on earth, borne out of His lovingkindness, can be adduced from his plan and purpose, which is far better than what a man can ever think for himself (Jeremiah 29:11). And for this reason, a good God not only made provision for man’s rescue (Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 59:16; and John 3:16) but continues in His effort in calling out to man to repent and return back to the right way for the saving of his soul (Isaiah 1:18). God in His infinite mercy has not withheld the truth from man when He made us understand that there is life and death. He desires that we would choose life (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; and 2 Peter 3:9) and that this life is only in His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 5:11, 20). If one would confess Him as Lord and believes in Him unto righteousness, the same shall be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9, 10) and be enriched with purpose and everything that pertains to in man as a creature to direct his own affairs (Jeremiah 10:23, 24; Proverbs 20:24) just as it is absurd for a computer to invent its own operating system – Windows or IOS] – (Proverbs 3:6; 16:1, 9). Just as it is for a computer, the operating system for a man is the motivation and pattern of thoughts that influence his lifestyle, and this is what the book of Jeremiah refers to as ‘ways’ of a man (Jeremiah 6:16). It is these patterns of thoughts that become the roadmap for fulfilling the purpose of life. Since man’s ‘ways’ always leads to a destination, physically or spiritually (heaven or hell), every thought pattern, or ‘ways’, must bring him to a predetermined destination (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus, the wisest teacher and the true Son of God, has come and made us understand that there are two ways, a narrow way and a broad way (Matthew 7:13, 14), and obviously, there is one way, which every man travels by default without the knowledge of God. However, this way leads to death physically and spiritually (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25), and there is a way that God provides not only for safety but also for superabundance of life, referred to as the eternal life, which is only through Jesus Christ (John 10:10; 14:6). Besides the ‘ways’, there is also the driving force that propels these thought patterns. In the case of the narrow, or Jesus, way is the leading of the Spirit of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14 ); however, the broad way is the malfunctioning of the human system thinking through self-will that it is capable of doing what it cannot do.
What is the purpose of life?
The purpose and intent of God for creating life on earth, borne out of His lovingkindness, can be adduced from his plan and purpose, which is far better than what a man can ever think for himself (Jeremiah 29:11). And for this reason, a good God not only made provision for man’s rescue (Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 59:16; and John 3:16) but continues in His effort in calling out to man to repent and return back to the right way for the saving of his soul (Isaiah 1:18). God in His infinite mercy has not withheld the truth from man when He made us understand that there is life and death. He desires that we would choose life (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; and 2 Peter 3:9) and that this life is only in His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 5:11, 20). If one would confess Him as Lord and believes in Him unto righteousness, the same shall be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9, 10) and be enriched with purpose and everything that pertains to in man as a creature to direct his own affairs (Jeremiah 10:23, 24; Proverbs 20:24) just as it is absurd for a computer to invent its own operating system – Windows or IOS] – (Proverbs 3:6; 16:1, 9). Just as it is for a computer, the operating system for a man is the motivation and pattern of thoughts that influence his lifestyle, and this is what the book of Jeremiah refers to as ‘ways’ of a man (Jeremiah 6:16). It is these patterns of thoughts that become the roadmap for fulfilling the purpose of life. Since man’s ‘ways’ always leads to a destination, physically or spiritually (heaven or hell), every thought pattern, or ‘ways’, must bring him to a predetermined destination (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus, the wisest teacher and the true Son of God, has come and made us understand that there are two ways, a narrow way and a broad way (Matthew 7:13, 14), and obviously, there is one way, which every man travels by default without the knowledge of God. However, this way leads to death physically and spiritually (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25), and there is a way that God provides not only for safety but also for superabundance of life, referred to as the eternal life, which is only through Jesus Christ (John 10:10; 14:6). Besides the ‘ways’, there is also the driving force that propels these thought patterns. In the case of the narrow, or Jesus, way is the leading of the Spirit of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14 ); however, the broad way is the malfunctioning of the human system thinking through self-will that it is capable of doing what it cannot do.
Where is the purpose of your life leading you to?
Contrary to the plan and purpose for creation, we see lack instead of abundance; pain instead of pleasure; bitterness instead of joy; cursing instead of blessing; corruption instead of incorruption; pandemonium instead of paradise; and death instead of life, which confirms Job’s assessment that man born of a woman is prone to trouble just like the sparks always fly upward (Job 5:7; 14:1). The purpose and intent of God for creating life on earth, borne out of His lovingkindness, can be adduced from his plan and purpose, which is far better than what a man can ever think for himself (Jeremiah 29:11). And for this reason, a good God not only made provision for man’s rescue (Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 59:16; and John 3:16) but continues in His effort in calling out to man to repent and return back to the right way for the saving of his soul (Isaiah 1:18). God in His infinite mercy has not withheld the truth from man when He made us understand that there is life and death. He desires that we would choose life (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; and 2 Peter 3:9) and that this life is only in His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 5:11, 20). If one would confess Him as Lord and believes in Him unto righteousness, the same shall be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9, 10) and be enriched with purpose and everything that pertains to Ecclesiastes 12:14). This then begs the question to the reader. Where is the purpose of your life leading you to? Where will you stand on the day of judgment? Since there is the judgment of God to weigh in the balance (Daniel 5:25; Romans 3:23), the quality and purpose of each life holds the responsibility to know what God requires of us in this life. This is where prophet, Micah, lays it down explicitly for our understanding. It is to do justly, love mercy and to walk with God in unfeigned humility (Micah 6:8). Conclusively, the preacher, as inspired by the Spirit of God, sums it all up to us in saying that the whole purpose of life is to ‘fear God, and keep His commandments’, and this is only accomplished by believing in His only begotten son, Jesus Christ (John 6:28, 29; 3:16).
