February 1

The Purpose Of Life

“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.” — John 18:37 BSB

This was our Lord’s answer to Pilate’s inquiry, and in some ways, each of us can apply His words to our own lives. Wordsworth's famous lines suggest that we stood before God to receive our mission before we were clothed in this mortal body. Whether or not the poet is correct in suggesting that "we come from God, who is our Home," we need not argue. It is enough to know that God, who hates nothing He has made, sent us into the world with a purpose—to fulfill His will, to accomplish a goal, to bear witness to some aspect of the Truth. Shall we not ask ourselves, as we stand in His presence, if we are fulfilling this divine purpose, this "high calling" of ours (Philippians 3:14)?

God created each soul with a purpose in mind. A potter begins with a lump of clay, intending to mold it into something specific. Whether he fashions it into a vessel for a temple or a humble household use, his skilled hands, combined with the spinning wheel, will shape it according to his design. "Can I not do with you as this potter does?" says the Lord.

"You have made me and fashioned me. You chose the time and circumstances of my birth, my family and my heritage, my abilities and my body. From the beginning, You knew how You were forming me, even in secret, working out Your design in the hidden places of the earth."

To our question, "Why have You made me this way?" God does not always give an audible reply. His answer often comes silently, a quiet assurance that we are fulfilling His purpose. If you find yourself facing a difficult or unwelcome task, if you are surrounded by people who are unresponsive or unsympathetic, ask that you and the Savior might be yoked together. Let His will be done through you, let His love bear with you, and let your life be a witness to the truth, as it is in Jesus.

Prayer

O God, some of us shrink from our life-work, from the people we must be with, from unwanted tasks. Help us to see Your plan and to trust that You are working it out in our lives. May the love of Christ compel us to live not for ourselves, but for Him. Amen.