Salvation Summaries

Do you know what your purpose (in life) is?

That is a “big” and important question, and one we should all know the answer to, but I would guess most don’t. That might sound a little critical, but I think it’s fair to say.

Yes, we may have an idea of what our purpose should be once we think about it….maybe it’s to “make the world a better place, or be a good spouse or parent, or be kind and compassionate to others. But it’s not something we consciously think about, and it certainly doesn’t dictate what we do each day.

Rather, I believe most people go about their lives largely in response to what others do, and from what they think society and culture expect from them. And what is that?

Well, what I “heard” growing up was this: 1) you need to get a good education, 2) you need to find a good job that pays well (and hopefully one you like), 3) you need to get to know other people in order to make friends you can do fun things with, and 4) you need to find a person you can marry and then have kids. After this, your purpose is to 5) work so you can save up a big “nest egg” for retirement, and then 6) retire so you can do what you enjoy most, such as traveling and spending time with your grandkids.

That, my friend, was my purpose before I became a Christian.

When I became a Christian, my purpose changed somewhat, but not as much as it should have. My revised purpose was essentially to do “all of the above” but worry less about money and retirement. It was to grow spiritually (through attending church, reading my Bible and praying) and witness more. And then, very recently, my purpose was revised again to repent often (daily) to help me grow spiritually and live as a Christian should.

These revisions are good things of course, and they relate to our purpose, but there is more to what God wants from us than this. I only recently discovered this from studying the Scripture on what our purpose is, and wished I would have learned it a long time ago.

Are you ready to find out what your purpose is? I’ll lay it out for you in Parts 2 – 4.