God � s Purpose For You Is there hope for today? Is society collapsing, as many tell us? Is the human species � just a ghastly biological blunder � as some evolutionists have declared? What is God trying to do? Why am I here, and what am I to do about it?

The question is: Is there a purpose for life? If there is wouldn � t it be the greatest of follies to live out one � s life only to miss the reason for it, and thus to have lived in vain? It would be hard to conceive of a holy and just God who did things to no purpose. It would be harder to imagine that God has a purpose, but refuses to reveal what it is to His creatures.

The Bible speaks of God � s � eternal purpose. � (Eph. 3:11) Not only does He have a purpose, but He has expressly revealed it, as rocroded from the beginning. � Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. � (Genesis 1:26)

This, then was the original purpose; that man should think, feel, and act like his Creator. He was created with the potential for character like that of God; righteous, wise, loving, merciful, and pure. As long as man reflected that image, as long as he though God � s thoughts and acted in harmy with God � s design, he fulfilled the purpose of his being, and no problems existed. It was not until man chose t think and act in opposition to the Creator that he ceased to fulfill the pupose for his life, and on that day his troubles began. (Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 3:3, 17-19)

Jesus, � who is the image of the invisible God, � (Col. 1:15), gave a demonstration of one who fulfilled this purpose perfectly. It means that He did everything according to God � s desire. He could truthfully say, � I do always the things that are pleasing to Him. � (John 8:29) This is what God expected of Adam, but when Adam was tempted, he abandoned the purpose of God in order to please himself. Jesus, who was � tempted in all points like as we are, � never once chose to follow some course that displeased God, and he received the Father � s commendation: � This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. � (Matthew 3:17)

We all must admit to failure when it comes to truly reflecting the image of God. Jesus is the only one who succeeded perfectly. However, it is not the total completion of that purpose in this world that God requries of us, but rather that we embrace that purpose. This is what it means to � follow Jesus, � to seek to fulfill God � s purpose j ust as Jesus did. Paul wrote, � Seek the things that are above where Christ is... � � Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus... � Jesus said, � Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness... � (Col. 3:1; Phil. 2:5; Matt. 6:33) We won � t be LIKE HIM until He comes again. � We know that if he shall be manifested we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. � (1 John 3:2) This will be at his coming, the resurrection, and the glorification of all the saints. But notice that John further writes. � And every one that has this hope set on him purifies himsefl, even as he is pure. � Since the believer � s hope is to be � like him � he makes it his daily purpose to attain that goal. A Christian must be one intentionally, that is, he does not follow Christian principles just because it is part of his culture, nor because it is his church � s teaching, nor because it is what is expected him. Being a Christian means purposing to learn of God in order to do His will. If there is a cultural change, as we are witnessing in our nation today, the Christian still is mainly concerned with pleasure God, and will measure all trends and concept with the yardstick of God � s word.