I’m Alive… So Now What?

My conflicts with others are usually caused by valuing something either more or less than they do. When I value spontaneity over planning and my friend values planning over spontaneity, it’s a recipe for frustration. When my friend wants to know what the plan is and I say, “Just chill out, it’ll be fine,” tension (and even anger) can occur as we both feel disrespected and judged by the other.

The meaning and purpose of life is like that conflict of values. I value helping others, overcoming adversity, having children and grandchildren, having fun, world peace, and going to heaven. Those are all fine things and things that can be valued to some degree, but the Bible says the highest value, life’s ultimate purpose and meaning is to live for God. When my highest values and God’s highest values are different, frustration and emptiness abound in my life.

What Living for God Means

To live for God means to love, follow, trust, enjoy, obey, worship, and even listen to God. It’s giving God first place in our lives, knowing God is beautiful and true, living the reality that God is more important and better than anything and anyone. Everything I am and have, all that is good, is from God.

In this life, Christians seek to trust in the unseen God, whom they will see face-to-face in the next. Eternity will be enjoying the love of God and perfectly loving God. There will be no distractions and no disconnections from God, the source of all life and all love.

God the Egomaniac?

If someone fancies themselves to be worshiped and at the very top of everyone’s list of priorities and greatest loves, they’d be an egomaniac! So, why isn’t God guilty of such pride? If I wanted everyone to love and worship me I would be delusional, because I’m not the most awesome being in existence. I’m just a dude. To say I’m worthy of being ultimately valued by humanity is a lie.

However, God is the greatest treasure, the fullest love, the truest friend, the most beautiful being. For God to say he’s worthy of being ultimately valued by humanity is the truth. To deny that truth would mean God was lying, and it would be wrong for God to give anything higher value than himself.

Getting Beyond Ourselves

Entrusting our lives completely into the hands of another is a risky and foolish thing to do unless the person we’re centering our lives around is perfectly good. If I wouldn’t blindly obey another broken human being, why would I trust myself to direct my own life? I’m no less broken and I don’t make better choices than most people. I’m perfectly capable of hurting others and myself, and I do ‒ especially when I seek to live for myself.

Living for God requires humility and an accurate view of God. If the idea of centering your life around an old, crabby, killjoy God has no appeal, I don’t blame you! Humility before a good, perfect, and joyful God brings incredible love, peace, freedom, and hope.

Explore Your Perspective:

  • What do you value most in life?
  • What do you honestly think about the decisions you’ve made in your life?
  • When you look at your life honestly, what are you really living for? What do you really want in life and how are you trying to get it?

To learn more about the Christian view of God, read Why God is Not a Dude.

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