Many times I have been asked this question and many times I have witnessed this question being asked of other people. I have been amazed at some of the answers I have heard. Answers such as....God's purpose for man is to work! God's purpose for man is happiness. God's purpose for man is for man to be miserable. God's purpose for man is to put a list of rules on him. You could go on and on and still never touch God's ultimate purpose. Of course, you also hear the typical Sunday School type answers such as, God's purpose for man is to serve. God's purpose for man is to worship. God's purpose for man is to love, etc. There is no doubt that these latter answers are all great things but as a whole, the deeper role has been completely missed.
Man has asked this question of God before.
Psalm 8:4
What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him?
And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?
The first thing to understand is that man is a created being, which in turn makes him a dependent being. We were never made to be independent. Man is also an intelligent being, a moral being (meaning man has a free-will, the ability to choose) and man is a being that has the capacity to love and be loved. With this being said it should be simple to conclude what God's purpose for man is. But instead we normally skirt around the issue giving traditional answers that hopefully make us feel better about ourselves. We make our lists and try to keep them as if God is a robot or machine. We do our duty and obligations hoping that it will gain God's approval when in all honesty, we have missed what He truly desires.
God's first purpose for man is simply, "relationship." This may seem too simple for many, but yet it is true. God the Father wanted to be able to express Himself to a family and to be able to share life and get to know each personally. Throughout Scripture God's desire for fellowship and communion with man is revealed. From the time God sought Adam in the garden until now. Even when Adam sinned and caused the relationship to be broken, God had a plan and established a New Covenant through Jesus Christ in order that the relationship could be fully restored and accomplished. Now God can indwell each believer making fellowship and relationship constantly available.
Ephesians 1:13
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
Worship, love, service, happiness and joy are wonderful things but are the fruit of a good relationship with God. How is your relationship?
Pastor Mike
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Thank you for making me think about this. It is so easy to focus on what we get out of a relationship instead of the importance of the relationship itself.
ReplyDeleteallison
To have a relationship with God means we have to submit the very core of our being to Him. I find that when my purpose becomes more about works it is hide from that relationship for a myriad of reasons.
ReplyDeleteWe truly need to submit everything to God. He is enough!
ReplyDelete