What Is The Meaning Of Life?

What is the Meaning of Life? By NiteOwlDave [email protected] Many people wonder if there is a solid reason to want to continue to live. Some want to kill themselves because they are unhappy. Many find life a frustrating struggle. Many of us wonder what is the meaning of life. First, let’s look at what is NOT the meaning of life. Life and happiness are not about 1. Accumulating wealth 2. Being a churchy person 3. Chasing girls or guys, etc. These give no long-term satisfaction, period. Life and happiness are all about resolving the God puzzle. Does God see us of value, and can we really compute that so it makes sense? We are living in modern 2008, after all, not in the much tougher early 1900s. To begin, we must accept there is a wide-awake God who created us, knows each of us and wants to make personal contact with us. We must accept that the Bible is inspired by God. If the Bible was just another book, God is a strange joker. Researchers and archeologists would have had this bookish Jesus proposition for lunch centuries ago, and dismissed the Bible as a collection of pious platitudes and musty history. It would not be the best selling book of ALL time. Major distractions to God belief are: 1. Wars have and are waged in the name of God. 2. Many ranking church leaders get nabbed doing stuff which hardly uplifts. 3. There are too many personal points of view out there. But where there is garbage, there is truth. Truth is absolute, not relative.

________________________ The garbage and confusion we see all around us are the direct result of sin. God gave Adam and Eve choice. They chose to sin. Each of us is given choice or freewill, as well. Under freewill, we can choose to be upright citizens, con guys or drug dealers. We can choose to seek God or tell Him to hit the road. The Bible points out that no sin is allowed in Heaven. It says Jesus Christ was God in the flesh and that He took care of the sin issue when He died and rose again. Therefore the question: Is everyone Heaven-bound because He did that? The answer is NO. Christ died for everyone, yes, but you and I determine that we will go to Heaven upon death. And we determine that in this life. ________________________________ God has wired us with a God conscience. That, we cannot deny. And that sin is inborn is quite evident. We live in a good-versus-evil, God-versus-Satan world. Many challenge the suggestion that we are born wired to sin. The question then is why do well-scrubbed kids have to be taught and disciplined to be good? It’s not necessary for parents to teach their “darlings” to defy, toss temper tantrums, lie or disobey. None of these things are major issues, but they are significant pointers that we are all born flawed and out of sync with God. Even well-raised “good” kids often wind up doing major bad stuff when they erupt into their teen years and beyond. Of course, few kids turn into serial killers, but nevertheless we humans are generally not very good to each other. Agree? __________________________ So, back to the big question: What is life all about! Each of us is to enjoy life - under the rules established by God. Which God? (I’ll tackle that in a sec.)

Originally, things on earth were flawless until Adam and Eve chose to sin. Their sin prompted required cleansing by shed animal blood and the necessity of stoic priests before Christ appeared on the scene. Those stiff practices were rendered unnecessary when Christ voluntarily died and shed His blood to provide eternal removal of the sin curse. ________________________________ Therefore what? The Bible states that the onus is on each of us to personally respond to Christ’s offer to save us. Underline the word personal! Christ died and arose for everyone, but an individual response is demanded. We are not “saved” by being loyal churchgoers or community do-gooders, despite these being admirable qualities. The Bible says “All have sinned.” But Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself by going to the cross and shedding His blood to remove ALL our sins - past, present and future. That familiar verse, John 3:16, states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believeth (calls out to and puts their trust in) shall not perish but have everlasting life.” ________________________________ Sealing the deal with God is just a simple prayer away. We don’t have to be in a church, and we don’t have to be bowed down. But we must ask God to save us. We simple choose to believe, and in an honest prayer ask God to save us. 1. We must confess we are a sinner. Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"

2. Proverbs 16:25 states, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end whereof are the ways of death" 3. We must be prepared to stop doing stuff we know is wrong. Luke 13:3 states, "But, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" We must ask Christ to save us. Asking is the same as believing. We must actively put our faith in what Christ did for us to become members of God’s family. 4. Jesus is the one and only way. Narrow minded, narrow road? Yep. John 14:6 states, "Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 5. Is this really a believable proposition? Yes. John 1:12 states, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." ____________________________ So, what do you pray? Something like this:

Dear God: I am a sinner. Others have sinned greater than I have. But, nevertheless, I stand before you now as a lost sinner, deserving of Hell. I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man. I choose to believe He allowed Himself to be put to death, arose again on the third day and is alive today. The Bible says our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believe that. Father I want to be cleansed of all my sins right now. I know I am not right with God, and I want to be forgiven. I want to go to Heaven

when I die. Right now at (Time and Date)______________, I bow at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, and I am dumping all of my sin there. ALL of them! I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ wash away all my sins - past, present and future. I am sorry for my sin, and I accept your forgiveness. Right now I declare that I am a Christian. I ask, Father, that you will make me aware of when I want to sin, and give me the courage to say No. I ask, too, that you will help me understand the Bible, and to make the rest of my days on earth count for eternity. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ - my new Lord and Savior - amen. Anything else? Yes. (1.) Tell someone that Jesus is now your Lord. (2.) Start attending a church where the Bible is clearly proclaimed. (3.) Get baptized by immersion as a public confession of your new life in Christ. (4.) Read your Bible and pray regularly. (5.) Continue - or start - doing good stuff as a witness that you care like Christ cares. Conclusion: If you are sincere, the Bible says you are now a Christian and you will spend eternity in Heaven. Sounds too simple, right? It is so simple a kid can understand it and respond without churchy classes

or strict sacraments to weigh you down. Why is Christ the only way to the Father when other major religions claim that they have the way? Good question. First, Christianity is the only “religion” (hate that word) where God came to earth and completed our salvation. Second, all other religions require loyal followers to struggle all their life doing religious stuff in the hope their God will be appeased with their efforts. Biblical Christianity promises eternal life now to those who will reach out and accept Christ. Third, Christ and Christianity do not force anyone to accept what is freely offered. There is eternal Hell to pay if we reject Jesus, yes. The opposite to Christianity are strangling religions like Islam with its mammoth (and scary) following of 1/5th of the world’s population. If a proclaimed Muslim decides to reject the teachings of Islam, he or she faces being killed by its strict devotees. Islam preaches war against the non-Muslim and promises castles and 70 virgins to a loyalist who will kill others in the name of Allah. Christ is all about love. Other major religions are often about terror and slim promise of a blissful afterlife. ________________________________ Can I prove there is an afterlife? Hmm, toughie! It is declared loudly by Jesus Christ and the Bible. We do see examples of an afterlife in a couple of

ways we can all relate to. 1. Consider an unborn baby. An unborn eight-month kid might defend that life was ONLY what could be physically seen - a hot tub and a food tube. Tell the kid he was gonna blow out of there in a month and grow up to drive a train or operate a computer would bring mocking laughter. Yet, that’s the fact, jack! Tell a caterpillar it was going to spin a cocoon around itself, drift off to sleep and grow wings, emerge, fly a mile high over the city as a beautiful Monarch Butterfly and winter in Mexico. If a caterpillar can laugh, it would roar! Yet, that’s the truth of the matter; an ugly worm takes flight. ________________________________ The big picture is - and the Bible supports this - our life is a stubby hallway which is a door slam away from a wide-awake eternity. Life is a brief flash of a match, a candle in the wind. (A bow to Elton John!) For some, life here is a horrible ride. For others, it seems to be a charmed walk in the park. We will each be judged by God as to how we respond to the cards we have been dealt. As woeful or delightful life is, we each will be judged by God on how we respond to what Jesus Christ has done for us. He died for us. He arose. He shall return soon for those who have put their faith in Him. ARE YOU READY TO FACE GOD? Settle the matter now before it is too late.

Got questions? E-mail me. I'm at [email protected]