“Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?” You may not have asked these questions in these words, but you understand the need to know the purpose of life—your life.
Where did I come from? This basic question is not speaking of your nationality, race, place of birth, or your ancestry. Another way of stating the question is, “Why was I born?” You were born because of a relationship between a man and a woman, as the Bible says, “by the will of the flesh.” More significantly, you were born for a purpose. The Bible states it this way, “Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). God has created you for His glory and with great potential that He can use.
Why am I here? This question is intertwined with the first one. It speaks of your purpose at this moment in time. Millions find little purpose for living from one day to the next. They face life with little zest or enthusiasm because life seems futile. A satisfactory answer to this question hinges on another question a hymn writer once asked, “What will you do with Jesus?” With Christ as your Lord and Saviour you have something to live for. You can live for Him now, glorify Him, and share your faith in Him with a needy world.
Where am I going? The answer to this question is determined by how you answer the other two questions. If you surrender your life to God and live with purpose for Him, then your destiny is heaven. People who do not have a goal or purpose for living usually end up in despair. Helping other people is a worthy purpose for living, but if that is where your goal stops, you will fall short of finding ultimate satisfaction in life. You will not be able to satisfactorily answer the question, “Where am I going?”
The Bible says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” You need a goal beyond this life. You need to live in light of eternity with God—your own eternity and the destiny of those you influence.
How are you answering these questions about your purpose in life? Are you seeking answers in God’s Word and through submission to His Son, Jesus Christ? Your answers will make all the difference in the world—and in the next world.
“If thou shalt confess with thy month the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9, 10).
—by RLB