Do our Lives Have Purpose?
Meditation for the week of September 6, 2009
Psalm 138:8
The LORD will perfect (or perform) that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
This is Labor Day weekend in the United States. Likely there are some people who are wondering why God’s purpose for them is to work forty hours a week for a corporation that doesn’t care at all for their personal well-being. Labor is the backbone of this country, yet there is no security for many in the working class and there is no security for middle management. Jobs are going overseas, layoffs are occurring every day and many who do have jobs are underemployed. They have had to take pay cuts and do jobs way under their skill levels just to pay some of their bills. Is this really God’s will for us?
The English Standard Version translates today’s verse, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.” David wrote this Psalm and he knew that God’s purpose was to make him King and then to establish his kingdom forever. There is no son of David’s on the throne right now in Israel, but God’s purposes will be performed. The Lord Jesus who is the Son of David is coming again, and He will perform that which concerns David. His Kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom when the Lord comes to reign. David believed in the promises of God and what God has promised, He will do.
Before the fall of Adam, he was given charge of the Garden to tend and to keep it. But the word “toil” is only used after the ground was cursed because of disobedience (Genesis 3:17 NKJV). So some would argue that because God knew Adam and Eve would sin, He planned for us to work and toil the way we do in an eternity past. Others of us would say that God has allowed that which He did not originally intend. But either way, can we find out what God’s purposes are for us today?
Many of God’s promises are conditional. The promise made to David having to do with a future Kingdom is unconditional. One of God’s conditional promises has to do with trust. God does not force anyone to trust Him, yet He gives us all the opportunity to trust Him. When we trust Him we are saved. Act 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, (this same message is to) you and your household." That is a conditional promise.
However, God has made unconditional promises to the saved. I do believe that God has a purpose in saving us that goes beyond just taking us to heaven. He says in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” He sometimes allows believers to flounder, but His purposes for them in their life will be accomplished. In addition, they are going to “with the Lord (2nd Corinthians 5:8)” when they die. They have eternal life. They will never be condemned. They will never be separated from the love of God (Romans 8:39).
I am convinced that some things that happen in life are because of our living outside the will of God. We don’t pray and seek Biblical and spiritual guidance before making decisions at times. We don’t want to be “confused with the facts because our (sinful) minds are already made up.” Sometimes we live as though we are not even accountable to God. The problems that we experience because of those times in our lives cannot be “God’s purpose” for us, but because God is God, I do believe that He can bring good out of our bad.
His unconditional purposes for us will be fulfilled.
Bruce Collins