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Why am I? What is my purpose?

Why am I here? What is life all about? What is the meaning of life? How we answer these big-picture questions is important so we can live with hope and a sense of purpose in times of uncertainty, pain, and frustration.

What is the meaning of life according to the Bible? According to the Bible, knowing God is the meaning of life because He is the “author of life” (John 17:3). The meaning of life is not based on things we see in the world “for life is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Luke 12:23).

What does it mean to know God? Why can’t we base the meaning of life on relationships, career, or personal happiness? Understanding the answer to these questions in the Bible gives a sense of purpose and fulfillment in our lives.

https://www.openbible.info/topics/why_do_i_exist

What is the meaning to life? Why am I? What is my reason/purpose? A routine question that strikes us at moments of reflection/trial. What is “Life”?

God, as The Author of life, brings meaning to life. Everything God created was meant to show what God is like. God created a world with a purpose, by His design. The world we live in and the life of every person has a purpose and is not just the product of chance, random events, and biological selection.

What Is the Meaning of Life According to the Bible?

1

Prayer helps you develop a relationship with God

Just like your parents here on earth, your Heavenly Father wants to hear from you and talk to you. When you pray, He listens. Then He answers your prayers in the form of thoughts, spiritual feelings, scripture, or even the actions of other people.

2

Prayer helps you gain an understanding of God’s loving nature

The scriptures teach, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). You can feel that love as you speak daily with Him through prayer, seeking His guidance in your life.

3

Prayer provides answers

Praying and listening to the answers God gives you can help you better understand your purpose in life. God will help you understand why you are here and what you can do to return to live with Him after this life.

4

Prayer helps you find direction in your life

When you privately pray to God, you can work through serious decisions in your life. God always listens and often provides the specific answers and guidance we seek. Even when He chooses not to answer immediately or in the way we might have hoped, prayer itself is a way to find peace.

5

Prayer gives you strength to avoid temptation

Jesus counseled His disciples, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). Through prayer, we can overcome temptations to sin. Pray for God’s help to keep you from making wrong choices. This will give you the strength to do what is right.

6

Prayer aligns your will with God’s will

The purpose of prayer is not necessarily to tell God how you want Him to do things. Rather, it’s to better understand Him and His ways, bringing yourself into alignment with His will. As C.S. Lewis is often attributed as saying, prayer “doesn’t change God. It changes me.”

7

Prayer and regular fasting can help you accept God’s will

Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before He began His ministry on the earth. As He did this, He communed with His Father in Heaven in prayer. Likewise, if you pray and fast, you can feel closer to God and better understand the things He wants you to do.

 

8

Prayer can work miracles

Throughout the scriptures, we see many examples of the Lord working miracles as an answer to prayer. In Old Testament times, the prophet Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den because he refused to stop praying. When he prayed to God in the lions’ den, angels appeared and closed the mouths of the lions. Through daily prayer, you can also experience personal miracles such as healing, peace, and forgiveness for sins.

9

Prayer invites the Holy Spirit into your life

As you pray daily, you invite the Holy Spirit to be with you and to comfort and direct you. The Holy Spirit can give you answers, help you feel God’s love, and bring feelings of peace and joy into your heart.

10

Prayer helps you become more like Jesus

Jesus set the perfect example of prayer. If you try to follow His example through prayer, you will become more like Him and develop a better relationship with Him and Heavenly Father.

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Be blessed. Because we ARE! Amen

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 4:13-15

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians 4:13-15

And we pray 🙏🏾

And we focus on God in gratitude…

NB

📍Throwing STONES?📍Carrying your CROSS?

Galatians 6:1-2 encourages spiritually mature believers to gently restore someone caught in sin, watching themselves to avoid temptation, and to “bear one another’s burdens,” thereby fulfilling the law of Christ through mutual support and love. It emphasizes restoration over condemnation, gentleness in correction, and the importance of shared responsibility within the Christian community to help carry each other’s struggles.

Key Meanings

  • Gentle Restoration (v. 1): When a fellow believer errs, those living by the Spirit (fruit of the Spirit) should help them get back on track, not with harsh judgment, but with humility and gentleness, like mending a torn net or resetting a broken bone.
  • Self-Awareness (v. 1): It’s a warning to remember one’s own potential for sin and temptation, promoting humility rather than self-righteousness.
  • Bearing Burdens (v. 2): This means actively helping others with their heavy loads, whether spiritual, emotional, or physical, not just offering words but tangible support.
  • Fulfilling the Law of Christ (v. 2): This mutual support is the practical expression of Christ’s command to love one another, as seen in the New Testament.

In Practice

This passage calls for a community where:

  • People are restored, not shamed, when they fall.
  • Members look out for each other’s spiritual well-being.
  • Burden-sharing is a way of life, reflecting Christ’s heart for His people.

THE VOICE OF TRUTH.

Literally, iron can sharpen iron in any relationship but with humility- Prov.27:17. With our individual’s LAPSES, we still CRITICIZES despicably with the undertone ENVY, PRIDE and HATRED. We all CAST such STONES differently at one another daily and it often ruins than building!

“…if a MAN is OVERTAKEN in any TRESPASSES… RESTORE such a one in a SPIRIT of GENTLENESS, considering yourself lest you also be TEMPTED. BEAR one ANOTHER’S BURDENS… FULFILL the LAW of CHRIST.”

– Gal. 6:1-2.

This bible quote shows us how we can CORRECT one another without CASTING any STONE of offence but rather used it to EDIFY and BUILD. JESUS used the faulty ways of the SAMARITAN WOMAN to SAVE her, PAUL used the same method too with the Athenians

Acts 17:22ff, Jh. 4:7ff.

In Acts 17:22-34, Paul addresses the Athenian philosophers at the Areopagus, using their altar “To an Unknown God” to introduce the Creator God. He proclaims that God does not live in temples, is the source of all life, and commands repentance,, highlighting the resurrection of Jesus as proof of coming judgment. 

Key Themes and Context

  • Context: Paul is in Athens, noticing it is full of idols, and engages with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.
  • The Approach (v. 22-23): Paul finds an altar inscribed “To an Unknown God,” which he uses as a starting point to explain the true God they ignorantly worship.
  • The Message (v. 24-31):
    • God as Creator: God made the world and does not live in human-made temples.
    • God as Sustainer: He is not served by human hands, but gives life and breath to all.
    • Sovereignty: He determined the boundaries and times of all nations, encouraging people to seek Him, as He is not far from anyone.
    • Idolatry Refuted: Because we are God’s offspring, God should not be thought of as gold, silver, or stone.
    • Repentance & Judgment: God overlooks past ignorance but now commands repentance, having fixed a day of judgment through a resurrected man.
  • Response (v. 32-34): Some mocked, others wanted to hear more, and a few believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite. 

This sermon is a key example of contextualized evangelism, appealing to Greek philosophy and poets (“For in him we live and move and exist”) to point toward the Gospel. 

John 4:7ff (John 4:7 and following) depicts Jesus’s conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, focusing on the request for water, the promise of “living water,” and the revelation of his identity. This passage highlights themes of breaking social/religious barriers, spiritual salvation, and Jesus as the Messiah. 

  • The Request: Jesus breaks cultural norms by asking a Samaritan woman for a drink, prompting the conversation, according to the NET Bible at YouVersion.
  • Living Water: Jesus explains that while physical water only temporarily quenches thirst, the “living water” he offers leads to eternal life, notes the NET Bible at YouVersion.
  • The Prophetic Insight: Jesus reveals his knowledge of the woman’s personal life, demonstrating his prophetic and divine nature, as described in the NET Bible at YouVersion.
  • Worship: The conversation shifts to the nature of worship, moving from physical locations to spiritual worship “in spirit and truth,” mentioned in the NET Bible at YouVersion. 

This encounter in John 4:7-42 emphasizes Jesus’s mission to all people, regardless of their background, 

The truth? We don’t THROW the building STONES like the destructive STONES, the difference fulfills the law of Christ which is Agape Love – let’s learn!

Agape is a profound, unconditional, and sacrificial love, most famously defined in the Bible as the self-giving, intentional love God has for humanity and that believers are called to show others. It is a choice-driven, action-oriented commitment to another’s highest good, regardless of whether they are deserving or if anything is returned. 

Key Characteristics of Agape Love

  • Unconditional: Unlike eros (romantic) or philia (friendship) love, agape does not depend on affection, attraction, or reciprocation.
  • Sacrificial & Selfless: It prioritizes the well-being of others above personal desires or needs.
  • Action-Oriented: Defined in 1 Corinthians 13, it is a verb shown through behavior (kindness, patience, forgiveness) rather than just a feeling.
  • Divine Origin: It represents the nature of God himself, who loves humanity unconditionally. 

Agape in the Bible

  • Definition: It is the highest form of love, often translated as “charity” in older contexts, describing God’s love (1 John 4:8).
  • Examples: The ultimate example is Jesus Christ dying on the cross for humanity’s sins.
  • Usage: The Greek word appears over 200 times in the New Testament to describe this, often contrasted with worldly, conditional love. 

Cultivating Agape Love

  • Action over Emotion: Practicing it involves daily, intentional decisions to act with kindness, such as listening to others or helping without expecting rewards.
  • Commitment: It requires enduring through difficult circumstances or with difficult people.
  • Spiritual Growth: In Christian tradition, it is considered a fruit of the Spirit, developed as one grows in faith. 

Differences from Other Loves

  • Agape vs. Eros: Agape is selfless, while Eros is based on desire and attraction.
  • Agape vs. Philia: Agape is wider, universal love, while Philia is intimate, brotherly, or friendship love. 

Agape is the “greater love” that focuses on giving rather than receiving. 

Shalom.🙏🔥

This is an easy question!

Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

The transformative message of the Bible, specifically 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV): “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 

Here is a breakdown of what that transformation means according to scripture:

  • A Complete New Life: Being a Christian is not just a behavioral modification; it is a spiritual rebirth. The “old life” (sinful nature, pride, and living only for self) is replaced by a life designed by God.
  • “Fun” Reconsidered: Activities that were once thought of as “fun” are often recognized as detrimental or contrary to God’s will. As your heart and mind are renewed by the Holy Spirit, your desires change to align with His.
  • Positional Truth: While old habits might try to resurface, the promise is that the old you is gone and a new journey has begun.
  • Heaven Bound: As a believer, your identity is no longer of this world. You are a citizen of heaven, looking forward to eternity with God. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) 

As we begin a new succesful, blessed, testimony filled week… In Jesus’ MIGHTY Name, Amen

And we seek The Face of God…

As we receive the Word, Amen.

Not often we are blessed to be able to say this!

And we pray 🙏🏾

Father LORD, God almighty, I approach Your Throne of grace prostrate, pour out Your grace upon my being, cleanse me/renew me from within. Father, use me. I pray that Your will be done with/in my life in Jesus’ Name, Amen. What is broken in me, You Created all things in their beauty. Create within me a clean heart and use me LORD. As Your Word – Jesus prayed and taught – Father, Your will be done, Amen.

Father, go before us this week/month/year/lifetime/eternally we pray/decree/ask of Your Essence. In each and every thought/word/action of mine Father, be Thou glorified, I pray in Jesus’ MIGHTY Name, Amen 🙏🏾

Have a GOD blessed week ahead as God surrounds and engulfs you with and in His favor, Amen.