I have always been a deep thinker, about everything. There is not one thing in my life for which I do not require a reason. There must be some motivation, some force driving my actions and telling me that what I am doing has meaning and value - that it’s going to be worth it.

This is precisely where Christ has entered my life and taken over. The thought of having no purpose, of living for something that will last a few years in this lifetime has absolutely no appeal to me, but how easy it is to still be tempted by it. It actually horrifies me that in my flesh I sometimes feel that living for these things would be better. Jesus, eternal Jesus, has given me a reason to live. He has given me eternity to look forward to, and I would rather focus on what kind of career I am going to have and make sure I have enough money in retirement to be comfortable after that career is over.

I’m not saying that a career, or any of these things, is bad. I’m saying that all of these things can be used to live for Jesus, not ourselves. He must change our hearts.

Have we, have I, completely lost our minds? We have been given a mission from the creator of everything. We have been saved from hell and been given joy inexplicable, yet we choose to ignore it. We choose to tell God that we have better, more entertaining things in mind. We then, like any good American, spend our life focusing on having a bigger house, a nicer car, some good kids and maybe a well-behaved dog. How have I brought God so low? Who do I think He is? We are filled today with messages of good health, plenty of comfortable money and, of course, safety at whatever cost.

Have we glanced at the Bible lately?

God promises us true, everlasting joy that we cannot imagine; joy that is in Him alone and in His eternal life, but this joy is not found in how much we can have and how comfortably we can live. God is not here to give us everything our flesh tells us we want. He is here to be glorified and honored. This joy is found in complete surrender to Him. He has given us the amazing task of resting in Him, worshiping Him and taking His gospel to the world. We cannot look this in the face and instead limit God to giving us a cool house. He knows what is best for us, and He knows what we need and want. He is our father who loves to give good gifts to His children, and He knows that living for this world will never satisfy or last, so He tells us not to. He knows that following Him and His eternal purpose is, in contrast, absolutely what is best for us, so He tells us to do it. We come to Jesus because He is the only possible option at life and joy. God promises us real, everlasting joy, now and into eternity with Him forever.

I don’t want to live for the pleasures of this world that seem so satisfying. I want to live for the one who created the mere possibility of satisfaction and who promises us joy now and forever. This is our purpose. Let us live for Him.