WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?

By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com 

Many people wonder if there is a solid reason to want to continue to live. Some want to kill themselves because they find life a frustrating struggle. Many can’t find the meaning of life.

Life is meaningful if we grasp the big picture. Let’s break it down. First, what is NOT the meaning of life? Life and happiness are not about -

• Accumulating wealth
• Being a “religious” person
• Chasing girls or guys, etc.

These give no long-term satisfaction, period. Resolving the God puzzle gives us a purposeful life. God sees us of so much value that He sent His son, Jesus, to pay for our sins like a sacrificial lamb. 

His instruction manual, the Bible, is far more than a collection of pious platitudes and musty history. The best-selling book of all time, it spells out God’s plan for each of us.

Major distractions to God belief are:

• Wars have and are waged in the name of God.   
• Many ranking church leaders get nabbed doing stuff which hardly uplifts.
• There are too many personal points of view out there.

But where there is garbage, there is truth. And the problems and confusion we see all around us are the direct result of sin.

Like us, God gave Adam and Eve choice. They chose to sin. Under freewill, we can choose to do what we know is right or we can choose to sin. We can choose to seek God or tell Him to hit the road.   
 
Christ died for everyone, yes, but you and I determine if we will go to Heaven upon death. And we determine that in this life. 
 
Some 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 children 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
       
So back to the big question: What is life all about? Life is for each of us to enjoy, under the rules established by God. Which God?  (I’ll tackle that in a second.)

Originally, things on earth were flawless until Adam and Eve chose to sin. Their sins stained the entire human race.

To be forgiven, as in saved, we must call out to Christ.

The Bible states that the onus is on each of us to personally respond to Christ’s offer to save us. Christ died and arose for everyone, but an individual response to His offer is demanded.

We are not “saved” by being loyal church-goers 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. A free gift must be accepted.

1. We must confess we are a sinner. Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Luke 13:3 states, "But, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"

Proverbs 16:25 states, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end whereof are the ways of death." 
  
2. 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 a member of God’s family.

 3. We must believe that Jesus is the one and only way to Heaven. Narrow minded, narrow road.  John 14:6 states, "Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."    

4. 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 we pray? Something like this:
   
Dear God,
I am a sinner.
Others have sinned greater than I have. 
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 believe that.
Father, I want to be cleansed of all my sin 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 sins, and I accept your forgiveness. 
I now 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 taught.
(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 church classes or sacraments.

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 does not force anyone to accept what He freely offers. Yes, there is eternal Hell to pay if we reject Jesus. 

The opposite of Christianity are strangling religions like Islam with its mammoth (and scary) following of 1/5th of the world’s population.

If a Muslim decides to reject the teachings of Islam, he or she faces being killed by its strict devotees. Islam allows for war against non-Muslims.

Christ is about love. Other major religions are often about terror with slim promise of a blissful afterlife.

Can I prove there is an afterlife?  Hmm, toughie. It is declared by Jesus Christ and the Bible.

But we do see examples of an afterlife in a couple of ways we can all relate to.

Consider an unborn baby. An unborn eight-month kid might defend that life is ONLY what could be physically seen - a hot tub and a feeding tube.

Tell the kid he was going to exit out of there in a month and grow up to drive a train or operate a computer would bring laughter.  Yet, that’s the fact.

Tell a caterpillar it was going to spin a cocoon around itself, drift off to sleep and grow wings, emerge, and fly a mile high over the city as a beautiful Monarch Butterfly and winter in Mexico. If a caterpillar could laugh, it would roar. Yet, that’s the truth of the matter; an ugly worm takes flight.

Here’s the big picture:
 
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’s 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 as delightful our life is, we will each be judged by God on how we respond to what Jesus Christ has done for us.

He died for us. He arose from the dead. He will return soon for those who have put their faith in Him. We must be ready to face God. Settle the matter now before it is too late.
 
Thanks,
dave