Yesterday, My Sunday School teacher (also my father-in-law) shared this epitaph that someone had found on a tombstone:
Here lies a man who went out of this world without knowing why he came into it.
Is that not one of the saddest things you ever heard? To never know purpose? To flounder and to wander through this world, always asking the question “why am I here?”
I don’t believe he is the only person who died not knowing why they were born. And even those who find some semblance of purpose through their jobs, their manmade religions, their families, or charity work still feel empty if they take a moment to actually examine their hearts and be honest with themselves.
This is because we all have only one true purpose and that is to worship, glorify, and obey the One True God in the way He demands, according to His Word, the Holy Bible.
There is rebellion in a man’s heart that keeps him from having a natural desire to do this. And so he searches in all kinds of places, hoping to fill that desire to worship with inferior, temporal things.
It’s only when we bow our knee to Jesus Christ and turn to Him alone as our Savior from sin and death, that we can even begin to understand our true purpose in this world. Jesus is not just one way. He is the only way to be right with God (John 14:6).
We can choose to bow our knee to Jesus Christ now and acknowledge Him as Lord….or we will be forced to do this later. It’s our choice. God leaves it up to us. For now.
Paul puts it like this—
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
Believing this—that Jesus is our Savior and Lord and our only way to be right with God—is life-changing.
I came across these verses yesterday (also from Philippians) and found myself meditating on them and what they mean for me (and for you) today, in this current time we find ourselves living in.
Here’s what Paul writes—
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:7-14).
Paul tells us to follow him as he follows Christ (I Corinthians 11:1). His example has been providentially given to us by God. If this is true, then what can we learn or be looking to attain for our own lives, based on this passage from Philippians?
First: All things are considered loss when compared to Christ. Counted as garbage, even. While these verses are nice to read, they are very difficult verses to actually live out. God has been revealing some idols in my life over the course of the last few months. Things that have taken too high of a priority in my life. While it can be painful, I am so thankful that God is opening my eyes to this.
Second: Christ alone is my righteousness. We stand before God clothed in Christ’s righteousness. There is nothing good in us and we can do nothing to make ourselves right with God (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10) Any good works we do for the Lord should be because we love Him, and not because we need to do them to attain salvation or because we think He will be mad at us if we don’t do them. We can get a little mixed up with our motivation for good works, can’t we? Even those of us who know and believe this truth with our whole hearts.
Third: We must stop looking behind us and press toward the mark. One of Satan’s biggest tricks is to get us focusing on all we’ve done wrong in the past. Or to imprison us in our disappointments, our grudges, our unmet expectations of yesteryear. Again, easy to read and be inspired by these verses, but much more difficult to actually live out.
As we approach Resurrection Sunday and take time to reflect on what Christ has done for us, may we also reflect on the change His victory at the cross has wrought in our own lives.
May we remember our true purpose and turn from those temporal things that call to us, demanding our allegiance. May we turn back yet again with bowed knee and surrendered heart to the One who loves us most.