DON’T GET IT TWISTED

“Who am I? What is my purpose?” are two of the most frequently asked questions. Behind these questions is the rooted desire to have a greater meaning other than self-preservation. There is an innate desire in us to bring solutions to earth’s greatest questions or problems.

When we circle back to the beginning where God creates everything– which comes to be by His utterance, – we see a defined pattern of what we are to cling to as timeless truths. Let there be…. and he deems it as good. This sequence characterizes what we can call a perfect beginning. Then the triune Godhead says, “let us create man in our own image.” (Genesis 1:26). God fashions man out of the dust and the Holy Spirit breathes on man to give him life; Adam. Soon after, God gives Adam a role/responsibility; purpose if you may- God gives him work, to dominate and subdue the earth. (Genesis 1:28-31 ; Genesis 2:15)

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We live in a world that has various versions of the truth. “But this is my truth,” some people often say when faced with contention or when their ideologies are questioned. The truth about the truth is that the same principles apply across the board; just like gravity.

We are God’s Workmanship

God created man and explicitly defines what he was built for. This means our purpose comes from God. For example- a potter makes a vessel and in creating the item, he determines whether it is a cup or a vase, a water jar, or a plate. We, therefore, have to acknowledge God with our being. Therefore we can say we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) . David says in (Psalm 8:4- 6): “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  You made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.”

We were created, Male and Female

This is a timeless truth that is stated so that we do not get it twisted and call ourselves anything more or less than what God has stated. The reality is a warped perception of gender that gives a warped perception of being so that even purpose and the reality of one’s limitations are crossed.

We were created to be in fellowship with God

In Genesis we meet a God who showed up every evening to meet with Adam and Eve- that is why when Adam and Eve knew they had sinned against God they went to hide – so that God comes to call them out. Man was created to be in a relationship with Him. This is repeated over and over in the bible (Revelation 3:20; Jeremiah 29:13) Even when God had enough of man and his sinful shenanigans, he still has mercy and saves Noah and his family. Years later, God sent Jesus who came to earth and made himself the perfect sacrifice so that man is reinstated as a friend of God and can live out his days in God’s image fulfilling God’s purpose. The grace and mercy we enjoy despite our sinful nature should remind and affirm that God longs for communion with us.

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In all our reality; the question of who am I? cannot be disassociated with God. Even the scientific communities, as they try to explain evolution, cannot explain why human beings are not evolving into something new. As they argue about the big bang theory, they cannot explain how there are no explosions creating a species of people or any other creation. Even those eager to explain that there were spores that brought about creation as we know it, cannot explain where the spores came from. Unlike animals, we reason and have the ability to be self-controlled. Not to mention that we can relate with a God who created us for a purpose. It is vital for us not to take up sub-truths or alternate truths so that we do not get a wrong idea of what is wrong and right.

The quest to find our purpose in this perverse world is addressed by the sage; King Solomon. He laments about work and the labor of one’s hands. He laments about wisdom being useless, pleasure being meaningless, folly being meaningless, and toil being meaningless, he talks about seasons of life, and that there is nothing new under the sun. he concludes that Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Here is the whole conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the duty of all mankind.“

As we live on earth we seek bigger things; jobs and better lives and the moment we remove God from the equation, we begin to worship these things such that we get no pleasure in it but our appetites are left craving more. We find ourselves believing the lie that if we get more we will be happier yet satisfaction and completeness never comes. As far as purpose is concerned, man is to subdue the earth and take care of it and it includes all professions that do not take away from man’s experiences like stealing, killing, and destroying. However, these professions should be undertaken in relationship with God so that man has a purpose-filled experience rather than something that has the potential of gaining idol status in their life.

Be bold! Live by who God says you are and walk in the purpose He has outlined from Scripture.