What Am I Here For?

What am I here for?  That is a question that has rattled around in most folks minds before.  Maybe it is an all too often thought or even a looming question, that weighs your mind down.  I can honestly say it is something I have wrestled with on more than one occasion.  So in order to really get our heads around this daunting question we must start at the beginning.

The story of creation found in Genesis is a great point of reference for our quest.  The first two chapters tell the creation account.  For our discussion I would like to look at a few lines in Genesis 1.  “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)

This is a key piece of information.  We, you and I, are made in the image of God.  Think about that for a moment.  God, who spoke the world into motion, created us, breathed humanity into being.  And He did it “in His image”.  So, there is something similar about each of us and very unique at the same time.

But if we read on a few more pages in Genesis we quickly learn that everything went sideways in a hurry.  Remember the whole serpent and apple story?  Suddenly something that was designed and created to be perfectly beautiful is no longer.  A huge divide is in place and closeness with God is no longer available.

Almost as quickly as it was broken, a solution was put in place.  A plan for redemption was spun into motion.  It will take thousands of years and countless painful cries for salvation, but God never takes His eye off of His creation.  

Then there is Jesus.

When Jesus moves into the story something changes.  The moment Jesus steps into the river, in front of John the Baptist and the Spirit of God descends upon Him, the world will never be the same. (John 1:29-31)  A centuries old redemption plan is now in action.  What seemed hopeless is now brimming with life.  God did not forget His beautifully created work.

Jesus took this plan all the way to the cross.  He chose to carry the weight of the world’s sin and shame on His shoulders so you and I could have life.  The bloody death and triumphant resurrection are the answer to what was broken so long ago in the garden.  But the story does not end there.  Our pursuit of an answer to the question, “what am I here for?” must continue.

Acts 1 and 2 hold the answer, at least in part, to our question.  In the first chapter of Acts Jesus tells His beloved friends and followers, that a Friend or a Teacher is coming.  The Holy Spirit is coming to lead them and with this leading they are to go and spread the story of Jesus and the great redemption that is at hand. (Acts 1:7-8)

In Acts 2, it happens.  The followers of Jesus are gathered together and out of nowhere the Holy Spirit of God descended upon them all.  Each person filled with the Spirit of the Living God.  The same God that spoke it all into being so many years before now lives inside those followers of Jesus.

Here is a key piece to understanding what your purpose is today.  You were created by a loving God.  Now as a follower of Jesus you are filled with God’s Spirit.  Give that a minute or two to sink into your heart.  

Created in His image.  Now He is alive inside of you.  

Grasping those two statements are key to walking in your purpose.  Now we see where it takes us!