Why Am I Here?

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Why am I here? How many times have you asked that question? What we are going to discuss may not give you the answer to what your purpose is but it will give you a place to start looking. How do you discover your real purpose in life? I’m not talking about your job, your daily responsibilities, or even your long-term goals. I mean the real reason why you’re here at all — the very reason you exist.
As we look to find a purpose let us first examine ourselves. The Bible instructs in 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?” We must first take a hard look at who we are and what we truly love. Let me ask these few questions to aid in this examination. What do you really enjoy doing? What gives you the most satisfaction? To use a slang phrase, “What turns you on?” Where is your passion? Or what are you most passionate about? What are your three greatest strengths? What is your life really all about? If you had to guess your life purpose (from looking at your life to date), what would it be? Are there changes you would need to make?
These are but a few questions we each must answer if we are to find our purpose as God intended. We must do a soul search as it were. Look deep within ourselves to see what it is that makes us tick. When you stand a look in the mirror who do you see? Are you satisfied with what you see? Don’t just look on the outside look deep within for there you will find your purpose. God put it there and He may only be waiting for you to open it so He can bless. You must also be ready for the answer.
For decades men have asked the question what am I really here for. Finding our purpose has been a subject men have sought after debated and searched for, written books about and gone to the far reaches of the earth to find. This search is filled with all manner of delight and sorrow. All we need to do is go to Him and seek His will, we need go no farther. Jesus said, “And I say unto you, “ask and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Luke 11:9 Rest assured God does have a plan and purpose for each life. After all He is the one who made you. He put the design in your genes. It then stands to reason to know what our purpose is we must first have a personal relationship with the creator. In Ephesians 1:11 we find these words, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”
God doesn’t make mistakes! He gave to each special gifts or talents. In 1 Corinthians 12 we find the Apostle Paul addressing spiritual gifts and relating them to the body. In verse 4 he states there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit. God gave gifts or talents to every person so that His plan could be completed. In verses 8 through 11 of 1 Corinthians 12 we find a list of just some of the different gifts God places within each. “For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit; to another the workings of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kind of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” So from that we are to learn God wants some to preach, some to teach and some to sing His praises. Some are to lead and govern. Others are to write so God gave them the talent to string words together that others may be instructed. He gave some the gift to understand and learn another language so the His message could be given. For some the love of education was given so that disciples can be made. To be a disciple one must learn and then teach. Jesus took three years to turn fishermen, tax collectors and other skilled laborers into a force that turned the world upside down. Common men all each had specific talents that alone had little effect but when placed together a force to be reckoned with.
I have heard many say I just don’t have anything I can do. I have to ask then did God make you by accident and forgot to give you a design? Not for a minute is that true. Every one has a reason for being. Everyone has a specific place in God’s plan. Let me make one thing very clear your job is not your purpose. While you may have talents to make you good at your job that is not what God made you for. He makes us all to serve Him to use what he has given us so that others can see Him better. We are all part of God’s picture. Each has a place. Each has a purpose. Just as each piece of a puzzle has a specific place so then do we all. Have you really ask God what your purpose is?
If you did what did he say?
Next week we will look at the body of Christ and how it is to function.