It all starts with God

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For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, ... everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
Colossians 1:16
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's not about you.

The purpose of our life is far greater than our own personal fulfillment, our peace of mind, or even our happiness. It's far greater than our family, our career, or even our wildest dreams and ambitions. If we want to know why we were placed on this earth, we must begin with God. We were born by His purpose and for His purpose.


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Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless.
Bertrand Russell, athiest
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That's because we begin with ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like 'What do I want to be?' 'What should I do with my life?' etc. etc. Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose.

Contrary to popular belief, we won't discover life's meaning by looking within ourself. We didn't create ourself, so there's no way we can tell ourselves what we were created for

"You can't get there from here..."

In the same way we cannot arrive at our life's purpose by starting with a focus on ourself. We must begin with God, our Creator. We exist only because God wills that we exist. We were made by God and for God - and until we understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.

For thousands of years, brilliant philosophers have discussed and speculated about the meaning of life. Philosophy is an important subject and has its uses, but when it comes to determining the purpose of life, even the wisest philosophers are just guessing. Fortunately, there's an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. It's revelation. We can turn to what God has revealed about life in His word. He's not just the starting point in our life, He's the source of it. Build your life on eternal truths:

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It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
Ephesians 1:11-12
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This gives us 3 insights into our purpose:

1. We discover our identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. God was thinking of us long before we ever thought about Him. His purpose for us predates our conception, planning it before our existence and without our input. We can choose our career, our spouse, our hobbies, etc, but we don't get to choose our purpose.
3. The purpose of our life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity.

Andrei Bitov, a Russian novelist, grew up under an atheistic Communist regime. But God got his attention one dreary day. He recalls, "In my 27th year, while riding the metro in Leningrad I was overcome with a despair so great that life seemed to stop at once, preempting the future entirely, let alone any meaning. Suddenly, all by itself, a phrase appeared: Without God life makes no sense. Repeating it in astonishment, I rode the phrase up like a moving staircase, got out of the metro and walked into God's light."

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What do you think are the implications of the first sentence, "It's not about you."?

Hey I have known for a while now that is isn't about me, my wife told me years ago it was all about her!


Seriously though, I did learn that a while back and it wasn't like a revelation it was a slow (ahem and painful) process. God let me go through some rather pointed lessons to that effect. Even after going through them it didn't sink in, really in, for a couple of years. I guess I realized it more by relfecting back on those lessons than anything.

For me that sentence simply translates: freedom

Having that knowledge really deep inside me gives me such freedom. Knowing it isn't about me is only part of the equation. It is also not about any of the rest of you either! (if you get my perspective) That means I am truly free. I do not have to meet anyones predisposed opinions or predjudices. I do not have to live to impress or please any of you fine people. Matter of fact, your opinions of me don't count for a hill of beans to God as long as you will forgive me when I fail you. Sure I like when people like me, I am a tad social but it doesn't really matter That doesn't mean I don't care, but it is like a great weight was lifted from me.

**Note** This post might come across sounding conceited because it is hard to put emotion into type, but it isn't meant that way.

Nope NOT sounding conceited in the least. Getting it is the best thing that can happen to anybody. KNOWING as long as you and God are good is all that matters. No excuse for anybody acting like a jerk but other peoples opinion of you, me, us is none of your, my or our business if you get my drift.

Getting IT allows us to stop taking everything so personally. It also should help us love more people. Leave judging up to God where it belongs.

What do you think are the implications of the first sentence, "It's not about you."?

My personal thoughts on the above quote is...I believe that God has a master plan for each and everyone of us...the pain/suffering/misfortunes we go through are not necessarily part of the plan they are the results of choices we make...God gives us the free will to either abide by His word or to try things our way that doesn't mean He will turn His back on us when things don't turn out right it just serves to bring us closer to Him...makes us realize that though we may have screwed up royally our God is a forgiving God...we are not meant to be perfect..we will fail and disappoint but it serves to make us stronger eventually after our trials and error we will hopefully get to the point where we realize that it is not about us but about God's will for us...when we stop idolizing everything in our lives placing them above Him..when we realize that without Him we are nothing and with Him we will surpass our wildest expectation...
"The giant step in the walk of faith is the one we take when we decide God no longer is a part of our lives. He is our life." (Moore, Beth)

"You, my God, made the world and everything in it. You are the Lord of heaven and earth, and You do not live in temples built by hands. And You are not served by human hands, as if You needed anything, because You Yourself give all men life and breath and everything else. From one man You made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and You determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. You, my Father, did this so that men would seek You and perhaps reach out for You and find You, though You are not far from each one of us. For in You we live and move and have our being! (Acts 17:24-28)

Wow, great posts

One more thing, I think it removes one more pressure... 'if it's to be, it's up to me' - I've lived by that motto most of my life, this thread tells me it's not my battle. I am created by Him and for Him, all these little hassles in life are just little bumps on the way to the supreme destination. hmmm, after re-reading you guys' posts, I guess that's similar.

OK.....so I'm a little late on some of these.

But considering where my life and God has taken me in the last two years....what can I say.

It's not about me! No truer words have ever been spoken.

Last Christmas our Music Director asked me to participate in the Childrens Christmas Play. Ha! I have NEVER participated in a play. But...due to changes in life, marital problems and what not I told him that I would listen to the tape.

Wrong answer! By the time I had gotten to the end of the tape I was so impressed with the message that it presented that I knew that even if I did not want to do this, God...was telling me I had to.

I was to play Mr. Herod, yep...one of those Bibical Characters from years ago. But what I remember most is the words he said at the end of the play.........

"The smallest package in the world is someone all wrapped up in themselves"

And that is where our life and marraige had been. Each of us all wrapped up in ourselves. Those words brought tears to my eyes as I said them on the stage. And it sure did not help matters that my two oldest children were playing the lead roles and I had to speak those words to them.

So not only was it the play, but it was also real life as I spoke them and watched my daughter and son begin to cry too as I asked for forgiveness.

Yes, forgiveness in the play but also in our lives.

No....It's not about me, but what God has/had planned for me!

Amen!

What a testimony, thanks TH and thanks GOD!

Man, my wheels in my head need some W-D40 or something....so much to think about!

I have lived by that "If its meant to be..." business for a long,long time, too. Never had any other way to think...until I read this.

And, PLEASE don't think that I rode the short bus...but, Dr. Phil (yes, I am a fan) says that one of the life laws is that "You get it". I never finished his book. Because I don't honestly know what "it" is! So, "it" is not about me..."it" is about God. I do (now) get that.

I don't know. It is hard to "just totally depend on God" for everything. Especially when you are so hard-headed and independent. (Sometimes I don't know if my grandmother blessed me or cursed me...to raise me this way. (ie. If you want something done, do it yourself. Don't ask for help from anybody. Stand on your own two feet.)) That is my very own mentality that I deal with.

I don't believe that I am "stupid"...but someone help me out with "it". Obviousily...I need to get it.

(And yes, I am being serious.)

Donna

I would very much like to share my thoughts on this subject, but I think I'd be challenged to do so without hijacking the thread a bit and talking about things I've already written in the "Mormon" thread.

In short - I am on this earth to learn grow and progress to become more like my Father in Heaven. I can progess most quickly through prayer and study of God's revealed word, Faith in his Son Jesus Christ, and Submission of my will to His through faith and obedience to his commandments. Part of my work here is to assist the Lord in the prophesied Gathering of Israel and to prepare the world for his Second Coming and the Resurrection.

If heaven is sitting around strumming on harps, I don't really want to go there. I want something to do and I believe my life on this earth is merely a hint of the life that is yet to come and that God will give me more to do following the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our own resurrection from the dead.

sorry to say this ,as i can tell that all here had a deep belief in God,but the meaning of life may be about us.Are we not here to have a positive effect on the world around us.Also those ppl without religion (am on the edge of this)seem to get along just fine. They don't have an 'idol' to look up to and follow but somehow they seem to get along with life ok. At this point u mat argue that there life may have no meaning but without knowing them u cannot really say.No-one actually knows why we are here and if it starts with God, but personally i feel that that doesn't matter. As long as u personally live life as you want to by giving back to the world and helping when you can, as well as having what you call fun, religion (including God)does not matter.

you know gilly, that's kind of what I think as well. I mean it all starts with God, but he made a plan for us. He is a major part of this plan for our happiness as He was the one who created a world and people to inhabit it in order that we might have joy. God’s purpose is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. His purpose is to glorify his creations. Fortunately we participate in that work.

People on the edges may seem to get along fine, but believe me, they do have their idols. If their idol isn’t God, it is likely something else: their job, money, hobbies, an alternate belief system, or perhaps “what you call fun” is your idol. God programmed us to worship and then commanded us that He be the one we worship and no one or thing can or should be as important to us as him. After all, he is our Father.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">At this point u mat argue that there life may have no meaning but without knowing them u cannot really say.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I know them, they are my family, they are the people I spent two years of my life preaching to in Norway, they are the people I know everyday who don’t know the answers to simple questions like “What on earth am I here for?”

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As long as u personally live life as you want to by giving back to the world and helping when you can…</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Who better to direct our charitable impulses than an all-wise and all-knowing Father in Heaven, who knows everyone’s needs and everyone’s abilities.

"but the meaning of life may be about us"

And this would be a good starting point. It is about US and US helping each other. I think the point of the first chapter, and I guess it would apply to both Christians and non alike is that....

It's not about me!

I've been there on that edge, spent many years there. But I can say that once I chose, or maybe better yet, God chose me, my life has changed for the better.

It is not my place to say anyone is wrong about what they choose to believe. But it is my place to share with others what has helped me. And that is a relationship with Christ.