Life is a precious gift with a God-given purpose.  The saddest thing to me is a life wasted, unappreciated or just thrown away.  God has plans for your life and they are plans to give you a future and a hope.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  You are not here by accident.  Whether in the womb, rest home or somewhere in between, life is valuable to God.

 

            God knows the plans for that special unborn child.  He or she might just be the one to discover a cure for cancer.  Or what about that elderly one whose example of righteousness set you on the path of godly, faith filled living.

 

            Being valuable to God is life’s purpose.  Blessings follow obedience.  Viewing life only in terms of the present is shortsighted at best.  Accumulating things is not the “really good life.”  Without God, life is meaningless.  No matter how long a life one has to live, life is all too short.  This makes today all the more important.  Living for Jesus has no regrets on the deathbed.  Yes, life has problems and obstacles, but through Jesus we are “more than conquerors.”

 

            “People who do what is right may have many problems, but the Lord will solve them all”  (NCV).

 

            Despite all the afflictions of Job, he still expected to see God when he died:  “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God”  (Job 19:25-29 NIV).

 

            Isaiah 26:19 confirms the concept:  “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise.  You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.  Your dew is like the dew of the morning, the earth will give birth to her dead.”  (NIV)

 

            Many scriptures in the New Testament proclaim this blessed hope, giving assurance and purpose to this short earthly life.  Keeping trust in God and following His purpose for this temporary existence becomes mandatory.  The apostle Paul considered life worthless if not used for God’s purposes (Acts 20-24).

 

            How I need to realize and pursue God’s purpose for my life.  My future is determined by how I have lived in the past.  My faith must change the way I live.  When I stumble and fall, I must repent, ask forgiveness and “strain toward the mark.”  An ungodly lifestyle to me is more dangerous than anything else in this world because my eternal destiny is at stake!

 

            In pursuing God’s purpose, seek God’s wisdom.  David taught Solomon to seek God’s wisdom as the most important choice he could ever make.  It is ours too.

 

            Trusting in God brings the light of His glory in every situation, illuminating the darkness of pain with blessed relief.  So trust in the One who loves you the most.  His sacrifice for you cost Him everything.  Trusting in God, no matter what, annihilates all fear, bringing peace and rest to the soul.

 

            Effective living requires a study and knowledge of God’s Word, while applying its principles to daily living.  God’s Word is “more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb”  (Psalm 19:10 NIV).

 

            Pursue God’s plan for you.  His great love binds you to His heart and assures His purpose for your life.  Nothing in this life compares to the suffering Jesus endured on the cross.  He went to the cross in your place and mine.  His love reaches down to you and me and our lives have a purpose.

 

            We are in a war for our soul.  We may die from the battle but we will live forever!