Why are we here? What is God’s will for me? What should I do with my life? We’ve all asked some form of this question repeatedly throughout our lives. It wasn’t always this way in the church. There was a time when people knew exactly why they were here and what they were supposed to be doing with their time on the planet.
There was no consternation as to which vocation to pursue. The early believers understood the message of Christ clearly, and it’s this very message that the church at large, and the Western church in particular, has so muddled over the past couple hundred years.
Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that we were saved by the grace of God because of our faith, in order that we would do the work for Him that we were created to do. This means that each of us was instilled with a purpose, and as followers of Christ it is our duty to do the work we have been given so that we might fulfill that purpose. Passages such as Ephesians 4:7-13 and I Corinthians 12:1-11 tell us that we have each been given gifts from God, and we are instructed in I Peter 4:10 to use these gifts in the service of others. The kind of service we are to render is detailed in Matthew 25:31-46 and in James 1:19-26. Why we are here and what we should be doing with our lives is very clear; the will of God for your life and for mine is that we simply obey His commands as they have been laid out in Scripture.
In light of the above passages, our time should be spent engaging our talents in ways that bring glory to God by serving others. The reason we do this is to fulfill the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 to go out into the world telling others about Christ. What better way to demonstrate the good news of Jesus than by demonstrating His love to others? By loving and taking care of the needs of those in pain, we act as the hands and feet of Christ; we reflect the light of God’s love into the dark places of the world. Our particular vocation is irrelevant; we all have the same calling, but how we live out that calling will look distinctly different from individual to individual. Because of the unique combination of gifts and talents God has placed within us, because of the particular passions that have been created inside of us, we have the privilege of living out the mission of Christ in a way that no one else can.
This is the very essence of the church: all of us working together in our unique ways but for the same mission. Life is not about you and it’s not about me; it’s not even about us. Life is about Jesus Christ and bringing His Kingdom to pass. The way to accomplish this it to stop trying to figure out your individual role in all of it; your role is already clear, and it is the same as mine. We are called to do the things He commanded us to do; to serve others by feeding the hungry, to care for the sick, the widows and the orphans. We are to shelter the homeless and give to those who are poor. The question is not what is God’s will for my life, but rather how can I use the gifts God has given me to accomplish the will of God?
It is time we stop confusing the issue and cease looking at the world through our own selfish lenses. God has clearly revealed in Scripture what He would have us do with our lives. Since we who are followers of Christ have sworn our allegiance to Him, we must be about doing His work. He gave up His own life so that we might live; now we must live in such a way that glorifies Him. In this we, we demonstrate our love for God. If we do the things He told us to do, we need never wonder if we are living out His will. God’s will for your life is clear. You were called to serve and you were called to love. This is your life’s mission.