Do you ever have those times when you ask yourself: “What is my purpose in life? Everything seems meaningless?” We all have moments like this and these feelings can lead to depression. God created us with this longing for purpose in order to motivate us to fulfill His Kingdom purpose. The problem is that we often look to find meaning in life in the wrong places.
The book of Ecclesiastes is all about Solomon’s journey to find purpose. He tried everything to find happiness and meaning, only to find emptiness. He was the richest man in the world. He tried to fill his heart with beautiful possessions, women, education, being wise, the pleasures of this world (such as food and drink), hard work, friendships, status, and doing good for others.Though he reached the epitome of success in all these things, he ended up despairing. At the end of twelve chapters, he proclaims; “Everything is meaninglessness!” (12:8). His final conclusion of his life research was: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (12:13).
As we live all of our days to fulfill God’s Kingdom plan for mankind, we will experience a sense of purpose. The Lord does not want us to dichotomize our “spiritual life” and our other activities.
Everything we do and say should be for the purpose of bringing God glory.
Take a minute to think about each aspect of your day today. How can you do each activity for the glory of God? As you change your baby’s diaper, serve willingly and humbly. Sing praises to the Lord for your baby to hear. As you go to work, use the travel time to pray through your day and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you each moment. As you interact with co-workers, family, friends, and neighbors, ask the Lord to show you how you can display His love, kindness, and patience to each person. As you do “menial tasks” (nothing is really menial when done for the glory of God!), do it with excellence remembering that Jesus is your audience.