What is the point of it all?

We are past a week into 2023 and most of us have made plans for the new year. While not generalizing, I bet a lot of these "resolutions" would probably fall under the umbrella of some sort of physical/mental/emotional/spiritual self-improvement, promises to spend more (or less) of our time and money towards hobbies and what we deem as important, and a few ultimately trying to find some sort of purpose and meaning in life. Few of us can go months or even the whole year of keeping these promises made on the 1st of January. On the other hand, some of us are left wondering how we have already managed to mess up just a week into the year. Oh well, I can start fresh again at my next birthday... or Christmas... or well... there is always 2024, right?

Sure, there are exceptions as to people who are able to radically transform themselves to achieve whatever they set out to do in a short period of time. However, with most individuals, these "become a better me" resolutions tend to fall off our radar as time progresses. And if we are honest with ourselves, we often tend to mirror the same version of ourselves as we were last year... or the past several years. So, what is the point then? Are we like the dog that perpetually chase it's on tail trying to find a purpose but ultimately fail in a meaningless pursuit? What then am I supposed to do to find meaning in life?

King Solomon, noted to be among the wisest people (I would argue quite foolish as well due to his constant disobedience to God despite being blessed with wisdom) to have ever lived pondered this question centuries ago as well. The man who pursued all kinds of pleasure (sometimes against God's commandments) and had everything including wealth and riches, wives and concubines as he pleased, power, influence, wisdom, authority etc. and all the things that worldly men desire and would mostly point to as measures of success were ultimately deemed as meaningless by Solomon. "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14). He continuously laments about having pursued anything and everything under the sun to find meaning and ultimately came to the following realization. "The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Without God, everything is meaningless and temporary. With God, you can find purpose and everlasting joy. Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God. Some of the ways we glorify God is by loving Him, learning about Him through the scriptures, spending time with Him through prayer and worshipping Him, being obedient to Him in thought, word and action, bringing others to Him. The scriptures state, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). Our God already knows all that we need. He urges us to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you." (Matthew 6:33).

So how do we glorify God? In order to do that, we must first have fellowship with Him. Due to our sin nature, man is separated from the Holy God. Each one of us must first restore the fellowship with God by 1) admitting that you are a sinner 2) believing Jesus Christ paid for our sins on the cross and is the ONLY way to salvation and 3) calling out to Jesus alone for salvation and accepting Him as the ONLY Lord and Savior. (We will discuss why Jesus alone is the ONLY way for salvation and eternity with God, and not just one of many 'gods' or paths, in a later blog.) Once you restore fellowship with Him, you should be looking to please Him through obedience to His word and advance His Kingdom. What are practical ways to do that? Each one of us are blessed with God given gifts. We are not to waste away these talents on meaningless pursuits or even worse, pursuing activities/interests/pleasures that are in direct opposition to God's will. One must spend time in prayer asking God for guidance on what our God-given gifts are and reflect how you can best utilize them. You can also consult with trusted elders and leaders in your church community to help identify what your spiritual gift(s) are. You can refer to this link Is there a biblical spiritual gifts list? | GotQuestions.org to help identify the gifts referred in scriptures. Once you identify your gifts/areas of interest, there are many ways you can get involved practically at a local level within your own communities to serve Christ and advance His Kingdom.

As you try to figure out the goals and resolutions for the year, I encourage you to find out how you can advance the Kingdom of God and bring others to Christ given your unique God given gifts and talents. God will not care for how many extra pounds you were able to add to the barbell at the gym, how earnestly you supported your favorite sports team, how much money you made in stocks, or how many designer branded items you owned when He asks you to give an account of your life. He will, however, ask you what you did with the blessings/gifts He gave you and how faithful you were in utilizing them to the best of your abilities. No amount of the passing, temporary, and momentary happiness we get from indulging in our worldly pleasures or even achieving our resolutions will match the everlasting joy we will experience upon hearing our Lord and Savior Jesus say "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." (Matthew 25:21) and the eternal rewards He has in store for those who are faithful to Him with our gifts and talents.

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