Why Life?

Acts 17:24-28 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
 
Paul draws a sharp contrast between the eternal God and the empty manmade idols. God – Yahweh – is the Lord of heaven and earth. His majesty extends beyond all we see and know. The universe is his domain. Earthly temples are not his home. The LORD needs no help from us. God is life.
   But the sin-captured heart does not know this. Separated from God, we want to know, “Where do we come from; why are we here; and where are we going?” This three-fold question has dominated human existence since God sent Adam and Eve from the Garden. In his sin, Cain became a wanderer, looking for meaning. Reading further in Genesis, you learn of the human race developing with self glory, power and wealth as the measure of accomplishment. Paul put all the debate aside to declare, “For in (God) we live and move and have our being.” God who made the world and everything in it gives life.
   We live because human history is God’s plan: In the beginning, God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” And Paul confirms, “From one man he made every nation of men.”
   Why did God desire and cause this great population? He did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him. The LORD wants us to know he loves us. And he commands you to love him. God wants your worship. When we know what that means, we will understand life’s meaning and purpose. Our hearts will comprehend what to do during our lifetime.
   God has given us the means to live in truth with each other. God’s truth reveals our purpose. Listen to what he teaches you. Elevate God in your heart, mind and soul, so all around you know the meaning of your life. Paul could confidently declare, “I belong to God, and I worship him.” (Acts 27:23) God wants you to say it, too.