This is one of the most basic of questions that mankind has asked: what is the meaning of life for mankind? Why are we here? Do we have any control over our future? Understanding the scriptural answers to these questions is key to any new Christian's spiritual growth. Does anyone know some scriptures that help answer these questions?
Thanks,
Joe
I was raised in the Episcopal Church, which had no theoretical questions to ask. Answers to the meaning of life? Forget about it.
Church was just something you did on Sunday morning even if you'd rather be doing something else. At the first opportunity, I quit.
Why?
Empty, boring, completely lacking in purpose and the ability to address my biggest question about God.
What do I do about Jesus?
My mom was embarrassed that I even asked questions about God and Jesus and sent me to an Episcopal priest who gave me a lecture about patriotism and duty. He knew less than I did, really.
And so my life began in earnest, guided directed and persuaded by people I respected; extorted by others I did not know....'patriots' in uniform who needed to fill quotas for military enlistment. After that first venture into philosophical wanderings, my curiosity was quenched by the immediacy and lusts of life. In short, there was never any inner purpose. Plenty of outer pressure to conform, though. That was the sole nature of purpose. Control over my future? None of that either.
I went overseas and spent time among people who never raised the question, being too consumed by activities to simply keep them alive. I spent time eating, drinking and talking with men from military persuasions of other countries; a member of the French foreign legion, sailors in the French Navy, a fellow from Hong Kong who looked and talked and acted like a man from another planet and a communist soldier who spent time with his comrades in the hills and jungles during the week and enjoyed the night life in town on the weekends. I worked with small police departments from Cuba to Pakistan and spent hours talking to guys in the Indian military. Nobody had a purpose apart from trying to make a life for themselves or just survive the experience they'd been thrust into. Just like me.
Then I got saved.
In short order I found myself in the midst of a hurricane of dogmas, doctrines and self-serving protestant evangelicals. For a while it was a grand party until I discovered that they hadn't a clue about purpose, spiritual growth or control of the future either. What's more they didn't want it. They had only exchanged one set of chains for another and were quite happy with telling themselves that they were 'special' when in fact they were just as aimless as everybody else.
Once those folk surrendered to Jesus it seemed that they just continued to allow the winds of chance to blow them along like rudderless ships at sea. They just called it God's will instead of political expediency. Some of those I met had developed a doctrine to justify their meandering attitude and path. Some believed that they had a choice in life, while others insisted that they were puppets of ethereal energies. To this day they defend their notions to the ends of their limited understanding, which usually isn't much. Illiteracy and ideology among the gullible and impressionable goes far to steal anything that resembles purpose or self-determination. You can salute the flag of John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius all you want, but the bottom line is that you do what you're told to do. That's the end of the argument in America today. You do what you're told to do because, just like everybody else in the world, you have to secure a living for yourself and your family. It doesn't matter at all if doing what your told to do is immoral, destructive and in direct opposition to everything Jesus Christ stood for.
The programming of the masses is complete. Somewhere in the dark and quiet moments as we rest our heads on our pillows we sometimes wonder. Just before we drift off to sleep on rare occasions we wonder how we got to the place we occupy and what will happen tomorrow. Then sleep takes what is left of our waking minds and before we know it we rise to begin another day of pre-programmed activity and thinking.
None of us are able or even willing to veer from the path we find ourselves upon. There's a name for that path. We call it a rut. Do you know what a rut is, really? It's a grave with the ends kicked out.
but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
