Why Am I Here?

Gal 1:1-5

1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through human agency, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), ² and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,⁴ who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Why Are You Here?

Have you ever asked yourself “Why am I here?” Do you ever wonder why God has placed you in this particular time, in this particular place, in this particular circumstance? Rest assured, that God has a plan and purpose for your life. And also rest assured that He can make it happen.

That plan includes:

• calling you out of this “present evil age”
• calling you to be His own
• calling you to glorify His name
• calling you to live 

Living For Jesus

I know it can be difficult to feel like you have a purpose sometimes. It may feel like we have no meaning, but that is only because we lost focus on what it is to be a Christian. Realize that you are not alone in this.  

When you think you just can’t live the “Christian Life”, you need to remember that you can’t, nor are you supposed to. None of us can. We are supposed to let Jesus live through us. He loves you so much that He didn’t just die for you, He also conquered death and rose from the grave. Wow!  Thank you, Jesus!

In addition to that… in addition to that, He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of you, to help you live His life through you (see John 14:16-17). After accepting Jesus’ offer of His redemption, you get to show your appreciation by letting the Holy Spirit live Jesus’ life and calling through you. That is why you are here. There’s your purpose your meaning and your motivation.  

Look at all God has already done for you. Regardless, and in spite of, how good or bad your life is, you have already been saved from the judgment that’s facing the world. regardless of the mistakes you made, and continue to make (and will make – let’s be honest), He still loves you, and He still saved you.  He knew you would still mess it up and “miss the mark” (sin). 

What can you do to win in this struggle?

Yield to God, yield to His Spirit. 

Here are some specific ways you can practice yielding to God.  

Remember: Practice makes perfect (when you practice the right things, the right way)

1. Pray for guidance

Ask God to give you the wisdom to help you yield to the Holy Spirit and to give you the wisdom to discern His will.

James 1:5-6: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

2. Read the Bible

The Bible is the primary way that the Holy Spirit communicates with us. Set a daily minimum amount of time (not a minimum amount of verses) to read and meditate on Scripture, 7 days a week. each person is different.  Some of you may choose to read the same passage over for a week – to help you memorize it, help it sink in.  Others may choose to go through the Bible chronologically or from Genesis through to Revelation.

The main thing is consistency.    

3. Surrender Your Will

Yielding to the Holy Spirit means surrendering your own desires and plans to God’s will. Pray for the humility and grace to submit to His leading. Remember that when you committed your life to Jesus, you committed your life.  A true believer is not someone who just got ‘fire insurance’.  I doubt you fall into that category because you are reading this.  

By the way, you are in good company if you struggle with this. I know a rather really good guy who struggled with this also. Read Luke 22:40-44. If Jesus needed to ask His Father to keep His will in check, I think you can feel ok about struggling with it too.

4. Practice listening

Take time to listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice. This can be done through prayer, meditation, or simply being still and quiet. This is an amazing thing.  It was this Spiritual discipline that really started to make a difference for me. It helped me truly internalize that my relationship with God is a two-way street. But please know I am not a big fan of believing everything I hear. Nor do I believe that God’s voice is often audible.  I believe in a ‘still small voice’ sense (1 Kings 19:12).

5. Follow the Spirit’s leading

When you sense the Holy Spirit prompting you to do something, obey. Obey if it’s something small like helping a neighbor. Obey if it’s something bigger like changing careers.

A Changed Life

Trust me, please. Making these part of your daily experience will have a very positive impact on your walk with the Christ. It takes practice and dedication. Your life will start to change, and then continue to change. You will start to experience the growth you so deeply desire.

Be patient though, not with God, but with yourself. God is perfect, and His timing is perfect. Ours… hmm.  what do you think? Maybe not so perfect?

Thankfully we serve the merciful and compassionate God.

This transformed life you will begin to have does not mean you will ever fully ‘arrive’. We are in a marathon that lasts until our very last breath. 

A Word of Caution

Some days you will have great successes, other days you have major upsets.

Some days you’ll have minor victories. Others days, minor failures. 

Finally, let me leave you with the words of Paul in Galatians 1:5, “To whom be glory forevermore. Amen.” May this be our ultimate goal as we seek to live the Christian life – to bring glory and honor to our God Who has called us and set us apart for His purposes.

For the Seeker or the Unsure

I know that not everyone reading this is a Christian. If that’s you, I want to talk to you specifically for a second. I care about where you spend eternity. What we are talking about on this site has eternal consequences. So, please read this knowing that I wish you the best life possible. 

Being a Christian is not easy, and that is why most are reading this. They know that becoming a Christian is a huge commitment. There is no such thing as being a Christian because you got fire insurance at some meeting or in a Mall. You aren’t a Christian because you go to church every Sunday, or because you said a prayer, or because you were raised in a Christian home. A Christian is someone who knows they are a sinner, believes the Word Of God, accepts the Bible as the Truth of God, and has committed their life to follow Jesus.

God loves you and desires a relationship with you. In Galatians 1:3-4, we see that Jesus, the Christ, gave Himself for your sins so that you too might be rescued from this present evil age. This shows the depth of God’s love for you.

Sin separates us from God. Galatians 1:4 talks about how Jesus gave Himself for your sins. Why? Because sin separates you from God. Sin is anything you do that is contrary to God’s will.

Jesus, the Christ, is the only way to have a relationship with God. Galatians 1:3 talks about the grace and peace that comes through Jesus. He is the only way you can have a relationship with God.

If you want this gift He offers, you must respond to God’s love by placing your faith in Jesus, the Christ. Galatians 1:5 talks about the glory belonging to God forever and ever. You can be a part of that glory by placing your faith in Jesus.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a Christian or not and want to know more about having a relationship with God through Jesus, please leave a comment. I would love to provide you with more insight and resources to help you on your journey.

God Bless,

DonR