Why Am I Here?
Why Am I Here?
Life…our life…can be confusing.Life can be hard.Life can be exciting!Life…our life can be exhilarating!Some days pass and we never give much thought to it.Other days, we ponder our purpose.We wonder…why am I here?What is God’s plan for me?What purpose does God want to fulfill through me?What is this really all about?Why am I here?Just like our life…that sentence – Why am I here? - can take on different meanings.
First, put the emphasis on the word here.Why am I HERE?Why am I right HERE in this place in this moment? Why am I HERE?Sometimes we question that when we feel extremely blessed.Wow!Why am I HERE?Other times we question that when we are downcast and defeated.Why am I HERE?When we find ourselves on top of the word, full of joy, we have to remember that God placed us HERE.We might foolishly think that we had something to do with it – but we did not.It is a gift.It is a blessing.Praise HIM!!!!Thank Him for it and allow Him to use your position for His glory.Other times we are struggling and cry out to God, “Why am I HERE?”We may be broken or sad or just discouraged.I read recently that there are only two reasons to ever be downcast.The first is if you are an unbeliever.If so, there is a lot to be sad about – apart from Jesus we have no hope.The second is if as a child of God, we choose to continue to live in sin.We know it is wrong.We are convicted about it.Yet, we continue.The consequence of this burden is that we will be downcast until we break free from the stronghold it places on our life.So, wherever HERE is – one thing we can know for sure – we are not HERE alone.God is with us.He knows exactly where we are and He is not surprised by it.His word is FULL of promises and those promises are personal to each of us who trusts in Him.Claim your promises right where you are!The answer for understanding why we are HERE is to praise God, trust Him and know that He is our hope and our victory over whatever HERE brings.
“Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised.” I Thessalonians 5:16-24 NLB
Next, read the sentence again putting the emphasis on I.Why me?Why am Ihere?Why does God have ME in this place?What does He desire to do in me?Throughout the Bible, God reminds us again and again that we are called to be like Christ.Jesus came to earth as a man and lived the example that we are to follow.What qualities did Jesus possess and demonstrate to us as He walked the earth as a man?Would you list loving, kind, serving, non-judgmental, giving, peaceful, good, faithful, and obedient to God, and on and on?Well, those are the qualities God desires to develop in each of us.He has us where we are because He is using our circumstances to grow us, stretch us, and transform us to be more and more like Christ.Is it hard?Yes, it can be.Is it fun?Sometimes it may not be.Is it worth it?Yes!Yes, it is worth it.As we grow and change and draw nearer and nearer to God – the joy and the peace we experience is mind blowing.You see, God wants all of our being.He wants us to love Him with all our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind.He wants us to put Him first in our life.He wants to be our God.Jesus set the perfect example.He came, lived and died as an act of obedience.Just like He sacrificed His life on the cross, we are to sacrifice our life by living every moment for Him.So when you ask, “Why am I here?” – you can know it is because God can use it to grow you and change you to be more like Him.
“And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.”Romans 12:1-2 NLB
Lastly, let’s read that sentence one more time, but with the emphasis on WHY.Why? WHY am I here? What is my purpose?What is my calling?What is His plan for my life?Oh how I wish I could sit with you personally and discuss this in great detail.Your WHY is exciting.Your WHY is about more than your job, your to do list, and your daily activities.Your WHY is BIG!It is beyond what you can accomplish alone.It requires walking hand and hand with God.One thing I have written in my journal for 2015 is this… “God, help me walk with You!I do not want to step out ahead of you, nor do I want to lag behind You.I want to walk hand in hand with You!”That is the sweet spot of life.Find your WHY.The only way you can discover your purpose is to seek Him on purpose.Spend time in God’s word.Spend time in prayer.Spend time with Him…same as you would a best friend.The more time you spend - the clearer your WHY will become.Before Jesus was crucified, He gave His disciples the Great Commission.We, as Christ followers, are to use our life to fulfill this.Our purpose, our WHY somehow ties into this command.Read it, study it, and let God speak to you through it.But at the end of the day…when our time ends…all that will matter is what we did for Him.
“Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20 NLB
Why am I here?Why are you here?Let’s talk to God about it in great detail.Let’s seek to understand and know why we are here.Then let’s start walking the path He has for each of us.Then instead of asking, “Why are I here?” we can say with confidence in Him…”That is why I am here”.
(Please subscribe. It matters to me. :-) Visit www.masterwhatmatters.org and click on subscribe. Be sure to reply to the email...check your junk file. Thanks so much! Feel free to invite others.)