"Why am I Alive?"

Many people question their existence. I too have often wondered what my purpose or excuse was to live.  We often do not take time to stop and think about it because we are too busy running around trying to find the answer. The answer is simple, if we believe it is true; we will find that our reason for living rests is in the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. He is the hope of all the Nations.

At the 2008 WCFS graduation, Rev. Scott Brown spoke about this very issue, by touching on the fact that Psychiatrists make enormous incomes from people, no matter their success in life, plagued by the feeling of useless existence. He told of the need for Christians not to become like this flavorless and hopeless world of secularism and imperialistic views. "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt…lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing… to be cast out, and…trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13.

Imploring the audience He said; "You will each give your life to something…" (Paraphrased): you must commit your lives to Christ …giving Him everything. You must also understand that commitment to Christ is to commit even unto death. You will only ever find your life though your death and resurrection in Christ Jesus. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live… not I, but Christ liveth in me… the life…I now live … I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20. 

As I've reflected on this, I remember how "…All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Timothy 3:12.  The ultimate cost of our surrender to Christ is, (as Pastor Brown said), "…our temporal failing life for His eternal victorious life… you will find the cost of this life is far less than the eternal rewords… and you will at last have discovered an excuse for being born."

For me, it is easy to see why so many "Christian" marriages end in divorce or separation… we are unwilling to commit 'till death. No wonder so many thousands of people kill their own unborn and born children, and other children are abused and rapped… no wonder so many young people kill themselves before they even reach the age of 20. Why is this? Because we have given ourselves to Satan, and lost our purpose for living. We have become God, thinking that we are wise, yet we become fools. Surrendering ourselves to the one thing that is our eternal loss, us. Thinking that we have conquered our minds we let Satan make a home in the depths of our souls. Destroying what truth we knew.

No matter what we do in life, if we do not have Christ as our hope, we will still find this life as a meaningless and useless waist of time. So, what than should we do to have a truly successful life? How should we live if not for ourselves?

Over the past years, I have heard many messages from my dad and pastor Peeler of how we must love as Christ would. “To hate the sin, but pray for the sinner, and show the sinner Christ’s unending love.” My dad’s Sunday message of June 8th, hit me really hard. God showed me how much we (I) just don't love others as Christ would. "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love." Ephesians 4:2. I know that I don't like to suffer long, so it can be extremely hard to "…love one another with a pure heart fervently." 1Peter 1:22.  To love some one is to forgive them of everything. But even beyond forgiving them, we must pray for them. I have found that sometimes I look so hard at the things the other person did that were wrong, that I don’t even see things that I did wrong. Thus, I can’t see how to love them because I’m just so perfect! Right?

            How easy it is to give ourselves the right to hate some one for things they may or may not have done to us. If all we are living for is for people to love us and say and do nice things to us; we will waste an enormous amount of time in confusion, mistrust, anger, hatred, and judgment. Never finding the true meaning of life, through which is in Christ. So, we continue to ask, "Why am I alive?" God commanded us to love. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you... By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35.

If you seek a hope and a purpose, therefore, you must sacrifice your own wants and dreams and give it to Christ as a love offering, living and dying for Him only. "…Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service… not conformed to this world: but… transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good… Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves… for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:1-2, 9, 12, 14 & 19. What should we do when people don’t care about you?"…We should love one another...This is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another..." 1John 3:11&23. Can we not see the obviousness of how important love without judgment is to Christ, how purposeful it is? Remember, we must not love this world, but care for that which God gives us. We must stay salty so that the world may know Jesus is God, and that we are His children. If we don’t love, our lives will be empty and filled with loneliness.

"Finally, be… all of one mind, having compassion… love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are… called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips… speak no guile… eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."  1Peter 3:8-12

Only through Christ, shall we find true forgiveness, peace, hope, and love… and in all this shall we find our purpose for living.  I pray that Christ has ministered to you today.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rebekah Cox WCFS 2007 Graduate