Our Purpose in Life

Friday, December 5, 2013
Speaker: Pep Santos
Subject: Dec 5 - Morning Light

Have you ever questioned yourself, why were you studying in elementary? Or let's say in high school? What course did you take and why?

On earth, we study to get a profession, to earn cash, and then what's next? We die. This world teaches us to prepare for the future and be self-dependent. This world imparts us to work for money so we can buy our needs.

These are the things that people desires --- HAPPINESS, SIGNIFICANCE, and SECURITY. And YES, money can buy you all these things. Yet, let us compare what the world can offer and what God can give.

NEEDS	EARTHLY	example	GODLY	example
HAPPINESS	wont last, fleeting, temporary / time-based	buying the newest model of iPhone can make us happy, but as time passed by, that cellphone becomes normal to us, the excitement is gone, so as the happiness, we even think of buying the newer model	permanent / joy, rather than happiness / there's always something to look forward to	you may have lots of problems but there's an unexplainable inner peace and everlasting joy
SIGNIFICANCE	extrinsic, comes from other things or person, not from within / earned, given, inherited	we became significant when we received promotion, or when we won a competition, or when we became famous	significance comes from the inside / we are made according to God's image	we are significant because God loves us, not because we achieved anything
SECURITY	physically / not 100%	Secured from being killed, robbed, etc	absolute security	Spiritual assurance, that when we die, we are secured of going to heaven and experience an eternal life

The purpose of life is not wealth and richness. These are BLESSINGS rather than our goal. Yet, money is not the root of evil. LOVE for MONEY is A root of evil. And even though we don't be worthy of anything, God still blesses us with all the things that we possess. ANYTHING that we own is a gift from God.

(Deuteronomy 8:17-18) "He did all this so you would never say to yourself, 'I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.' Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant He confirmed to your ancestors with an oath." --- God wants us to lose our self-dependence. He wants us to submit to Him.

God can give us joy, significance and security. But beware --- that time is the time to be careful. (Deuteronomy 8:19-20) "But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshipping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. Just as the Lord destroyed other nations in your path, you will also be destroyed if you refused to obey the Lord your God."

Even Jesus had the same purpose when He was sent to earth. (Acts 17:27) "His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him."

Remember: "Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone's duty." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)