Sunday Cuppa’ with Susanne – Purpose of Life
Recently, we have been working on a series called ‘The Covenants of God’ for the Hearing your Creator’s Voice blog site.
I’ve asked myself why this is so important. In fact, it was helping to write doing this study as a Correspondence course some years ago that my own faith grew deeper and deeper.
I realised how much our loving Creator was in control of all of human history from the stories of Adam and Eve through to the final, end eternity awaiting us all.
As I rewrite the course for the series on the Hearing your Creator’s Voice blog, I also realise this isn’t just a story about the beginning of the Jewish and Christian faith….but it is also an example for every human being that has been conceived, is being conceived or will be conceived! It is a very real challenge for every human being, everywhere!
‘Sure Susanne….What do you mean?’
I can hear you all ask.
We have been given the greatest gift our Creator could ever give us – life. The question becomes….what will we do with this gift? Every one – yes everyone who has reached ‘the age of consent’ – will stand before the Creator. We will either see Him as the Loving Father with Jesus His rightful King of Kings….or we will see Him as a Righteous Judge. Either way, we will be assigned our place throughout the eternity of eternities.
What then determines our final, eternal future? Yes, there is the deciding line of knowing Jesus…but beyond that? What of those who do not know the Name of Jesus? Those born before He came or those in the far corners of the world…what of them? ….or of those born in countries without any awareness of ‘God’ as we know Him? What is the basis of their judgements?
The writer Paul in the New Testament addresses this in Romans 1:19-20
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge of them in their hearts.” In other words, God will judge those who haven’t had the place to make a choice by their ….conscience! The inner sense of what is right and wrong will be the measuring stick used to either condemn or vindicate the individual of their life.
‘Hey!’ I hear you saying, ‘So I don’t need Jesus?’ No – I am not saying we don’t need to find and follow Jesus for our eternity with our Creator. This applies to those who do not have the knowledge to make such a choice! Everyone will be tested on how they followed their conscience or allowed the Lord into their life. So is that settled?
To pick up my point again, we all have been given a gift of ‘life’. What will we do with it? Spend it on self-centred desires and passions, greed and fanciful ‘gods’ rather than follow the true path that is best for ourselves and others? Will we follow the carnal instincts we inherited from Adam and Eve, following the degeneration and triumphs of generations past …or will do people stand firm on what their conscience tells them is just and right?
An excellent example of this journey we are all travelling is found in the famous paintings of William Hogarth. Read this article for yourself in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rake%27s_Progress
Please look this article up in Wikipedia so you can follow along with our Cuppa’.
‘A Rake’s Progress is a series of eight paintings by 18th century English artist William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–33 then engraved and published in print form in 1735. The series shows the decline and fall of Tom Rakewell, the spendthrift son and heir of a rich merchant, who comes to London, wastes all his money on luxurious living, prostitution and gambling, and as a consequence is imprisoned in the Fleet Prison and ultimately Bedlam.[1] The original paintings are currently in the collection of the Soane Museum in London.’
If we begin with the premise: We all started out with our Creator….that means everyone every conceived, is being conceived or will be conceived….starts with Creator God! Otherwise, how could God be a fair and just Judge if there weren’t some foundations for His requirements of living a moral life?
Tom followed his lustful passions, greed and lost all his wealth, happiness and in the end, even his sanity. He could have chosen to live his life far differently but choose to give in to all his evil, self-centred desires. Even in the midst of his debauchery, God did try to call him back to a better life.
Sarah Young, his indented wife was there in many of the pictures, pleading for him and his child…but tom choose… The next level of restraint, the authorities as bailiffs aim to restrain him. ….but Tom chooses again to follow his own desires. In the end….his choices left him totally lost to all choice.
We don’t need to go back into the 18th century to see this scene played out again and again. How many famous rock stars, sports giants, government leaders, politicians, even Christian leaders have followed Tom’s path with drugs, alcohol, gambling, adultery and lust for fame and fortune…only to land in a place of total torment and finally death? ….from the great star Elvis down to the sad fall of Michael.
We can actually mark such journeys throughout human history, beginning with Adam and Eve, Cain and his descendants onto the last Rock star’s death.
So, my point being in this Sunday Cuppa’ – we are all on our own journey that is marked with God’s interventions to bring us back to a merciful place of peace and contentment in Him … or we can chose to follow what every evil desires the heart and body can think up. However, the end of the journey will come for all of us….and we will all stand to give an account for this most precious ‘gift of life’ our Creator has bestowed on each one of us.
Paul continues in Romans 1:19-26, from The Living Bible:
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge
in their hearts. Since earliest times, men have seen the earth and sky and ll God made, and have known of His existence and great eternal power.
“So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgement day. Yes, they knew about Him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship Him or even thank Him for their daily care. …and after awhile they began they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like, and what He wanted them to do.
“The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead….and then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and silver, stone and made idols for themselves, carving they to look like birds and animals and snakes and puny men.
“So God let them go ahead into every sort of sin, and do whatever they wanted to ….”
Now I hear you say, we don’t worship snake idols! Hopefully true, but the idols we have in our ‘modern’ 21st life are there are well. The idols have different names: money, fame, fortune, things, homes, boats, cars, wealth, our career, even our children can be our ‘idols’ today.
Our loving Creator is not against some of these things, just how have we used these gifts and resources? How will you go when you stand before the King of Kings or the God of Righteous Judgement in the end? That will be the greatest question ever asked of you.
Have you allowed the refining, the testing and trails of your life to gain wisdom and follow what you know to be good and right, to look for life among the overwhelming temptations in this world? Can you stand before Him as say you have been true to what you knew …before you began your existence in this human form?
…but you know what, I don’t think anyone can answer ‘yes’, except Jesus of Nazareth. That’s why God became flesh and took on the role of being our perfect way back to the Father. We all journey through our own wilderness experiences, through dark valleys and sunny places, over rocks and through the mud. Some of us had to end up in the Pig Pen before we saw truth.
Only when we listen to His messengers, our own Sarah Young, do we find our way back to Him. I trust that you are on your journey back to Him or have found your place of security in Him,
Susanne Fengler, Blog Author
PS. You will find this Sunday Cuppa’ on the following Blog sites:
www.hearinggod.mentorsnotebook.com/blog
www.christianfoundations.jesus-treeoflife.info
www.totalwholeness.mentorsnotebook.com/blog
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