What should I do with my life?

“What should I do with my life?” Many of us ask this question. We ask it when things do not make as much sense as during “better” times, or when we are exhausted, or worried.

The Bible’s answer is that we have to begin with a bigger, more relevant question. If I am a Christian, if I am committed to follow Jesus and love him, my question should be: ”How do I fit into God’s plans?” And “What are God’s plans?”

God is not standing idly by as the world plummets from one debacle and failure into another. God certainly has not deserted our sad and corrupt world, leaving us to see whether we will be able to fix the problems we have created for ourselves and for each other.

God has already revealed his plan to bring an end to all evil. He made the preparations for a new world possible when Jesus once and for all died and rose to save sinners. He continues his preparation by using you and me, his church, to invite the whole world to accept his invitation to join him in overcoming evil by following him as Lord of our lives.
God has set a day when he will bring an end to all wars, all sickness, and every natural disaster. It will be a new world order, ‘the home of righteousness’.

A picture of this future is given to us in Revelation:
“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:3-4)

This perfect peace is what the world is destined for. It is a world where those who share God’s peace will no longer be self-centred, greedy, corrupt and insecure. Instead God will be with his people and he will be their God. He will rule over them perfectly and lovingly through his Son Jesus.

This is the work God is doing right now as the message of Jesus is preached. It is a message of forgiveness and a relationship with God; a relationship that begins now and will last for eternity in God’s new heaven and earth. It begins for us when we submit our lives to the perfect rule of King Jesus.

As Christians, we “show case” the new world, as God transforms us to follow Jesus, to love Jesus and be more like Jesus. You and I are called to “no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus who died for us” (2Cor 5:15). He calls us to live for his kingdom and to live for his future.
According to what Jesus taught, this practically means that serving God’s kingdom will be my highest priority (Matt 6:33).

The better question to ask is: Am I part of God’s plans? How will what I do fit into his plans? And how can I best serve him with the means, gifts, opportunities and responsibilities he has given me today?