What is the Meaning of LIFE?

Since the dawn of man the question has been asked and great quests undertaken in response. At some point all of us want to know why we are here. For those who come to Administer Justice in the midst of great struggles the question is even more profound as life seems so unfair. Is life merely a random series of circumstances that are ultimately meaningless or does life have meaning?

LIFE. To examine the meaning of life why not start by looking at the word itself. If we are trying to get to the heart of the matter then why not look to the heart of the word? At first glance that which lies in the middle is the word "IF".

IF. That seems like an appropriate place to start. Life is full of "ifs". Sometimes we make life hard on ourselves because we worry about the ‘what ifs’ of life. What if this happens or what if that happens and yet no amount of worrying will change the answer to the questions. Then there are the ‘if onlys’ of life. If only this were to happen or if only that would have happened then things would be different. Yet again we can do nothing to change this. The one certainty of life is that it is full of uncertainties.

None of us know what will happen in our life. We are no better or worse than the thousands who come in the midst of great conflict and pain to Administer Justice. Each of us is only a series of tragedies away from being in the same circumstances. So was the writer of Ecclesiastes right when he wrote that everything was meaningless? Thinking so can lead to two extremes as we examine the meaning of life a little more closely.

I. On one side of "if" is the letter "I". If we believe life has no meaning then we can believe that I must make of life what I choose. We can easily trust in our own strength, physical beauty, intelligence or abilities and believe all that matters is "I". My plans are all that matters. James dealt squarely with this "if" side when he wrote: "Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil." James 4:13-16. That is a different way of looking at the ifs of life although focusing too much on this can lead to the other extreme.

F. On the other side of "if" is the letter "F". We all know what an F means. Failure. If everything is predetermined by God then it doesn’t matter what I do so I’ll do nothing. I’m not good enough anyway so why try. As a past professor of business law I gave a number of F’s to students. However never once was that grade received because that was the best a student could do. It was always received because of a lack of effort on the part of the student. They didn’t care. We are all students of life and many of us do not care. This is usually the result of fear and worry. Jesus addressed this issue in his sermon on the mount when he said to many in the crowd who felt this way: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?...Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own." Matthew 6:25,27,34. If life is to have meaning then it must be more than just I or F. Pride and fear don’t bring meaning so we must have to look closer.

That which is unseen. What lies at the center of the extremes? What lies between I and F? Nothing. There is blank space between the I and the F. For the person who struggles with I this is a good place to begin to find meaning. As Paul wrote to the Galatians: "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Galatians 6:3. For the person who struggles with F the unseen is a good place to begin to find meaning. As the writer of Hebrews proclaimed: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1.

Certain of what we do not see. In the midst of life’s uncertainties the only true certainty is a humble faith. In humility and by faith Abraham set out for an uncertain future in an unknown land. In this same way all the men and women of faith listed in Hebrews 11 were able to face great struggles and uncertainty with perseverance and a peace that surpasses all understanding. Deep down isn’t that what we all long for? Don’t we desire peace and a knowledge that life has meaning. That your life matters. It does and you can experience that peace. How? How then shall we live? Let’s take another look.

LIVE. For you to truly live you need to examine that word. What’s at the heart of how to live - an "IV". You need to be hooked up to an "iv". You cannot find meaning in life in yourself. You will quickly dehydrate. Since sin entered the world we live in a dry and weary wasteland. If your honest you know you’ve felt that dry weariness. You’ve longed for something else. For refreshment for your soul. You need to be re-hydrated with an iv.

IV. First, no iv can be inserted into you without your consent. You have to acknowledge your need for help. You have to recognize that all your planning could be for nothing or all your worrying and fear brings you no joy. In humility and by faith you have to recognize your need for a Savior. Jesus Christ gave up everything because he loves you. He created you and believes you have infinite value. He died for you. Do you believe he is God sent to pay the penalty for your pride in trying to do things in your own way? Do you believe he loves you and died for you? Do you believe he rose from the dead and wishes to provide you with everlasting, meaningful life. He said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10.
If you want to have that full, meaningful life you only have to ask. "Jesus I’ve messed up. I’ve tried to do things my way and it hasn’t worked. I believe you are the Son of God and want to have a relationship with me. Thank you for dying for me. Please enter my heart and my life and change me. I want to live the full meaningful life you desire for me. Thank you for saving me and setting me free. Amen."

Restoration. Maybe you believe you are saved and yet the deceitfulness of wealth or the worries of this world have choked your life and you are not experiencing any peace or joy. There is help and hope for you. The history of the world is all about restoration. God restoring man unto himself. For you to live life differently you need to be restored. God has an "iv" for you. Just like a physical iv is a mixture of nutrients and medicines, God’s spiritual iv is a mixture of medicines for your soul. First is the Spirit. When you accept Christ as Lord of your life he promises to send his Spirit to comfort, counsel, and convict you. He promised us that "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33. So none of us should be surprised by the trouble, difficulties and uncertainties of life. Rather Jesus said that he was the vine and we were branches and that if we remained in him and obeyed his commands then we would bear much fruit. We would have a fruitful, meaningful life. But he warned, "apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5. So how do we do that?

First is by receiving the Spirit who convicts us of sin and guides us in truth. But the only way to know this truth is through the second ingredient of our "iv": Scripture. The Bible is truth. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16. Don’t you want to be thoroughly equipped for life? You can be. But you have to regularly read the Bible. Then what?

As you read the Spirit will guide you and help you ‘put off’ your old self and your old ways and ‘put on’ new ways of living. This isn’t the power of positive thinking, it is the power of replacement thinking. You will begin to replace old attitudes of anger, bitterness, jealousy, lust, slander and others with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are known as the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). You need help in doing this and that is why you must seek others and you must serve others. In seeking others who are mature Christians, you learn from them in very practical, supportive ways. This is why the church is so important. You need help. But don’t just seek others - serve others. The Bible is filled with ‘one another’ passages in how we are to love one another, serve one another, put the interest of others ahead of our own and demonstrate mercy and compassion in all that we do. Volunteer at church, Administer Justice or another faith-based service organization. In seeking and serving others you will be blessed and find a more abundant, meaningful life.

Injustice. Life is full of uncertainties. The ifs are always present. ‘ I will’ instead of ‘thy will’ will frequently get in the way and the fear of failure and worry will attack us all. Why is justice not served in this life? It is because it isn’t on the menu. Life is not about fairness. We need to put fruit on our menu instead. With a steady diet of the fruits of the Spirit, the meat of the Bible, the fellowship of Christian friends and regular prayer we can experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. We will be empowered to live differently. We will serve others and our life will be characterized by a humble faith in the unseen and the unknown. The choice is yours. You are no different than me. We are all a sum of the choices that we make and the circumstances we face. Will you face your circumstances with a thankful heart trusting God or will you face them in your own power? I pray that you will know the abundant, meaningful life and that you will live that life to the full. LIVE LIFE.