What Is the Purpose of My Life?ಮಾದರಿ

We were created to bear the fruit of love, to be images of the character of God. Loving God and loving people are the two expressions of this that Jesus highlights, but God loves everything He made, not just the humans. Whilst we’re so much more special to Him than birds are, it’s still true that God loves and cares for the creatures He made and the world they live in. That’s why part of our purpose is to care for the world that God has made.

Genesis tells us God’s first instructions to humanity: be fruitful and multiply, spread God’s rule and reign over all living things. As the bearers of God’s image, we’re supposed to reflect, not just His love, but His wise rule over all He’s made. We’re stewards, ambassadors representing the King, or viceroys that rule the land we’ve been trusted with.

But we haven’t done a great job. The world is ravaged by war, resources are hoarded by some, whilst others starve. We’ve tamed a lot of animals, but we haven’t tamed the human heart. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Russian philosopher and critic of the Soviet regime, once said that the line between good and evil doesn’t run between nations but through every single human heart.

The great evil done by presidents and tyrants around the world is obvious, but one of the main reasons we, ourselves, don’t cause as much damage is because we have less influence. We have the same problem as them; we cave in to our selfish desires and we seek glory for ourselves instead of for God. Instead of allowing God to guide our lives and set boundaries for us, we want to control as much as we can. If the consequences of our mistakes don’t affect whole countries, we should be thankful; not proud and judgemental.

Thankfully, our failure to care for the world isn’t the end of the story. Through His death, Jesus offers a way for our failure to end. Our selfish desires can die with Him on the cross, and His blood can mark us as people bought for a great purpose: to be transformed into people that will one day rule the earth with Him in justice and mercy, fulfilling the purpose we were created for.

How can Jesus give you hope amidst climate uncertainty? In what ways can you demonstrate God’s care for His creation today?