What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning for our existence? Is there a greater scope than a mere scrabble for the momentary lusts of the flesh? Is there not a reason beyond the fleeting, selfishly indulgent, game that our world would have us play? Indeed, there is a greater purpose than us, our wants, or our selfish fulfillment... Paul points us to the calling that has been placed upon us as children of the One True God; we are to live for the sake of the faith, for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, here is the simple truth. Anything that we do only for our own satisfaction dies with us. Our passions, our interests, our works, our stuff... it all ends when our final breath leaves this shell, and we open our eyes at the throne of the judgment seat of Jesus. That day is fast approaching, no one will escape its demand, we will ALL give an accounting for the things done in the body, and everything that we worked for, all that we built will be judged in light of eternity, against the glory and holiness of God. So again I ask, what is the meaning of YOUR life? In order to have any meaning that will not die with us, meaning that will not, in fact, be credited against us, we must have meaning that TRANSCENDS us, meaning that exists whether we remain or whether we cease to be. That meaning, my beloved, is defined in this plain statement: "striving together for the faith of the gospel". The gospel is THE meaning of life. God has created us for Himself, for communion with Him, to reflect the infinite glory of His beautiful person. We have been called to live out this privilege, to display the wonder and love of the Christ who died and rose again to atone for the sin of His people. This act of redeeming love goes beyond mere payment and becomes the very contract of our adoption into the family of God. Because of the willing sacrifice of Jesus, we are made into sons and daughters of the Most High... this not only shows us what it is to live beyond self, but it makes a way for us to DO that very thing. We have been created to live out the truth of the gospel, to share it with any and all, and then at last, to be carried by that same grace which bought us, safely into the arms of our God.