Becoming and Doing
by David Gibson
Why are we here in this world? To have a good time? To earn a living? To accumulate wealth? To make a name for ourselves?
Unless we clearly understand our purpose, we’ll be sure to take a wrong turn and miss the whole point of living, as so many people do, which is sad to say.
But who determines our purpose for living? Do we? If so, then our purpose is whatever we want it to be. Or does God have the right to say what our purpose is? Isn’t He the One who made us? And isn’t He the One who redeemed us from destruction at tremendous personal cost to Himself?
So, what does God have to say about our purpose? We don’t have to guess—He tells us clearly in His word.
God has something for us to become.
His goal for us is that we become “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29 NASB). For this to happen, we must choose to leave Satan’s domain and enter the kingdom of Christ (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13-14).
Becoming like Him means shedding our old ways of thinking, speaking, and living and learning to think, speak, and act as He did. This is the challenge of a lifetime. Although we will never attain perfection in becoming like Jesus in this life, we can make great progress over time if we continue growing with God's help.
God has something for us to do.
Our “job description” as Christians relates closely to our becoming like Jesus. Since Jesus clearly stated His purpose while on earth—to do the Father’s will (John 6:38)—this then becomes our purpose too (Matthew 12:50).
Doing God’s will is comprehensive. We bring every aspect of our lives into harmony with His will. Doing God’s will means denying self, living upright, moral lives, serving others, being active members of His body, the church, helping the lost to find salvation, etc. All this is spelled out in the New Testament. As we read and re-read His word, we better grasp what it means to live like a Christian.
Then, we can claim the tremendous blessings that are ours when we become what God wants us to be and when we do what He wants us to do.
