| My kids love building Lego sets. It’s a fun challenge that requires serious focus. They know that when they open that Lego set, the manufacturer has provided every part they’ll need to build the finished product. But it’s not just the parts. The manufacturer also provides a photo of the finished product and an instruction manual showing how to put it together. Consider how critical these things are. The entire process revolves around them. The pile of parts you start with looks mostly like a big mess, but the photo of the finished product lets you know what you’re striving for. To get there requires referring back to the instruction manual every step of the way.If the Lego set provided the parts only, how effective would that be? My kids could build and build all day long, but it would be a waste. They may very well build something that looks nice to them, but how would they have any idea if what they built is what it’s actually supposed to be? They wouldn’t. And the reason is that it’s only the manufacturer who dictates what the finished product is supposed to be. My son may put together a building that looks great to him, but if the manufacturer designed it to be a spaceship, his efforts were misplaced. So it is with our lives. Only our heavenly “Manufacturer” dictates what we, His creation, are supposed to be. “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Gen 1:27) To find our life’s purpose, we need to stop looking inside ourselves and start looking to God. Pastor Rick Warren explains this principle in his best-selling book, A Purpose Driven Life. “Contrary to what popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You have probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for.” Unbelievers have a huge mess of legos in front of them and have decided to go without the instruction manual. They may sincerely be trying to live a good and moral life, but they’re sincerely wrong. They are trying to be their own god and make up their own moral code as they go. Where the Christian’s truth claims are derived from an authority outside of and greater than themselves (God and His Word), the unbeliever’s truth claims are necessarily based on human authority, also known as one’s opinion. These people are walking through life blind, but they’re not hopeless, because there’s still time for them to put their trust in Jesus. As believers, it’s our job to share with them the Good News. It’s a great day to do just that! Today is the day the Lord has made. |