By Joab Cano

What is the purpose of life? This question has always emerged throughout the history of mankind. Many great thinkers and philosophers came up with great ideas, yet many still struggle to find a satisfying answer. Many have searched in different avenues yet are still not satisfied with their life. The Light of the World faith guides to the answer that has always been there since the creation: we have a purpose that came directly from the Creator.

First, we must understand that our life is brief. We simply don’t have a lot of time. Psalm 90:9-10 says “…We finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” This is a clear description of our time here on earth. It’s short-lived and goes by quickly. If God gives us those 70 or 80 years, it’s an enormous blessing! However, it’s not a guarantee because many millions of people only live a short life. Thus, we must take advantage of every day as an opportunity to fulfill the purpose of our life.

What is the purpose of our existence? The purpose of our life is to glorify God and to praise Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote about the words that God expressed in Isaiah 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” God created us, humanity, for His glory. He created us for this purpose. Therefore, when we come to this understanding and fulfill this purpose, our life will be satisfied. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” We have breath every day that we wake up, so we must praise the Lord. This is why we were created. This is our purpose here on earth.

However, God does not force us to fulfill this purpose. He gave us freewill to decide on our own. Humanity has exercised this privilege since the beginning, since Adam and Eve. Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes,” which remind us of this freewill. Mankind has searched for ages for other answers, but still hasn’t found one that is satisfying. Some have searched in wealth, material gains and other things; yet still feel a life of emptiness. These other answers may seem right to a person, but in the end, they lead to a void.

Nevertheless, God has always been patient and loving towards humanity. He has always called humanity, at various points throughout time and through many ways (Hebrews 1:1), to recall the purpose of their life here on earth. Today, He is still calling humanity to remember and fulfill the purpose of their existence. That is the reason why we wake up every morning; it’s a new opportunity that He gives us to complete our purpose.

For this reason, let us seek God every day that we wake up. As Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” We must remember that our life is short, so we must take advantage of every awakening we are blessed with. Cornelius was seeking the Lord sincerely (Acts 10), so God provided the means to receive greater blessings by sending the apostle Peter to him. The Ethiopian was also searching for God (Acts 8:26), so God sent Philip so that he could find the way of the Lord. Let us seek the Lord with all our heart at every opportunity and God will provide the means to find Him.

To conclude, I would like to extend an invitation to visit a congregation of The Light of the World faith. If you live in Juneau, we invite you to join us at: 1997 Dunn St. Suite No. 3 any day at 6:30 p.m. God bless you all!

• Joab Cano is a missionary for the Light of the World Church. “Living & Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Friday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.