Good News For Youth (GNFY) published under the oversight of the Alkire Rd Church of Christ elders and posted by permission of the editor.
For too many, life will simply end without them ever knowing why it began. Raison D'etre (ra'zon de'tre) is a French phrase meaning "reason or justification for being or existence".
Some have made prosperity their purpose in life. These will "spend" their lives making money to "spend" upon material possessions. Big bank accounts, the finest of houses and cars, and luxurious vacations are the top priorities in their lives.
Jesus warned, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).
Knowledge?For others, their raison d'etre is the pursuit of knowledge. To seek to grow in knowledge is worthwhile, but we must be sure to seek the right kind of knowledge. It is possible to know a lot, yet not know those things which are most important. The lives of many today are characterized in the Scriptures as those who are "always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:7).
Some pursue worldly pleasure as the sole reason for their existence. Some continue to live by the Epicurean philosophy of old: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die". This philosophy fails to recognize the fact that we have been created accountable beings which one day will give account of how we have lived (Romans 14:12).
Again the scriptures warn of many who are "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (II Timothy 3:4).
Others seek position, power, popularity, and the list goes on and on.
What is your reason for existence?
The Scriptures teach us that we were created by our
Creator to worship and serve Him. The Apostle Paul summed up our raison d'etre
in these words: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink,
or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I
Corinthians 10:31). To glorify God is our reason for
existence. This means that we have been created to magnify and exalt
the Lord our God as we humble ourselves and submit to His
authority. Until each of us recognizes this divine raison d'etre, our
lives will never find the fulfillment for which they were intended.
The theme of the Bible has been stated as "the salvation of man through Christ to the glory of God." Herein lies our reason for existence; it is found in doing God's will, not our own. Blessed are those who choose God's way: those who believe in Jesus (Acts 16:31), repent of their sins (Acts 17:30), confess (Matthew 10:32), are baptized into Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and live their lives to the glory of God (Revelation 2:10), for they have recognized our true raison d'etre.
-– David A. Sargent, March 2002 –-
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