The Walking Dead

Have you ever wondered "What is my purpose?"

No doubt all of us at some point or another have felt lost or confused as to why we were put on this earth. During times of frustration we may feel that there's no point to our existence, or we may feel we are unnecessary to the functioning of this world. Even Christians, whether saved for 5 minutes or 50 years, can often go through these feelings of questioning their reason for life. If these feelings are not taken captive, or if a solution is not found, they can lead to depression, hopelessness, and eventually death.

The world is full of people who are carrying the weight of not knowing their purpose. It's a deadly epidemic that plagues our society. It's a virus that eats away at the spirits of people. Some walk around thinking they know their purpose, but only find emptiness and a false sense of confidence. We can see the cycles of hopelessness being passed down from parents to their children. It's as if society is a bunch of zombies walking around with the appearance that they have it all made, that they are full of life and purpose. At closer glance, these zombies are actually not full of life at all, but rather full of darkness and death.

It is within each of us to need to be "needed." It is within each of us the desire to succeed at something. We do all have a purpose, but too often our perception of our purpose is muddled and even flat out wrong! What is your purpose and my purpose you ask? We find the answer not in figuring out what our desire is for our destiny. That will only lead to a stronger dose of the disease. Our purpose is not in how many accolades we can acquire or how successful we can be according to the world's standards. Our true purpose, the only one that will give LASTING satisfaction, is found in fulfilling the calling and duty God has placed upon us.

Our church's mission statement is Worship. Love. Serve. Simple, huh? Yet, these three words contain the purpose of every human being that has ever walked the earth or ever will walk the earth. The sum of our existence lies in these three very simplistic words. Worship God. Love God and others. Serve God and others.

Worship. Remember the zombies I mentioned earlier? If you have ever seen the TV show "The Walking Dead" you know that humans turn into flesh-eating zombies because of a disease that every person carries. If you are bit or scratched by a zombie, or even at your natural death, your body turns from what was a normal human to a creature that is dead yet walking around. These zombies, like those who don't understand their true purpose, are in complete darkness. As worshippers of the one true God, we are full of His light. Every time we surrender ourselves wholly and completely to Him, He fills us continually with His light. Light and darkness cannot exist in the same place at the same time. It will either be dark or light. When we carry the light of God through our worship of Him and Him alone, we expel the darkness of this world. Every place our feet tread, we are expelling the darkness of no purpose, and showing with very clear light, that the purpose of God is the key to life.

Love. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." Love contains a power stronger that any other. Love is what drives us to do what we do. Love for our children drives us to do everything in our power to protect them and bring them up to be productive members of society. Love for our spouse drives us to be the best we can for them. We put their needs above ours. Love for our job drives us to bring our best efforts each day. These loves are good and they have their places, but the greatest love of all comes not from a spouse, child, or job, but from our Heavenly Father, who by definition is love. God is love. Love is God. You cannot divide or separate love from God or God from love, because that's who He is. His love covers over our sin and transgression. His love in us is the cure for the disease that turns people who are full of potential into lifeless zombies. We cannot honestly call ourselves a disciple of Christ if we do not love.

Serve. To serve means to put our needs and desires aside to fulfill the needs of another. There are many things that we can do to serve others, especially zombies. It may be a hot meal, clothing for the naked, a bottle of water, a place to stay, friendship/discipleship, or even just a smile when you really don't feel like smiling. As a follower of Christ, we must serve. We cannot escape this calling or diminish this calling, because it's who we are. We are servants. Mark 10:45 says "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." If Christ is who we exemplify, and even He didn't come to earth to be served but to be a servant, how much more are we called to be servants. When we serve others, especially zombies, we are showing them the love and hope in Christ. We are literally being the hands and feet of Jesus. There is no greater honor! There is no trophy that can be won, no promotion that can be attained, no more a prestigious title that can be given than to be considered a servant of the Most High God.

Unlike the show "The Walking Dead," where nothing can be done to help a zombie besides stabbing its brain, there is hope for the zombies in our society. There is hope and life in Christ Jesus. Aside from that, it's darkness and death. We hold the cure to the disease of no purpose and no hope. Let's inject it into our world for the glory of God.