Read Psalm 8:3–9

Did you ever ask yourself, “Why am I here? What’s the purpose of my life? What am I doing on earth anyway?” Sooner or later, all of us ponder those issues. The Psalmist answered those questions in the 8th Psalm.

King David also looked around at creation and wondered about the significance of his existence on earth.  Then he came to a crucial conclusion: If we do not see ourselves as the handiwork of the God who knows all there is to know about us, life will seem meaningless.

In Kingdoms in Conflict, author Chuck Colson wrote that the prevailing view of modern scientists is that:

“A chance collision of atoms created life. Subsequent mutations over thousands of years evolved into the extraordinarily complex creature we know as a man. If this is true, man is nothing more than an accident that started as slime or, as one theologian has put it, we are but grown-up germs. Our intuitive moral sense rejects such a trashing of human dignity.“

Yet David was clear-headed about all of this. Even though you and I have been made “a little lower than the heavenly beings,” in God’s sovereign plan, He crowned us “with glory and honor.” In other words, we were created by God and for God. The Apostle Paul said it like this, “…All things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16b – NIV).

As our Creator, God has given us a primary responsibility in life: we are to “rule” over His creation (cf. Genesis 1:28). Some call this having “dominion“ over the earth.  Others call it “creation care.”  Whatever name you give it, it means to manage the resources God has given us in this life. That includes everything we possess in life – family, time, money, health, possessions, job, friendships … everything that we call “ours” actually belongs to God.  Throughout life, we should ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do with what belongs to you?”  When you see your life through that lens, it shapes how you spend your time and energy.

In the 19^th Century, a Sunday School teacher invested his time in a Boston shoe clerk and led him to Christ.  The clerk’s name was D. L. Moody.  Moody became a great evangelist who influenced a young preacher named F.B. Meyer.  During a meeting on a college campus, Meyer brought J. Wilbur Chapman to Jesus.  Chapman became involved with the YMCA and arranged for a former baseball player named Billy Sunday to come to Charlotte, NC for a revival meeting.  Several business leaders were so enthused about the results of the meeting that they invited Evangelist Mordecai Ham to preach in that city.  In the following meeting, a young man named Billy Graham yielded his life to Christ.

So the next time you wonder about the meaning of your life, remember: God put you here for a reason. He wants you to know Him and manage what He has entrusted to you – your life, your time, your resources, and your money – all need to be invested for His glory.

That sounds like a big job to me! It’s a job that will take a lifetime.

Bob Fetterhoff