Why Did God Create Me? What is His Plan for Me?
"God created us for a relationship with Him."
My previous understanding was He wants me to get saved so I can go to heaven when I die. Until then, He wants me to tell others about Him, and find avenues of Christian service. In other words, believe in Christ and then get busy doing things for Him. To a certain degree, this is true. Our obedience to Christ is paramount, but this stems from the love we have for Him in our relationship. Christ instructs, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15).
Notice that love precedes service. God first wants us in a loving relationship with Him. This is crucial. The anonymous author of “The Cloud of Unknowing” wrote these words in the late 1300’s: “God’s not asking for your help. He’s asking for you.” In God’s own words He pleads, “If you had responded to (me), I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you” (Proverbs 1:23 NIV 1984). This is a relationship.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, “we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ” (Romans 5:9). That is justification. Paul goes on: “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” (Romans 5:11). Holiness is a requirement for friendship with God. Remember, God instructs, “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy.” We must be holy to be in His presence. In reality, we are holy because He lives in us. “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” (Romans 8:11). At our regeneration, He makes us holy; “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5 NIV). He brings us directly into the relationship in His presence.
We are friends of God. Our love relationship with the triune God is our ‘raison d’être’, the most important reason for our existence. Jesus tells us, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you…For apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). God wants us to spend time with Him in worship with others, in prayer, and immersion in scripture, which is where God communicates with us. “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming’” (Psalm 27:8).
He wants us to walk with Him in the cool of the evening, just as He did with our first parents before the Fall. Jesus invites us, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life … Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace … Keep company with me” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message). Christ promises, “I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:3).
God created us for a relationship with Him. Being aware of God’s presence, rehearsing his promises and instruction from scripture, and listening for His voice should be our highest priority daily. “He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths” (Isaiah 2:3). As we learn his ways, the Holy Spirit will shape our identity in the likeness and nature of Christ.
This is an excerpt from “Imperfect Holiness: What It Means to Grow in Christlikeness” featured in the October 2024 issue of The War Cry.
