Why do people fail to fulfill the Purpose of Life?
It is sad that so many people have forgotten this purpose or are ignorant or unaware of it. Though they believe in heaven, they live as if it does not exist. If I ask you to make a choice between the following 2 options, which one will you choose:
1. one hundred years of happiness, then eternal suffering, or
2. one hundred years of suffering, then eternal happiness
Will you choose 1 or 2? Of course, the answer is obvious. You will choose no.2. Even if I ask a 5 year old child, which one will he choose: 1. 100 years of life with ice-cream, then eternally no ice-cream, or 2. 100 years of life without ice-cream, then eternally with ice-cream. Naturally, I will get the same answer: no. 2. It is illogical and unreasonable to choose 1 rather than 2. But what is happening in the life of so many people today! There are so many who are opting for no.1. There are so many people who are committing crimes of graft and corruption to obtain a happy and gratifying life. These are our mayors, governors, congressmen, senators, former presidents of our land and other politicians. These are intelligent people and even very intelligent persons like our former presidents. How come they chose 1! They are not stupid! They are no fools! But what do you think is the reason they chose 1? Do they choose 1 because of their selfishness? No, because if they just think of themselves, they will still choose 2 because eternal happiness is obviously better than short-time happiness just like a 5-year-old child who is naturally selfish will choose 2. If they are not stupid, why do they choose 1? The secondary reason they chose 1 is due to the strong temptations they face in the world. Once they come to enjoy these temptations and indulge with their sins for long, they become drunk with the pleasures that come with these sins that made them unreasonable just like anyone who gets drunk.
It is sad that so many people have forgotten this purpose or are ignorant or unaware of it. Though they believe in heaven, they live as if it does not exist. If I ask you to make a choice between the following 2 options, which one will you choose:
1. one hundred years of happiness, then eternal suffering, or
2. one hundred years of suffering, then eternal happiness
Will you choose 1 or 2? Of course, the answer is obvious. You will choose no.2. Even if I ask a 5 year old child, which one will he choose: 1. 100 years of life with ice-cream, then eternally no ice-cream, or 2. 100 years of life without ice-cream, then eternally with ice-cream. Naturally, I will get the same answer: no. 2. It is illogical and unreasonable to choose 1 rather than 2. But what is happening in the life of so many people today! There are so many who are opting for no.1. There are so many people who are committing crimes of graft and corruption to obtain a happy and gratifying life. These are our mayors, governors, congressmen, senators, former presidents of our land and other politicians. These are intelligent people and even very intelligent persons like our former presidents. How come they chose 1! They are not stupid! They are no fools! But what do you think is the reason they chose 1? Do they choose 1 because of their selfishness? No, because if they just think of themselves, they will still choose 2 because eternal happiness is obviously better than short-time happiness just like a 5-year-old child who is naturally selfish will choose 2. If they are not stupid, why do they choose 1? The secondary reason they chose 1 is due to the strong temptations they face in the world. Once they come to enjoy these temptations and indulge with their sins for long, they become drunk with the pleasures that come with these sins that made them unreasonable just like anyone who gets drunk.
However, here is the catch, the primary reason is due to their lack of faith in God. The lesser their faith is, the stronger the temptations become. If they strongly believe that heaven exists and that great happiness awaits them there, they would not fall into the temptations the devil presents to them. But because their faith is weak, they easily succumb to the trials of life.
In order to illustrate what faith can do to overcome the temptations of this life, let me tell you the experience of my students in the school where I work. I teach in a vocational school for poor boys where the discipline is very strict. The students are not allowed to come late. They must be silent at all times except when they need to recite. Negligence of anything from not having a ball pen to not wearing your ID is a cause for a demerit. Any false move on the part of the student can be a ground for punishment which is immediately reflected in his merit card. If his merit points on his card become nil or negative, he will automatically be terminated from school. An appeal can be filed but it is seldom approved.
Furthermore, most of my students live in cramped boarding houses where 20 to 30 people sleep in one room and are provided with only one toilet and bath room. Thus, they usually wake up at 3 am to arrive to school on time at 6 am and leave at 3 pm, 5 days a week. For most of them, they find the discipline a culture shock. Nevertheless, they persevere and endure all these difficulties because the scholarship they receive from the school is their only hope for a brighter future. Whenever I ask them why they can endure the difficulties of studying in the school, they normally say that it is because that is their passport for a better life. However, this answer is not exactly correct. The correct answer must be “it is their faith - that a brighter future awaits them if they finish their study in Dualtech - that makes them persevere in their study”.. They fail to realize that the reason they persevere in school is due to their strong faith that they will have a much better life ahead of them if they finish their study. They strongly believe and hope that their future will get better if they persist in their study in our school and not in any other. Because the moment they read in a reliable newspaper that no company will accept any students from our school or any graduate for that matter, I am 100 % sure that everyone will leave the school immediately and stop attending classes. As some students would say, “Am I a fool to continue studying here knowing that no future lies ahead of me in this school!”( Gago ba ako? Gigising ako ng 3 am, papasok sa klase simula ng 6 ng umaga hangang 3 ng hapon, hindi makakilos ng walang nagbabantay sa ano mang maliit na pagkakamali na maaaring magawa ko, sunog kilay sa dami ng homework at exam, pagkatapos wala naman pala akong mapapala, walang magandang kinabukasan naghihintay. Uuwi na ako sa bahay! Hindi ako magtatagal pa ng isang segundo para pahirapan lang ang sarili ko na walang kabuluhan!) It is their faith that makes them persevere. It is their faith and hope for a brighter future that sustains them to continue in their resolve to finish their study.
Now the same thing happens in our resolve to live according to the purpose of life. If we have a strong faith that heaven is waiting for us in the next life, we will live according to the purpose of life. We will strive to follow the will of God in spite of the difficulties it entails. We will try our best to be good Christians in the midst of persecution, insults and misunderstandings. No amount of difficulties or trials can change our mind as long as our faith and hope remain strong because it is just unreasonable to do otherwise (1 versus 2, of course 2).
What is heaven? What happiness awaits us in heaven? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “No one who will sacrifice anything for Me who will not receive a hundredfold.”(Mark 10:28-30). Do you understand what that means? A hundredfold, a hundred times of what you will sacrifice for God? That is not a bargain! That is a jackpot! If we sincerely believe that, then we will not exchange the happiness in heaven for a fleeting happiness here on earth. The offer of satan is garbage! We are shortchanged if we take satan's offer. It is stupidity to accept his bargain. I sometimes ask my students (forgive me for this example because sometimes this is the most effective way to bring home the point to them), “if upon going out of the school, a pretty girl by the name of Christine Reyes, a popular sexy actress, ask you to bring her to a private room in a hotel, how would you react?” My students would normally get tickled with the idea and say from the bottom of his heart “YESSSS!!!”. Of course, that will be the answer if we lack faith in God. But if our faith is strong, then we would say to Christine Reyes, “I know Christine that you are very beautiful, you are very sexy, your fragrance is so captivating....., but you see God promised me that if I don't take you, He will give me someone who is a hundred times more beautiful than you!, a hundred times more sexy than you!, a hundred times more satisfying than you!!!.. and added to that, it will last forever!!! I am not stupid. I am not a fool. Good-bye to you, Christine! Heaven is waiting for me!
Again, I would ask my students, “what if the school promised that your employment would be abroad not local – employment will be in Canada, Europe or US, where salary ranges from $2000 to $3000, would you be willing to extend your study from 2 years to 4 years?” Some of them would say that they are willing to extend it even to 5 years. They can say this because of their great faith and hope of a larger compensation that awaits them abroad if they finish their studies in spite of the hardships they will suffer to accomplish it. But then I will have this follow-up question. “Do you really believe that Canada, Europe and US exist? Have you been there? Have you actually seen those places? Didn't you just hear them from someone else, read them on newspapers or books or just have seen their pictures. All these sources of information regarding those places come from men. But men can commit mistakes. They can err and can be deceived by people. Our senses can even deceive us. If we have so much faith in men who make mistakes and can deceive others, how come we hardly put our trust and faith in God? Is there really heaven? How come we have doubts about it? Just because we have not seen it, we doubt it? Who says that there is heaven? Isn't it that it is God Who says so? God cannot commit mistakes. He cannot deceive, neither be deceived. He is always Truthful. In truth and in fact, He is Truth Himself! So, let us hold on to the words of God. Everything that He says are True. Let us have a strong faith and hope in the words of God! Let us put our trust in Him! Heaven really and truly exists!
But how do we make our faith in God strong? Faith in God is a gift of God. It is a grace from God. We therefore have to ask God for that grace in our prayer. To increase and strengthen our faith in God, we need to beg God for it. If we want to choose #2 and we must choose #2, we need a strong faith so that temptations will become weak and our resolve to endure the trials of life will be formidable. We should make a strong resolution right now that we will pray hard to obtain an unshakable faith in God! And we will pray for this everyday!
In order to illustrate what faith can do to overcome the temptations of this life, let me tell you the experience of my students in the school where I work. I teach in a vocational school for poor boys where the discipline is very strict. The students are not allowed to come late. They must be silent at all times except when they need to recite. Negligence of anything from not having a ball pen to not wearing your ID is a cause for a demerit. Any false move on the part of the student can be a ground for punishment which is immediately reflected in his merit card. If his merit points on his card become nil or negative, he will automatically be terminated from school. An appeal can be filed but it is seldom approved.
Furthermore, most of my students live in cramped boarding houses where 20 to 30 people sleep in one room and are provided with only one toilet and bath room. Thus, they usually wake up at 3 am to arrive to school on time at 6 am and leave at 3 pm, 5 days a week. For most of them, they find the discipline a culture shock. Nevertheless, they persevere and endure all these difficulties because the scholarship they receive from the school is their only hope for a brighter future. Whenever I ask them why they can endure the difficulties of studying in the school, they normally say that it is because that is their passport for a better life. However, this answer is not exactly correct. The correct answer must be “it is their faith - that a brighter future awaits them if they finish their study in Dualtech - that makes them persevere in their study”.. They fail to realize that the reason they persevere in school is due to their strong faith that they will have a much better life ahead of them if they finish their study. They strongly believe and hope that their future will get better if they persist in their study in our school and not in any other. Because the moment they read in a reliable newspaper that no company will accept any students from our school or any graduate for that matter, I am 100 % sure that everyone will leave the school immediately and stop attending classes. As some students would say, “Am I a fool to continue studying here knowing that no future lies ahead of me in this school!”( Gago ba ako? Gigising ako ng 3 am, papasok sa klase simula ng 6 ng umaga hangang 3 ng hapon, hindi makakilos ng walang nagbabantay sa ano mang maliit na pagkakamali na maaaring magawa ko, sunog kilay sa dami ng homework at exam, pagkatapos wala naman pala akong mapapala, walang magandang kinabukasan naghihintay. Uuwi na ako sa bahay! Hindi ako magtatagal pa ng isang segundo para pahirapan lang ang sarili ko na walang kabuluhan!) It is their faith that makes them persevere. It is their faith and hope for a brighter future that sustains them to continue in their resolve to finish their study.
Now the same thing happens in our resolve to live according to the purpose of life. If we have a strong faith that heaven is waiting for us in the next life, we will live according to the purpose of life. We will strive to follow the will of God in spite of the difficulties it entails. We will try our best to be good Christians in the midst of persecution, insults and misunderstandings. No amount of difficulties or trials can change our mind as long as our faith and hope remain strong because it is just unreasonable to do otherwise (1 versus 2, of course 2).
What is heaven? What happiness awaits us in heaven? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “No one who will sacrifice anything for Me who will not receive a hundredfold.”(Mark 10:28-30). Do you understand what that means? A hundredfold, a hundred times of what you will sacrifice for God? That is not a bargain! That is a jackpot! If we sincerely believe that, then we will not exchange the happiness in heaven for a fleeting happiness here on earth. The offer of satan is garbage! We are shortchanged if we take satan's offer. It is stupidity to accept his bargain. I sometimes ask my students (forgive me for this example because sometimes this is the most effective way to bring home the point to them), “if upon going out of the school, a pretty girl by the name of Christine Reyes, a popular sexy actress, ask you to bring her to a private room in a hotel, how would you react?” My students would normally get tickled with the idea and say from the bottom of his heart “YESSSS!!!”. Of course, that will be the answer if we lack faith in God. But if our faith is strong, then we would say to Christine Reyes, “I know Christine that you are very beautiful, you are very sexy, your fragrance is so captivating....., but you see God promised me that if I don't take you, He will give me someone who is a hundred times more beautiful than you!, a hundred times more sexy than you!, a hundred times more satisfying than you!!!.. and added to that, it will last forever!!! I am not stupid. I am not a fool. Good-bye to you, Christine! Heaven is waiting for me!
Again, I would ask my students, “what if the school promised that your employment would be abroad not local – employment will be in Canada, Europe or US, where salary ranges from $2000 to $3000, would you be willing to extend your study from 2 years to 4 years?” Some of them would say that they are willing to extend it even to 5 years. They can say this because of their great faith and hope of a larger compensation that awaits them abroad if they finish their studies in spite of the hardships they will suffer to accomplish it. But then I will have this follow-up question. “Do you really believe that Canada, Europe and US exist? Have you been there? Have you actually seen those places? Didn't you just hear them from someone else, read them on newspapers or books or just have seen their pictures. All these sources of information regarding those places come from men. But men can commit mistakes. They can err and can be deceived by people. Our senses can even deceive us. If we have so much faith in men who make mistakes and can deceive others, how come we hardly put our trust and faith in God? Is there really heaven? How come we have doubts about it? Just because we have not seen it, we doubt it? Who says that there is heaven? Isn't it that it is God Who says so? God cannot commit mistakes. He cannot deceive, neither be deceived. He is always Truthful. In truth and in fact, He is Truth Himself! So, let us hold on to the words of God. Everything that He says are True. Let us have a strong faith and hope in the words of God! Let us put our trust in Him! Heaven really and truly exists!
But how do we make our faith in God strong? Faith in God is a gift of God. It is a grace from God. We therefore have to ask God for that grace in our prayer. To increase and strengthen our faith in God, we need to beg God for it. If we want to choose #2 and we must choose #2, we need a strong faith so that temptations will become weak and our resolve to endure the trials of life will be formidable. We should make a strong resolution right now that we will pray hard to obtain an unshakable faith in God! And we will pray for this everyday!
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