Josh McDowell has related the following incident:
An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.”
In light of this conversation, Brett Petrillo challenges us: “Put yourself in this interview for a minute. What would you have said to this executive headhunter? Would you have an answer or would you fumble around trying to think about the right thing to say?”
What is your purpose in life? For too many, life will simply end without them ever knowing why it began. Some have made prosperity their purpose in life. These will “spend” their lives making money to “spend” upon material possessions. Jesus warned, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).
For others, their purpose in life 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. 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” (2 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.” Again, the Scriptures warn of many who are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). Others seek position, power, popularity and the list goes on and on.
Consider again Bob’s answer to the question, “What is your purpose in life?” “To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.” That is a great answer! Why? Because everything associated with this world is temporary. “The world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17; see also Matthew 6:19-21). To place our primary focus upon things of this world is sinful, and sin condemns us to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
However, Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins and to give us the hope of eternal life in heaven (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7). Jesus has promised to give salvation and eternal life to those who will: place their faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10) and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). To follow Jesus all the way to heaven and take as many people with us as we can is the greatest purpose in life. Will you accept this purpose for your life?
