The meaning of life can be understood differently depending on where you stand in your spiritual journey. If you haven’t yet believed in Jesus for salvation, the goal of your existence is to receive eternal life. That is the goal of being here on earth. The method by which you do this is to believe in Jesus. Everything in your life should lead to this moment. Without this belief, all your efforts are like chasing the wind—just vanity. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
But what happens once you believe in Jesus? Does your life suddenly lose purpose? Not at all. In fact, once you believe, the goal of your life shifts. Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came to give life and to give it more abundantly. So, if you are a believer, the ultimate purpose of your life is to live an abundant life. This is why you are here. This is the purpose of your Christian experience: to have an abundant life.
An abundant life is a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit—things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Do you want more love in your life? Do you want more joy in your life? Do you want more peace in your life? Of course you do. Everyone does. Isn’t it amazing that the thing you most want—more love, more joy, more peace, and all the rest of the spiritual fruits—is exactly what your purpose is as a believer? God designed it this way because He wants you to enjoy your experience of life. He wants you to live abundantly. These are the hallmarks of a life that’s truly abundant.
But God also has great reasons for wanting you to have an abundant life, beyond just your enjoyment. It’s not just about personal fulfillment; an abundant life is a powerful advertisement for evangelism and discipleship. When others see the joy, peace, and love in your life, they are drawn to it and want to know more about the source. Also, when you are living an abundant life, you improve the lives of others around you.
Now, achieving this abundant life isn’t about making a bunch of rules for yourself or trying to force these qualities to grow by flesh-powered means. It’s not about saying, “I have to be more loving,” and then trying to force yourself to be more loving through sheer willpower, gritting your teeth, and straining with all your strength. That approach always fails every time and will lead to frustration. Instead, the key to living an abundant life is to focus your mind on Christ. Setting your mind on things above. Putting your mind on the spiritual realm.
When you set your mind on things above, on Jesus and what He offers, His power flows into your life. When you put your mind on Christ, that mindset is a bridge that allows His power to march across and do battle against the sins and weaknesses in your life. Setting your focus on Jesus allows His resurrection power to flow into your daily experience. Your mindset is the conduit through which God’s power flows into you. Think about what Paul said: the mindset on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. Set your mind on things above.
Remember that the goal of your life is an abundant life, but the method to receive abundant life is through your mindset and your focus. The longer you can keep your mind set on Christ, the more of those fruits of the Spirit will grow in your life by His power. But how long can you actually keep your mind set on Christ? What’s the longest you have ever gone?
This is where prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and serving others come in. They aren’t just activities to check off a list—they’re tools to help you keep your focus on Christ and live the abundant life He promises.
It’s important to understand that these practices—prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and serving others—aren’t what give you eternal life or make you closer to God in and of themselves. They help you keep your mind on Christ, which is the true source of spiritual power for an abundant life. As you pursue the meaning of your life, which is an abundant life full of the fruits of the Spirit, you have to keep your mind set on Christ and these are the tools He is giving you to do so.
One of the main things that will keep you from living an abundant life is sin. So sin is ultimately a deviation from your life’s purpose, abundant life. Where does sin come from? The Bible tells us that sin starts as a thought—a seed in our mind. If you dwell on it, it grows and eventually manifests as sin. Catching these thoughts early and setting your mind back on Christ is crucial for maintaining an abundant life. For example, I’ve seen success when a lustful thought arises if I immediately turn to prayer, calling out to Jesus for help. Literally asking the Lord to take away that temptation in my thoughts. This redirects your focus to Jesus and away from the temptation. Sometimes I call this bombing the tracks. It’s like a train of thought full of temptation is barreling forward. So I call in an airstrike and blow the train tracks to smithereens. The way to do this is simply to call out to Jesus, to pray to God that He would stop that train of thought before it reaches the point of sin. Building this habit into your daily life will result in a more abundant experience. It will push you closer to your goal of living a more abundant life.
Regular Bible study fills your mind with God’s Word, helping you recognize and combat negative patterns. Fellowship with other believers, especially mature ones, supports you and encourages spiritual growth, which is vital for an abundant life. Serving others is also essential, as it helps you live out your faith in practical ways and experience the fullness of an abundant life.
So, while you can’t achieve an abundant life through your own efforts or discipline alone, you can create the right environment for spiritual growth by focusing on Christ. It’s about recognizing that your mindset is like soil. Good soil allows God’s power—the sunlight—to shine down and help you grow, leading to an abundant life.
In summary, the meaning of life for unbelievers is to receive eternal life through belief in Jesus. For believers, the purpose of your life is to live an abundant life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. This abundant life comes from focusing on Christ and using spiritual practices as tools to help maintain that focus.
Thanks for listening, and I hope this helps you understand more about the meaning of life and how to live it abundantly. If you want to explore this topic further, you can check out my book In Pursuit of Fruit by clicking the below.
