SECTION 1 During these first nine lessons I would like to talk about why we are here on this planet called Earth. I do not believe we are here by chance or by some cosmic accident. It is obvious there is a purpose for our existence and that is what Lessons 1-9 are about. ------- LESSON 1 – What is the purpose of life? Bible References: Matthew 25:34 (1) Good morning and welcome to, Lessons From The Tent – I don’t know about your weather but mine is Southern California fine. Birds are singing, roosters are crowing, and the wild peacocks are squawking, which you will probably hear in the background now and then. And yes, I will be doing these lessons from a real tent. My wife and I lived in this tent for five years while our house was being built. Even though the house is completed now, I still spend most of my days here. You would call this a glamping tent and it has become a daily retreat for me now ─ it's peaceful, and the view is fabulous, it’s filled with oak trees, large boulders, squirrels, rabbits, woodpeckers and Red-tailed hawks. I think this is a great place to do a lesson from. For this first lesson I would like to look at what God says is the purpose of life. I spent a large portion of my early years studying the Bible, but what I want to share in these lessons had completely escaped my notice. Several years ago, I ran across something Jesus said that stopped me dead in my tracks. And the reason it did was because that was the first time, I actually understood the purpose of my life. Here is what Jesus said that grabbed ahold of me. “Come, you who are favored by My Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for you, from the foundation of the world.” (1) In these few words Jesus tells us exactly why He made us and what is the most important thing we can ever do with our life. He said the reason we were created is to become favored by His Father so we can inherit the kingdom. And He also said this was God’s plan from the beginning of time. Take all the greatest minds who have ever lived and not one of them has ever taught that life is about just one thing, accept maybe the crusty old cowboy Curly from the movie City Slickers. When Mitch Robbins, who is the main character of this movie, was wondering about the purpose of life, Curly looks intently at Mitch and with his penetrating eyes and stern voice, he raises one gnarly finger and says ─ “life, is about just one thing.” I know that was a terrible impersonation of the cowboy Curly, but just go with me on this for a minute. Even though City Slickers is a comedy, the point Curly made is brilliant. But where Curly never reveals what the purpose is, Jesus does. He said the purpose of life is to become “favored” by His Father so we can inherit the kingdom. What that means is, no matter what else you do in your life, if you do not become favored by God, you will not inherit the kingdom and therefore, you will have missed the entire reason you were born. Now, if anyone should know what the main purpose of life is, it would be Jesus, since He created everything in this world and He just reduced life down to one ─ simple ─ thing. I hope you are paying attention to what Jesus just said for it is far too important to miss. If you did catch it then follow along. If you didn’t, then go back to sleep. Be sure you catch this though ─ from the moment you were born to the moment you die the one thing you need to accomplish is becoming favored by God. If you do, then the reason you are alive has been fulfilled. So then, let me ask you a couple of questions ─ Do you have any idea how to become favored by God? And second, do you know anything about the kingdom that God wants to give you? When I first caught what Jesus said, I can honestly say I had no idea how to answer either of those questions. I’m sure I could have spouted out a smart aleck comment trying to act smart, but honestly, I knew I had no idea what the answer was to those questions. The one thing it did though is it put me on a life-long quest to figure this out, and what I have learned is the reason for these Lessons From The Tent. Understanding the purpose of life will give you a whole new perspective of what is important, and I want you to know – it has nothing to do with religion. But it will change how you approach life. Let me explain this through a situation that occurred early in my married life. My wife Joan and I were heading out for a vacation when after a couple of hours into our trip our car broke down. Joan’s father drove up and towed our car back to his house. He knew how to work on cars, and at the time I had no idea what was wrong with mine or how to fix it. For the next couple of weeks, my father-in-law pulled my engine apart and rebuilt it while I worked hand in hand beside him learning every step of the way. The moment we finished repairing it, my experience with cars changed. With the knowledge I gained, I have been able to diagnosis...
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