What is the purpose of our existence? Is there a destiny for mankind, and what is your personal part in that? Why do we live at all? These are heavy questions, and yet people give very little time to pondering them. Most people just “leave it to God” to decide what their fate will be for the eternity that stretches ahead of us all. Almost all hope there will be a different continuation of existence, but seem afraid or unwilling to confront these most basic of questions.

A matter of chance

It is a little daunting to recognize the true fact that our personal existence has been a matter of chance. Women have many thousands of ova and men deliver millions of sperm so that each pregnancy is unique—only one of a myriad of possibilities. Another ova or sperm and you would not exist. The chance meeting of your parents is another factor in the long list of items that could have meant that another human other than yourself could have been born. My mother had six children, but the potential for having any six out of uncountable possibilities shows that most of us can say we are a product of time and chance. Some people were born due to the criminal act of rape, some because of unwanted pregnancies, some through careful family planning. In all cases, you—that is the real you—were not designed; the pregnancy could have resulted in someone else being born. But it is you who live, and that is where we should start.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 tells us that the “race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong ...; but time and chance happen to them all.” A swift runner may stumble, a strong army may make a strategic error and be beaten. The powerful Spanish Armada of a few centuries ago ran into a horrific storm and was thus defeated. All of us can attest to time and chance in many events in our lives. Our birth and development has many elements of time and chance that form and fashion us.

The fact we can face and accept is that we do exist. We have some control over our actions and that is the area in which we need to exert ourselves. Some people are born with a destiny in this life. Prince Charles and his son Prince William have a potential destiny to become kings. This destiny still contains the elements of time and chance. An airplane crash or disease could change all that potential. God sometimes reaches in and directly intervenes in the arena of life. In Jeremiah 1:5 we read how God inspired Jeremiah to write that God had formed Jeremiah and sanctified him before he was born. Of course, God was directly involved in the development of Jesus Christ from pregnancy onward.

God has set in motion laws of growth and development for every fetus as it is formed in the womb. On occasion, He has specifically designed a person to be born. We can think of Samuel, Cyrus and others. Paul said he was “separated” from his mother’s womb. The meaning here would be more to the effect that God developed them for a special mission in life. John the Baptist would also be a very special example. In John’s case, God was instrumental in his conception, birth and later education and development. Of course, one could say that God is always involved since everything functions within His physical laws. God also does work with the products that history provides without totally controlling all that occurs. From that point of view, we need not be overly concerned about where we came from—but rather about where we can go. What is our possible or potential destiny?

Choosing our destiny

A thousand years from now, the only important item will be the fulfillment of our destiny. God tells us in the Bible that He is deeply involved in our future, but He does not dictate every detail of that future. In 2 Peter 3:9 God tells us that it is His will that none should perish. He wants all mankind to be saved. In 1 Peter 1:3-10 we read that God’s intention is to give humans an eternal inheritance. Peter goes on to say that we are to mend our ways and conform to God’s standards of holiness. In verse 15 Peter states we are to be holy in all our conduct. Salvation is not automatic. God has opened a door to allow freedom of choice for mankind. He remains in full control, but has taken a step back to allow humans to impact this earth. He allows error and evil with the hope that we will learn to hate evil and all that is ungodly. Humans have a part to play in their own destiny. If that were not so, we would not have freedom.

A thousand years from now, we will be where our choices have taken us. Paul writes about this theme in several places. In Romans 8:5 he tells us to set our minds on “the things of the Spirit.” That is a conscious act. We are to learn God’s way and choose that as a guide for all our actions. It is only when we obey God that He can bless us. That is one of the major lessons that we see from a study of the nation of Israel and its kings. In 1 Kings 3:14 we find one of the many places where God states: “If you walk in My ways,” you will be blessed. King Solomon strayed and the outcome was the destruction of the combined land of Israel. The same “If-then” scenario can be found throughout the Bible. Thus it is clear that God offers a wonderful destiny for all humans. He is working to make that possible, and because He gives us freedom of choice, He encourages us to work toward that destiny by learning of Him and obeying Him. Accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is vital in this path as it leads to the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Parents know that children are not able to make right or wise choices until they have learned what danger means and are able to judge and act wisely. God sees the same need for development in us all. We need to know what sin is (by God’s definition) before we can repent of it. We need to know what pleases God before we can act to please Him. We need to be mature enough to control our thoughts and decisions before we can make wise actions. We all know that it takes time and education for this maturity to arrive. A Christian also develops as he or she studies and practices living according to God’s laws.

Walking with Jesus Christ and following His footsteps gives us a guideline for development. Conversion is a process that continues through life. Jesus told His disciple Peter to help others when he was converted (Luke 22:32). It took Peter decades to conquer his carnal self.

God does exist. Our lives are temporary. Eternity lies ahead. Since eternity is infinitely longer than our life span, we ought to be working toward ensuring that our destiny is what God offers. Matthew 25:30 is a verse that indicates that some who have made wrong choices have chosen a destiny that they will regret. The weeping and gnashing of teeth may be the result of realizing how gentle and loving God was and how every chance was given to each person to receive the wonderful gift of eternal life.