(approximately 5 min read)
What would you say is your purpose?
The discovery of purpose feels like finding a beautiful rock just off the beaten path or noticing a solid gold coin in an abandoned lot. Purpose is something each of us requires like water or shelter. It's more than lifelong obsessions, fleeting goals, mindful engagement with the present, the oneness of the universe, or any number of things that you may have tried to use to give your life purpose. Knowing that we exist for a reason and then fulfilling that reason is beyond compare.
Those who find purpose have searched for it and allowed themselves to question their worldview. They scrutinize the "facts" to extract the true and beautiful. In fact, our existence is a bit more complex than what most of us have been taught.
If you consider the laws of physics, energy, DNA, and the many other laws that have been discovered by science it becomes clear that we live in a law-based universe that was created by a law-based Creator. This is exactly what is described in the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy- the only worldview that matches the observable truth of reality. It gives a backstory to our life-giving structured planet and why it stands in contrast to a universe that snuffs out life. Submitting ourselves to the heat death of the universe is not the solution, instead we must seek out the reason and source for this oasis of life.
We are not alone in the universe. Our Creator, the God of the Bible, spoke us into being so that we could love and be loved by him. However, there are two well-known important truths about love: you can't force love and love is action, not simply words.
You might be familiar with the story found in Genesis, when our ancestors chose their own way ushering sin and death into our world. He gave them, and each of us, freewill so that we could choose to follow Him as the almighty or choose to claim ourselves as all-mighty by following our own ways regardless of what he says.
We all must find our way back to the ancient path. In learning to do so we invite harmony: between us and our Creator, amongst each other, and with the creation we inhabit and the creatures we cohabitate with. The Bible calls this shalom, or peace. The mission of Jesus, whose name is Yeshua in Hebrew, was to call us back to this shalom by providing the way for us to be forgiven for all our previous disregard and disobedience to what our Creator says. Our Creator wants to give second chances and redemption to the underdog.
God set apart Yeshua to reconcile the world to himself. He was unlike any other Prophet- he was the prophesied Messiah of Israel. He came to bring hope to the hurting and to show us how to walk the ancient path. He did not come to abolish God's law, the Torah- he came to fill it up with meaning. (If you're a Christian who has never heard of Torah or disagree with this perspective, we encourage you to explore our answers to common questions that Christians have about our beliefs- click here.) He said the entire law can be summed up in two of the commandments: love God & love others- the rest of the law teaches us how to do that. He lived a sinless life and yet he was put to death on a cross. The good news is that three days later he defeated death by rising from the dead. Through his willing sacrifice we can be made right with God.
Because of this invitation to a relationship with the One who made us and loves us, we have a persistent hope that empowers us to live authentically and run the race of life with endurance. We fix our eyes on Yeshua to inspire and guide us in this life. His example of perfect love and merciful justice also frees us to forgive those who have wronged us as well. We have the responsibility to promote shalom over chaos in this world.
Whether you are rediscovering Jesus, or discovering him for the first time- we invite you to truly walk with him. Many things have been passed down from generation to generation about what Jesus believes and taught, and yet very little matches what is written about him in the Bible. Thankfully, we can pursue him on a personal level- through prayer and study of the Bible- to better understand how to align ourselves with the Kingdom of Heaven. He is leading an ultimate revolution against the kingdoms of earth that have taught lies about Him and our Creator.
If you want to begin walking with our Creator, learning his instructions, and following Yeshua (who is alive, dwelling with our Creator, and will return any day) call out to him. Check out our resource page where you can get a free Bible, find a fellowship near you, or connect with us for more information.
We love hearing how God has used our rocks to impact people's lives, and how far the rocks have traveled. If you found a Torah Rock and would like to share your experience with us, please submit it through our survey and also consider posting a picture of your rock to social media with the hashtag #torahrocks. We would love to hear from you!