What is our life’s purpose? 

Saint John Henry Newman believed that God desires the salvation* of all people, and that our actions should be directed towards helping others reach this goal.   

*What is salvation? Salvation is a gift from God, wherein we are freed from our sins and their consequences.  When God gives us the gift of salvation, He forgives us our sins and our relationship with Him is restored.  Because our sins are forgiven, we are no longer separate from God, and we may achieve everlasting life with our Father in Heaven. 

Ephesians 2:4-6 

But God, who is rich in mercy, (a gift of forgiveness) because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, (sins against God) brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus 

God wants ALL His children to be saved.  He created us because He loves us and wants us all to live forever with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.  However, this love He has for us means that He does not behave as our puppet master but gives us the gift of free will.  We can choose to love God and make every effort to love others, or we can choose to be separate from God.  When we separate ourselves from God during our time on Earth, we are also separate from Him in death.  Although this is our choice, our loving Father would very much prefer for us to live in His light with Him for all eternity, rather than in the dark without Him.  Therefore, He calls on the rest of us for help to bring as many children to Him as possible. 

God believes that our own lives and actions should serve as witness to the Gospel, encouraging others to seek God.  In Ephesians 2:10 it is written,  

10 For we are his handiwork. Created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. 

Our life’s purpose is twofold and is in line with what Jesus called the Greatest Commandment. 

Mark 12:28-31 

One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well He had answered them, asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Our life’s purpose is to fulfill these two great commandments, and there are specific ways in which we can achieve this.   

The first commandment is to love God.  We can show love and bring glory to our Heavenly Father by praising Him, worshipping Him, living our lives of suffering as an offering to Him, living the Gospel, and sharing the Good News with those around us.   

To show God we love Him, we can:  

  • Pray to our Father and build a relationship with Him, rely on Him, and pray for wisdom, discernment, and guidance. 
  • Praise God by thanking Him every day for all His many blessings and live in gratitude for what we have. 
  • Learn about His love for us and how He wants us to live our lives by reading His word daily.  We can pray for His guidance and ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts, eyes, and ears to truly understand the Bible and have it set deep roots in our hearts. 
  • Live our lives as an offering to God by using our God-given gifts to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.  

1Peter 4:10 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in various forms. 

We can demonstrate our love for OTHERS when we: 

  • Live the Gospel for others to see.  In 2 Timothy 9, Paul says, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.”  God has called us to a HOLY life.  One that is devoted in every way to God.  We are living for the treasures in Heaven, and not the treasures on earth.  If we live our lives in a way that brings glory to God, this is the best testimony for others to see and may lead others to our Lord.  It is an act of love to lead as many souls to Heaven as possible. 
  • We can follow the Bible’s teachings regarding loving our neighbors. 

Ephesians 4:32 

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. 

Leviticus 19:18 

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. 

Mathew 7:12 

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 

Luke 6:27-38 

“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. Judging Others. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” 

  • Finally, to truly show love to others, the importance of leading others to Christ cannot be overstated.  Living a life pleasing to God, doing acts of service to others, and being a friend, sibling, parent, spouse, co-worker, and neighbor that is supportive, helpful, loving, and kind are all ways that we demonstrate our Christianity, and most importantly love God and others. 

If you would like to be apart of the All Souls To Heaven ministry, please contact us.  We would love to have you! 

God Bless you and your family.  Always remember, Jesus Loves You! 

Love, Your Sister in Christ,  

Jennifer Grace Martinez