(It All Starts with God)

因為萬有都是靠他造的，無論是天上的，地上的；能看見的，不能看見的…；一概都是藉著他造的，又是為他造的。(西1:16)

(For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible … everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. )(Msg)

除非你假定有一位神，否則探討人生目的這問題是毫無意義的。(羅素-Bertrand Russell-無神論者)

「人生的重心不在你」(It’s not about you.)，專注於我們自己，永不會發現人生目的(the purpose of your life)。「你是被神所造，也是為神被造」(You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.)。除非你先明白這一點，否則人生便毫無意義。所以，探討人生目的不是從「己身」(self-center)著手，而是從「創造者」(Creator)開始。經上說︰凡活物的生命和人類的氣息都在他手中。(伯12:10)(It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s life is in his power.)(TEV)

「神使用你去成就祂的目的」，不是「你使用神去達到你的目的」。(Let God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose.)經上說︰體貼肉體的，就是死；體貼聖靈的，乃是生命、平安。(羅8:6)(Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.)(Msg)

「達到個人成就」與「實現人生目的」是截然不同的兩回事。(Being successful and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same issue!)經上說︰因為凡要救自己生命的，必喪掉生命；凡為我喪掉生命的，必得著生命。(太16:25)(Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.)(Msg)

我們怎能「發現」(discover)神創造我們的目的，只有「兩個選擇」(two options)︰第一、「推測」(speculation)，是人憑自己的思想而得知的，世上一切的學問都是藉此形成的。第二、「啟示」( revelation )，是人求問造人的神而得知的，神在聖經上啟示造人的五大目的。

經上說︰我們講的，乃是從前所隱藏，神奧秘的智慧，就是神在萬世以前，豫定使我們得榮耀的。(林前2:7)(God’s wisdom…goes deep into the interior of his purposes…It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest-what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us.)(Msg)

神不單是你人生的「起點」(starting point)，也是你人生的「源頭」(source)。經上說︰我們也在他裡面得了基業，這原是那位隨己意行作萬事的，照著他旨意所豫定的。(弗1:11)(It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.)(Msg)

上述經文啟發我們對人生目的「深入探討」(insight)︰

1.藉著你與耶穌基督的關係，你才會發現自己的身分和人生的目的。

2.你未認識神時，祂已想到你。在你未成胎前，神已為你訂下人生計劃。

3.在神為整體宇宙訂下一個永恆計劃時，你的人生目的也早已含在其中。

結語︰沒有神，人生便毫無意義。(Without God life makes no sense.)