Why am I here? Why do I exist? What is my purpose?

The purpose of our existence as human beings is to serve our Lord and Creator in a manner which pleases Him. God (Allah) says in the Qur'an, "I did not create jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me." (Quran 51:56). Worship or service is understood as submission to God by sticking to His Commandments while doing so in the manner He prescribed and is pleased with.

This worship is the exclusive right of God, due to His bringing us into existence and providing our sustenance. God says in the Qur'an, "O mankind! Worship your Lord, Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become pious. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and send down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto God(in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshiped)." (Quran 2:21-22)

We as human beings are not here without any purpose, obligation or accountability. On the contrary, our lives have value and we will be held accountable to how we lived them in fulfillment of the purpose of our existence. God says in the Qur'an, "Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?" (Quran 23:115).

As for why God did all this, He says in the Qur'an, "And your Lord creates whatever He wills and chooses." (Quran 28:68) and "And God does whatever He wills." (Quran 14:27).

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According to Christ, the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). As our greatest command, it is the thing we most ought to do. We exist to love God.

How are we to love God? What exactly does that mean?

The apostle John tells us that love for God is to obey Him (1 John 5:3). Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1) and He informs us that if we love Him, we will obey His commands (John 14:23). Obedience to God is the demonstration of our love for Him.

However, the Bible tells us that there is no one who seeks after God (Rom 3:10-12). All of us have fallen short of God's mark of perfection (Rom 3:23). In so doing, we have made ourselves enemies of God. Fortunately, God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were His enemies, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8-10). The Bible says that while we all deserve death, God has offered us the gift of life through Christ Jesus (Rom 6:23).

If you haven't accepted God's forgiveness through His only Son, Jesus Christ, Jesus Himself claims that this is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). The Bible tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9-10). God will then transform you, and you will then know how to truly love (1 John 4).

God bless you as you seek His will.

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Why is a BIG question and the yoga system gives a comprehensive answer to this perennial question for all people at all times. This is not a new question. It is the question that is in the mind and hearts of all sentient beings past, present and future.

Descartes said, 'I think, therefore I am' - another way of saying this is that I am aware and therefore I exist. In the Vedic world view three words describe the conscious state of being. These words are Sat, Chit and Ananda. Sat means eternal or the state of existence/permanance as opposed to non-existence/impermanance. Chit refers to the cognitive part of existence. If you are aware, you must exist. But the converse isn't necessarily true - something can exist but not be aware. The third descriptive word is Ananda - which means joy or bliss. If Happiness is there, then congnition must be present and existence as well. But awareness and congnition can exist without joy.

Getting to the BIG why question - we exist for joy - but that joy cannot be realized independently. Real joy requires relationship - love. To be succinct - we exist for God's/Krsna's joy. Visvam purnam sukayate - the world is an abode of joy. It and all that is in it exists for the joy and play of God.

So - the purpose becomes obvious - yoga means to 'link up' with God. What is that link - yes we are conscious - but do we love? Do we have a conscious loving relationship with our origin? Without such our purpose remains an unfulfilled potential. Our purpose is to love and we can only find the full expression of that love in relation to the Lord of Love. The Supreme Lover. In love we sacrifice of ourselves and we give ourselves - that is the natural expression of love. But where can we find the lover who can take from us unlimitedly? Whose capacity for reciprocation knows no bounds? It is that person who we should seek out and it is in relation to that person where we will find our inner hankerings fulfilled.

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