Purpose
Without God, the world would be a pretty bleak place.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a sup, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has instructed him? Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like fine dust. Lebanon would not provide fuel enough, nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol? A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains. As a gift one chooses mulberry wood wood that will not rot then seeks out a skilled artisan to set up an image that will not topple. Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. - Isaiah 40:12-23
Isaiah tells us how great God is and how much we depend on God for everything we enjoy in this world.
No matter what level of greatness we may achieve in this life, it will still amount to little more than the passing of day throughout eternity.
Does that mean we should choose to do nothing? I don't think we can live like that.
We need purpose. We need to know what we are doing makes a difference, has the potential to change bad to good for someone, even if that someone is just us.
God's power is unlimited and His wisdom is unmatched, so we should try to understand that there is a much greater purpose to all this than we can grasp.
That may or may not make us feel good. We are naturally inquisitive creatures and we want to know. We seek to learn how to be like God, but only if we believe there is a God, one who loves and cares for us.
I believe God knew we could never comprehend the vastness of His glory, so He chose to come and be one of us.
Now, that is a huge thing to wrap one's head around, but it makes God more approachable for all.
Maybe, though, it makes Him less powerful and frightening for some who need to be afraid in order to be good.
More to come...