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Living the grand design

Gary Wingo

‘Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless”, so claimed philosopher Bertrand Russell. Do you believe in God? Do you believe the created order that is, all life on earth, the universe, your existence has purpose? Rick Warren, the author of “The Purpose Driven Life” puts it another way: “You cannot arrive at life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense.” The Bible supports Russell and Warren, stating that, “Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities His eternal power & divine nature are clearly seen.” (Romans 1:20) Thus, there is no “order from disorder” or chaos; there is only created order and purpose designed by the Creator.The recent debate of Darwin’s Evolution versus Intelligent Design, that is, that something or someone beyond the natural forces created our universe, focuses on the very picture of purpose. One side talks of “Random Design and Natural Selection” while the other contends the idea that a greater Intelligence acted as a catalyst for creation. Whatever side you take, you could be viewed as nuts! The misconceptions on both sides are numerous. Take for example Planet Earth. If you were to observe any eco-system, you see that order naturally develops based on an original created design, thus giving purpose and meaning to everything that exists. The opposing idea of “Random Chance” takes far greater amount of faith to follow than all the world religions combined! Case in point: in his book, “Origin of the Species”, Charles Darwin says, “Many think something more is meant by the natural system they believe it reveals the plan of the Creator.” And from “The Voyage of the Beagle”, I quote his treatise in which he testifies: “There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been ORIGINALLY breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one.” Sounds like Darwin adhered to “Intelligent Design” in its base form. The truth is, anyone who realizes intellectually and emotionally that life is indeed purposeful understands that if we are to have reason, meaning, and fulfillment, our existence simply cannot function in a random state.Of course people evolve, but not randomly. For evidence, observe your own life. Everything has meaning and purpose, from all your choices to the way you look and think. Take a look at the life of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “Jesus continued to grow in body and mind; He grew also in the love of God and of those who knew Him.” (Luke 2:52) Here is God’s Son, growing and evolving into that person His Father purposefully meant for Him to be. Every person is endowed with a spirit that yearns for something greater than themselves. Everyone has a mind by which we reason and experience the Grand Design. Each human has a body that grows and develops. And every one of us is in need of relationships that nurture and encourage us to grow and develop just as Jesus did when He was on Earth.History teaches us great lessons. We believe we are destined for great things, but often, all of us fall short of our potential. Even the most intelligent individual has no clue what tomorrow holds. Empirical history shouts at us through the ages: “We need Someone beyond ourselves to help!” Charles Darwin’s search was an honest quest for knowledge. Even he came full circle to “the Creator who breathed” design into this universe.Ours is a quest for purposeful truth for intelligent design in the chaos of this life. The Bible states it perfectly: “It is by grace you’ve been saved through faith – & this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)Whether you hold to Evolution or Intelligent Design, God loves you both in the chaos and in your design. What matters most is your life here and now. Your present circumstances compel you to grasp, as Darwin affirmed, the “Grandeur in this view of life”. That “Grandeur” is this: “At just the right time, when we were powerless to help ourselves, Christ died for us…God demonstrates His own love for us in this while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6, 8)Gary Wingo leads a gathering of folks called the Seekers Fellowship.Vail, Colorado


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