MEANING & PURPOSE

Living Stones Series: First Published in All Around Old Bridge Publication – March 2026, Pastor Lloyd Pulley

In the opening words of the Bible, we read, “In the beginning, God created.” These words give a foundation for purpose and meaning. When creation is treated as an accident rather than an act of intention, society slowly loses its bearings and meaning dissipates.

If everything ultimately came from nothing, then concepts like beauty, morality, love, and hope are illusions. Yet we live as if they matter deeply—because they do. Goodness, order, and reason point beyond themselves to a source greater than us. You are not a mistake or accident! There is more to you than you’ve been told!

A dense fog has settled over our culture—one filled with bold promises of self-definition and freedom, yet producing record levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide. With more wealth and opportunity than any generation before us, we are somehow much less hopeful.

Endlessly seeking significance becomes a burden, and we were not designed to carry that heavy load. It is exhausting! We long for peace and rest, but they do not come from attempts to escape, but from knowing why you exist.

The Bible stands alone in its revelation of a personal God who stands outside of nature yet created us for a purpose, for relationship, giving us the ability to choose. Our Creator acts to restore those fallen from grace. He speaks, reasons, loves, and redeems. Nature can inspire awe, but it cannot tell you who you are or where you’re going. Only a personal God can do that.

This is where Jesus is central. The Bible describes him as God made flesh to rescue us from sin, give us meaning, and, in the end to, “cause all things to work together for good… according to His purpose.”