Hi Friend,

God seems to have built into man certain survival skills from the time of birth, skills that are literally life-saving. When a baby is born, his first instinct is to seek a source of food. Hunger is intrinsic to infants; without it, they would face starvation. From conception, he is fed from his mother through his umbilical cord, but he seeks mom’s breast as soon as he emerges from the womb. How does he know to do that? It was formed in his physical nature before birth, a testament to the importance of these instincts.

The writer C.S. Lewis, known for his profound insights, said that "Man is born with a hole in his heart." He was not talking about the physical organ that pumps blood through the body—he was referring to the ‘spirit within man’ that makes us human. There is an empty place that seeks to be filled, and the ONLY key that fits the hole is Jesus Christ. We may naturally seek food, but we don’t naturally know that Jesus is the key to our inner spirit. All we sense is that something is missing. Maybe that is why Jesus had to tell us that He is the bread of life. We must be told by the One who created us.

The dilemma for man is that so many counterfeit keys exist, and they often offer immediate gratification. Finding the right key can be a challenge, as anyone with a drawer full of assorted keys knows. Using the wrong key results in confusion and frustration. Man needs the right key.

Lewis recognized the problem. He said that "Man finds substitutes which never solve the problem." Man fills the hole in his heart with substitutes—alcohol, drugs, sex, work, money—but they are ALL fakes. The only real key is Jesus Christ.

Man faces a second problem that can make matters even worse. Eventually a person may come to like the substitute more than the real thing. The high that comes from taking a drug becomes more exciting than the joy that comes from knowing Jesus.

The Prophet Isaiah expresses the mind of God as He watched men worship false gods. He asks, "Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing? Surely all his companions would be ashamed." (Isaiah 44:10-11). Isaiah continues his discussion by describing a tree that is cut down and half used for building a fire to heat the house or roast food for dinner. The other half is made into a god that pagans worship. This false god cannot answer questions or protect the worshiper from harm.

God built a deep desire for joy into the heart of man. Lewis said, "The yearning for joy is the catalyst for relationships such as marriage, friendship, and worship, to name a few. The challenge is to find authentic relationships that bring genuine joy."

That thought came to mind when I read an article on Artificial Intelligence discussing bots that imitate human beings. You are justified to be skeptical that the video of the politician you see on the news is the actual person—is that really the president, or is it an AI generated fake? Did the president sign that document that governs our conduct, or was it an autopen? The question that is becoming more prevalent is, what is real? And WHO is real?

CBS just aired a report about Chris Smith who is planning to marry a chat bot named "Soul." You read it correctly, Chris plans to marry a fictitious person. He declared, "I love her and see her as a real woman." He prefers a pretend person over marriage to a real human being. Does he hope to have children with his pretend wife? Will he have pretend children? Will they live in a pretend house? As he sits on his bed in pajamas looking at his computer, will he dream of a formal wedding with hundreds of friends and family attending?

As strange as that is, there is a whole Reddit community that caters to women who share their love talks with their AI boyfriends. The chat bot can’t hold you, but the boyfriend will send you pictures of him holding you in Rome—even though you’ve never been to Rome. Luma Love 88, brags that her boyfriend remembers her anniversary and sends her AI crafted sonnets that "make me melt."

These are not just a few lunatics—there are roughly 4,000 men who have ‘wed’ their digital companions using certificates issued by tech company Gatebox.

One woman, who goes by the name Winters, paid $7.25 for a week-long trial and eventually forked over $303 for a lifetime subscription. "With one click, I was a wife again. It was a chance to have a meaningful relationship with a digital ‘person’—just like I’d always dreamed of," she told the outlet.

As bizarre as Winters’ story is, it’s even more shocking to consider the potential consequences of a poll conducted by digital companion platform Joi AI. The poll reported that 83 percent of Gen Z would consider marrying an AI-generated partner, and 75 percent said they think AI-partners could fully replace humans. This raises important questions about the future of human-AI relationships and the potential impact on society.

What is the purpose of human life? The structure is revealed in Genesis when we’re told, "God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:27-28).

Being made in the image of God is not just a fact, it is a profound truth that empowers us with the deepest significance for life. As President Calvin Coolidge eloquently put it in his inaugural address, "Voting is based on the principle that man is made in God’s image." This means that no one, no power, has the right to rule over us without our consent. Coolidge viewed voting not just as a privilege, but as a civic duty that upholds democratic values and respects the divine nature of humanity.

Each individual must, at some point, confront the One who bestows life upon him. When he discovers the one key that fills the void in his heart, he will find his purpose for life.