It all starts and ends with God
“The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder —a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.” — Thomas Carlyle
Do you find yourself struggling to discover your God-given purpose in life? Trust me; you are not alone. I know from experience that it’s likely causing you some stress. I can remember being a young teenager back in high school; I spent a lot of time alone wondering what my purpose was. I knew that God created me for a reason, but I couldn’t understand if achieving my dreams was all there was to my existence. Even at such a young age, I knew there had to be more to life. It was naive of me to think at that time that this feeling of uncertainty would disappear as I got older. Instead, this void within me grew bigger. As the old saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. Today, I have my confidence in God’s word. The void helped me to recognize my soul’s true desire — God. God’s word has been the answer for me on my quest to finding God’s purpose for my life.
The truth is that the purpose of our lives is beyond us. You only live a fulfilled life when you discover God’s purpose for your life. It’s more than your feelings, ambitions, goals and aspirations. We didn’t create our own lives, and we can’t define our real purpose. When you hold on to a product, you can’t determine the proper use of that product without reading its instruction manual. Only the inventor of that product truly knows the nature and purpose of that product. The inventor also states in the manual how to operate or put the product to correct use. The Bible says in Colossians 1:16 (AMP), “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.” In the same way, God breathes life into us so we can fulfil a purpose. The purpose of our lives is in him and is for him. A life without any relationship with God won’t make any sense because you have lost connection with the very source of your life. He knew us before He laid the foundations of this world, as written in Ephesians 1:4.
I want you to understand that God has a grand scheme for life, and we are all created to play a part in the fulfilment of this divine scheme. Look at what He says in 2 Corinthians 4:18 (AMP), “So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.” Humans attribute success in life to what we can see and what we can hold on to — focusing on ourselves for financial prosperity, outstanding careers, a long-lasting marriage, setting records etc. Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with these; it just doesn’t define our purpose. Why is that? Because all these things are only temporary, they will pass away and have no value in eternity. You see, records that people live their entire lives to achieve are broken eventually. It will all pass away. We need to understand that God didn’t create us to be remembered; we were created to prepare for eternity. God created us with eternity in mind. He wants us to set our sights on eternal things.
So how do we find our real purpose in life?
First, you have to give your life to Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” It’s only in Christ can we find our way to a fulfilling life. It is the truth. This life Jesus is talking about is eternal life, a life that is not bound by the rules of this world. When we are born-again, we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will direct our path towards living a God-fulfilled life.
Next, you need to grow spiritually by developing your relationship with God. You can only experience spiritual growth when you consistently study God’s word. In Philippians 2:12–13 (KJV), Paul says, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” These verses clearly state the parts to spiritual development: “work out” and “work in.” The “work out” is your part to play, its a conscious decision. When you play your role, God will “work in” you to do his “good pleasure.” Here lies the true purpose of our lives; we exist to bring God delight and pleasure. In subsequent publications, we will go through teachings from the Word of God to understand that we were created and planned for God’s pleasure. We can find pleasure in God’s pleasure. While we all, as Christ-followers, share the purpose of pleasing and glorifying the Lord in all we do, we do each have a unique way of living out that purpose.
I encourage you to surrender your life to Christ if you haven’t done so. You will experience absolute joy, divine direction and fulfilment when you give up your life to God. If this is you, please say this prayer:
Lord, I admit I am a sinner. I need and want Your forgiveness. I accept Your death as the penalty for my sin and recognize that Your mercy and grace is a gift You offer to me because of Your great love, not based on anything I have done. Cleanse me and make me Your child. By faith, I receive You into my heart as the Son of God and as Savior and Lord of my life. From now on, help me live for You, with You in control. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.
Praise God! You have been made whole by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and old things have passed away. Everything has become new. Challenge yourself to grow even closer with the Lord and see how He rewards your relationship in return. He will strengthen and create in you the longing and the ability to fulfil your true purpose in life.
Memory verse:
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB): “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Further Bible readings:
Proverbs 29:11, Jeremiah 29:11, Mathew 6:33, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 57:2, Philippians 4:13, Exodus 9:16, Psalm 109:105, 2 Corinthians 12:9
Song of the week: Reckless Love by Cory Asbury
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cory-asbury/272633727
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0et7MRpMRxdqCkhU1Xhkld
