What is my purpose in life? If you want to live a purpose driven life you first need to know what your purpose is. A number of years back there was a book that addressed this question. While the book was overwhelmingly received, it did not address this question as well as the Book whose author is God. There are all kinds of books, videos, studies and programs that provide methods of discerning and understanding who you are, why you are alive and what you are to do. Sadly, many of them stray from the simplicity of what is true. The simple truth that is found only in what God says. All too often we want a plan, a check list. We tell ourselves, if I can understand this, or if I can do this, then my life will have purpose and meaning. We often plan things we can do, believing that when we accomplish them it demonstrates that we have a mission and a purpose in life. While it’s good to have meaningful work to do, and accomplishing tasks can be a good thing, the problem arises when we find our worth and purpose in what we do. It drives us to do more so we can be more, which can become a vicious cycle of working in order to form an identity for ourselves. That is contrary to what the Word of God tells us. God tells us that He defines who we are and in Him we find our purpose. The World vs the Word The world says: You are what you do. You are defined by your job, your socio-economic standing or your recreational activities. The Word says: We are defined by Christ and what He did for us (Ephesians 1-3) The world says: Be all that you can be. You are strong. You can do it. Believe in yourself and you will be a winner. The Word says: When we are weak, He is strong for us (2 Corinthians 12:10). God uses the weak to confound the mighty. (1 Corinthians 1:27) Trust in Christ. He has already won for us what we can never win for ourselves. The world says: Do this or do that and it will come back to you in blessings and rewards. That’s karma! The Word says: Love and serve Jesus Christ by sacrificially giving to your neighbor, because in Christ we already have everything we need. We are free to give everything we have without expecting anything in return. That’s love! Our Purpose is Found in His Pleasure When you ask yourself the question, “what is my purpose in life?” turn to the Bible to read what God says. God tells us that Adam was created for His pleasure — to live in perfect communion with Him and to magnify His goodness by loving and serving Him. Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. God’s creation was perfect and Adam was to tend it. Prior to the fall, Adam’s nature was without sin and His life reflected the righteousness of His Creator. That was Adam’s purpose in life—to honor, glorify and bring pleasure to His Creator. Sadly, Adam sinned and every person since that time has been born with a sin nature of rebellion again God’s original plan and purpose for man. While our nature has changed, and each of us is born with a sin nature, our purpose in life has not changed. Our purpose is to love, honor and magnify the Lord and by doing so we bring Him pleasure. How Do We Please God? Understanding now the simplicity of God’s desired purpose in our lives, we must address the complexity of how we go about bringing pleasure to God. Most of the books written about finding your purpose in life, focus on what you must do. Do this, or do that….then you will be fulfilled and God will be happy with you. Of course there are many commands in the Bible, and rightly understanding them is often very difficult. Yes, God tells us what righteous living looks like and He clearly gives instructions for daily life that will reflect godly living. What happens when we measure against those standards? Jesus commanded, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) When we are honest with ourself, we know how far short we fall from God’s standard of perfection. When we understand our sin, we understand our need for a Saviour. God, in His loving kindness and mercy, sent Jesus to live a righteous life and to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus lived the kind of life that brings pleasure to God—a 100%, sinless life—and He imputes that righteousness to repentant sinners who trust in His finished work on the cross. When He saves us He makes us righteous and justifies us in the eyes of God and sanctifies us with His righteousness. At the moment Jesus saves us we begin a life-long process of sanctification—growing in holiness, that will bring pleasure to God. Pleasure, in this case, means that we reflect who He is and honor and glorify Him by keeping His commandments. Jesus clearly told us what those commandments are: 1) Love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Matthew 22:37) 2) Love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:39) So our purpose in life is to love—not with our love, but with the supernatural love of Christ that lives in us and flows through us. Be still and know that Jesus is God. Stop striving in your own power and start resting in His love. Rest in the finished work of Christ and believe that His power will work through you. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Remember, it’s not by our deeds, but by His deliverance that we are saved. It’s not by our performance, but by His perfection that we are sanctified. Find your peace in Christ and keep your eyes focused on Him and your heart devoted to Him. Then His love will be unleashed in your soul and will ignite and fuel God-honoring thoughts, words and deeds in you. That will result in love and service for God and your neighbor and will bring pleasure to our Almighty God. He desires to work through you to glorify His name. Surrender to His will and watch Him work! Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 07:34:29 +0000
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