PURPOSE IN LIFE
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What Is My Purpose in Life?
• Your purpose in life is that which gives you a reason for living, the reason why God put you here on earth.
• Your purpose in life is an expression of your personal significance to God.
• Your purpose in life will be unique to you, based on God’s personalized plan for you.
Question: “I don’t feel like my life has any purpose. Is there any hope for me?”
Yes. You have hope—you were created by the God of hope. In the Bible, God says that He created you with a specific plan for your life. Your life can be filled with hope and purpose when you choose to follow God’s will.
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”
(Jeremiah 29:11)
What Is Your Purpose in Life?
“The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
Psalm 33:11
Pinpointing Your Priorities
Purpose thrives on believing what’s possible, on dreaming up what can be, and by working passionately in the here and now. Nowhere in this equation is there room for what was, what didn’t work, and what could have been.
God wants your attention in the present. He wants you to “look straight ahead” because what He has for you is not behind you, it is in front of you.
“Why … am I here?”
With over 7.7 billion people on planet earth, is my life really significant? Can one life truly make a difference … truly have impact … truly matter? The answer is an absolute “yes” because … you have been made purposefully … you are part of a great master plan. The Bible makes this point plain …
- Your purpose in life is that which gives you a reason for living, the reason why God put you here on earth.
- Your purpose in life is an expression of your personal significance to God.
- Your purpose in life will be unique to you, based on God’s personalized plan for you.
- “To live is Christ …” The Apostle Paul found all meaning in life tied to one person, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All his striving, struggling, serving was for the glory of another. “Self” was sacrificed … even crucified … for the cause of Christ.
- “And to die is gain …” (Philippians 1:21) Paul would continue, because he knew that the end of this temporal, physical life meant the beginning of an eternity of living in the very presence of Jesus. Could Paul have known that even after his death his purpose in life would continue on so powerfully. And, as Paul stated, it is … “In him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
What Is My Significance?
- Your significance means your importance.
- Your significance refers to your personal value, your individual worth.
- A sense of significance is one of your three God-given inner needs. Those three inner needs are:
Love
- receiving an unchanging, unconditional commitment from another for what is best for you
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
(John 15:12)
Significance
- knowing the meaning and purpose for your life
“I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.”
(Psalm 57:2)
Security
- being grounded with an unshakable sense of belonging and acceptance
“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress.”
(Proverbs 14:26)
- Even if you haven’t said these exact words, the following statements express a desire of your heart:
- “I want my life to count.”
- “I want my life to make a difference.”
- “I want my life to be significant.”
- “I want my life to have meaning.”
- “I want my life to have purpose.”
- "I want to have an impact.”
- “I want to do something important.”
Question: “I’ve always felt insignificant. When comparing myself to others who are more gifted and accomplished than I am, how can I not feel insignificant?”
You already have God-given significance … not because of anything you have done, but because of what Christ has done for you.
- You were significant enough for God to create you in His image.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ ”
(Genesis 1:26)
You were significant enough for the Lord to design a preplanned future for you.
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”
(Jeremiah 29:11)
- You were significant enough for Jesus to die on the cross for you.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)
Realize that Jesus would not die for anything or anyone insignificant. You, indeed, have God-given worth.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
(Luke 12:6–7)
Seeking Significance in “All the Wrong Places”
- Seeking to be happy—vs.—seeking to be holy
- Seeking to be religious in a church—vs.—seeking to grow in a relationship with Christ
- Seeking cultural Christianity—vs.—seeking biblical Christianity
- Seeking external dos and don’ts—vs.—seeking internal obedience of the heart
- Seeking human approval—vs.—seeking God’s approval
- Seeking your own will—vs.—seeking God’s will
- Seeking to live for present gain—vs.—seeking to live for eternal values
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18)
Root Cause for Not Finding Purpose in Life
Wrong Belief: “I’ll feel significant if my possessions, popularity, and power increase.”
Right Belief: “My significance is based on God’s fulfilling His purpose for me by conforming my character to Christ’s character.”
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.”
(Psalm 138:8)
Characteristics of Misplaced Purposes
- Externally focused
- Materialistic
- Pleasure seeking
- Task oriented
- Insecure
- Negative thinking
- Escaping reality
- Sexually promiscuous
- Status seeking
Thoughts of Meaninglessness
- “Life has no meaning.”
- “Life’s not worth living.”
- “I have no sense of purpose.”
- “I can’t count on anything.”
- “I feel insignificant.”
- “Nothing is worthwhile.”
- “Nothing really matters.”
- “What’s the point of it all?”
“When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 2:11)
How to Develop a Life Plan
- Discern the eternal meaning of your life.
“Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”
(Romans 8:29).
- Discover the earthly purpose of your life.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”
(Ephesians 2:10).
- Discover God’s leading through your circumstances.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”
(Proverbs 19:21).
- Discover opportunity through obedience.
“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land”
(Isaiah 1:19).
- Discover how to wait for God’s timing.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”
(Psalm 27:14).
- Determine the essential goals for your life.
“We make it our goal to please him”
(2 Corinthians 5:9).
“How do I choose goals that are right for me?”
- Define goals that will help you achieve your purposes:
- Goals that are specific
- Goals that are reachable
- Goals with a deadline for completion
- Goals that are not dependent on others for success
- Goals that benefit others
- Goals that do not contradict the will of God
“We make it our goal to please him.”
(2 Corinthians 5:9)
Key Verse to Learn
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:28)
Key Passage to Read
The book of Ecclesiastes
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God desires to give you hope as you face life challenges, problems and difficult trials. The good news for us, God specializes in redemption and transformation. He takes that which was lost and restores it. He takes that which was dead and gives it life. He takes that which had no hope and rewrites its story. This is our God! As you pray today, ask God boldly to transform the thing inside you that you want to see changed forever!
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