The Purpose Driven Life(14)
We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts. Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and abilities. The way you’re “wired” is not an accident. God didn’t give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others, just as others were given abilities for your benefit. The Bible says, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you…Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory.”18
We bring God glory by telling others about him. God doesn’t want his love and purposes kept a secret. Once we know the truth, he expects us to share it with others. This is a great privilege—introducing others to Jesus, helping them discover their purpose, and preparing them for their eternal destiny. The Bible says, “As God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ,…God will receive more and more glory.”19
WHAT WILL YOU LIVE FOR?
Living the rest of your life for the glory of God will require a change in your priorities, your schedule, your relationships, and everything else. It will sometimes mean choosing a difficult path instead of an easy one. Even Jesus struggled with this. Knowing he was about to be crucified, he cried out: “My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.”20
Jesus stood at a fork in the road. Would he fulfill his purpose and bring glory to God, or would he shrink back and live a comfortable, self-centered life? You face the same choice. Will you live for your own goals, comfort, and pleasure, or will you live the rest of your life for God’s glory, knowing that he has promised eternal rewards? The Bible says, “Anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go,…you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.”21
It’s time to settle this issue. Who are you going to live for—yourself or God? You may hesitate, wondering whether you will have strength to live for God. Don’t worry. God will give you what you need if you will just make the choice to live for him. The Bible says, “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.”22
Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. It’s really the only way to live. Everything else is just existing. Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ. If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to do is receive and believe. The Bible promises, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”23 Will you accept God’s offer?
Jesus will give you everything you need to live for him.
First, believe. Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes. Believe you’re not an accident. Believe you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you’ve done, God wants to forgive you.
Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior. Receive his forgiveness for your sins. Receive his Spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says, “Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!”24 Wherever you are reading this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: “Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you.” Go ahead.
If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! You are now ready to discover and start living God’s purpose for your life. I urge you to tell someone about it. You’re going to need support. If you email me (see appendix 2), I will send you a little booklet I wrote called Your First Steps for Spiritual Growth.
DAY SEVEN
THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE
Point to Ponder: It’s all for him.
Verse to Remember: “For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory.” Romans 11:36 (LB)
Question to Consider: Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God’s glory?
PURPOSE #1
YOU WERE PLANNED FOR GOD’S PLEASURE
For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
Isaiah 61:3 (LB)
8
Planned for God’s Pleasure
You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.