Your life is a pentathlon of five purposes, which you must keep in balance. These purposes were practiced by the first Christians in Acts 2, explained by Paul in Ephesians 4, and modeled by Jesus in John 17, but they are summarized in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Jesus. These two statements sum up what this book is all about—God’s five purposes for your life:
“Love God with all your heart”: You were planned for God’s pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship.
“Love your neighbor as yourself”: You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry.
“Go and make disciples”: You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God’s message through evangelism.
“baptize them into…”: You were formed for God’s family, so your purpose is to identify with his church through fellowship.
“teach them to do all things…”: You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship.
A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian.
A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian.
Keeping these five purposes in balance is not easy. We all tend to overemphasize the purposes we feel most passionate about and neglect the others. Churches do the same thing. But you can keep your life balanced and on track by joining a small group for accountability, by regularly evaluating your spiritual health, by recording your progress in a personal journal, and by passing on what you learn to others. These are four important activities for purpose-driven living. If you are serious about staying on track, you will need to develop these habits.
Talk it through with a spiritual partner or small group. The best way to internalize the principles in this book is to discuss them with others in a small-group setting. The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other.”1 We learn best in community. Our minds are sharpened and our convictions are deepened through conversation.
I strongly urge you to gather a small group of friends and form a Purpose-Driven Life Reading Group to review these chapters on a weekly basis. Discuss the implications and the applications of each chapter. Ask “So what?” and “What now?” What does this mean for me, my family, and our church? What am I going to do about it? Paul said, “Put into practice what you learned.”2 In appendix 1, I have prepared a list of discussion questions for your small group or Sunday school class to use.
A small reading group provides many benefits that a book by itself cannot. You can give and receive feedback about what you’re learning. You can discuss real-life examples. You can pray for, encourage, and support each other as you begin to live out these purposes. Remember, we are meant to grow together, not separately. The Bible says, “Encourage each other and give each other strength.”3 After you have gone through this book together as a group, you might consider studying other purpose-driven life studies that are available for classes and groups (see appendix 2).
I also encourage you to do personal Bible study. I have footnoted over a thousand Scriptures used in this book for you to study in their context. Please read appendix 3, which explains why this book uses so many different translations and paraphrases. To keep these chapters to a size for daily reading, I was unable to explain the fascinating context of most of the verses used. But the Bible is intended to be studied by paragraphs, chapters, and even entire books. My book Personal Bible Study Methods can show you how to do inductive studies.
Give yourself a regular spiritual check-up. The best way to balance the five purposes in your life is to evaluate yourself periodically. God places a high value on the habit of self-evaluation. At least five times in Scripture we are told to test and examine our own spiritual health.4 The Bible says, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups…Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.”5
DAY THIRTY-NINE: BALANCING YOUR LIFE
To maintain your physical health, you need regular check-ups with a doctor who can assess your vital signs—blood pressure, temperature, weight, and so on. For your spiritual health you need to regularly check the five vital signs of worship, fellowship, growth in character, ministry, and mission. Jeremiah advised, “Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God.”6
At Saddleback Church we have developed a simple personal evaluation tool that has helped thousands of people stay on-purpose for God. If you would like a copy of this purpose-driven life spiritual health assessment, you can email me (see appendix 2). You will be amazed at how much this little tool will help you balance your life for health and growth. Paul urged, “Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equaled by your realistic action now.”7