This is what purpose-driven living is all about. Regardless of your age, the rest of your life can be the best of your life, and you can start living on purpose today.
DAY THIRTY-NINE
THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE
Point to Ponder: Blessed are the balanced.
Verse to Remember: “Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning of life but as those who do.” Ephesians 5:15 (Ph)
Question to Consider: Which of the four activities will I begin in order to stay on track and balance God’s five purposes for my life?
40
Living with Purpose
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
For David…served the purpose of God in his own generation.
Acts 13:36 (NASB)
Living on purpose is the only way to really live. Everything else is just existing.
Most people struggle with three basic issues in life. The first is identity: “Who am I?” The second is importance: “Do I matter?” The third is impact: “What is my place in life?” The answers to all three questions are found in God’s five purposes for you.
In the Upper Room, as Jesus was concluding his last day of ministry with his disciples, he washed their feet as an example and said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”1 Once you know what God wants you to do, the blessing comes in actually doing it. As we come to the end of our forty-day journey together, now that you know God’s purposes for your life, you will be blessed if you do them!
This probably means you will have to stop doing some other things. There are many “good” things you can do with your life, but God’s purposes are the five essentials you must do. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get distracted and forget what is most important. It’s easy to drift away from what matters most and slowly get off course. To prevent this, you should develop a purpose statement for your life and then review it regularly.
WHAT IS A LIFE PURPOSE STATEMENT?
It’s a statement that summarizes God’s purposes for your life. In your own words you affirm your commitment to God’s five purposes for your life. A purpose statement is not a list of goals. Goals are temporary; purposes are eternal. The Bible says, “His plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally.”2
It’s a statement that points the direction of your life. Writing down your purposes on paper will force you to think specifically about the path of your life. The Bible says, “Know where you are headed, and you will stay on solid ground.”3 A life purpose statement not only spells out what you intend to do with your time, life, and money, but also implies what you aren’t going to do. Proverbs says, “An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.”4
It’s a statement that defines “success” for you. It states what you believe is important, not what the world says is important. It clarifies your values. Paul said, “I want you to understand what really matters.”5
It’s a statement that clarifies your roles. You will have different roles at different stages in life, but your purposes will never change. They are greater than any role you will have.
It’s a statement that expresses your shape. It reflects the unique ways God made you to serve him.
Take your time writing out your life purpose statement. Don’t try to complete it in a single sitting, and don’t aim for perfection in your first draft; just write down your thoughts as fast as they come to you. It is always easier to edit than to create. Here are five questions you should consider as you prepare your statement:
LIFE’S FIVE GREATEST QUESTIONS
What will be the center of my life? This is the question of worship. Who are you going to live for? What are you going to build your life around? You can center your life around your career, your family, a sport or hobby, money, having fun, or many other activities. These are all good things, but they don’t belong at the center of your life. None is strong enough to hold you together when life starts breaking apart. You need an unshakable center.
When God’s at the center of your life, you worship. When he’s not, you worry.
King Asa told the people of Judah to “center their lives in God.”6 Actually, whatever is at the center of your life is your god. When you committed your life to Christ, he moved into the center, but you must keep him there through worship. Paul says, “I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts.”7
How do you know when God is at the center of your life? When God’s at the center, you worship. When he’s not, you worry. Worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline. The moment you put him back at the center, you will have peace again. The Bible says, “A sense of God’s wholeness…will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”8