Building A Life Of Purpose Series

I wrestle with this as much as anyone. When I was five or six years old, I clearly felt God calling me to be what I do today. I have the joy of living out my purpose. I could tell you my mission, my values, my roles. And yet I’m amazed by how easy it is to get pulled off purpose every single day. I could be out seven nights a week. I have more opportunities than I know what to do with. All of them are good. And yet I have to constantly remind myself, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” The good is the enemy of the best.

One man wrote, “Keep in mind that you are always saying ‘no’ to something. If it isn’t to the apparent, urgent things in your life, it is probably to the more fundamental, highly important things. Even if the urgent is good, the good can keep you from your best, keep you from your unique contribution, if you let it” (Stephen Covey).

You were put on this earth for a purpose. Truly great people live out their God-given purpose. Which would you like as your epitaph? “He made his car payments”? Or would you like the epitaph that was given to David in Acts 13:36: “David had served God’s purpose in his own generation” (NIV).

Let’s pray.

You were designed to live a life of purpose. God has given us all a unique contribution to make. He’s given you a burden, a concern, a passion. And he’s calling you to invest your life for eternity, and to concentrate all your energies on that task.

The most important step that you can take is to give your life for eternity. If you’ve never given your life to Jesus Christ, would you pray this prayer in your heart:

“Jesus Christ, I want to get to know you. And I want you to come into my life and I want to follow your plan and purpose for my life for the rest of my life. I turn away from my sins and follow you, and ask you to take charge of my life, beginning today.”

If you’ve already done that, what’s your next step? What are you going to do to grow? How are you going to center your time, your money, your abilities, your relationships on eternity? Have you been baptized? Have you taken Class 101? How are you going to concentrate your energies for eternity?

Pray this with me, “Lord, help me to live for eternity. Don’t let me waste my life on temporal things. I want to make the rest of my life count for eternity. I give you my time, my money, my abilities again. Use them and use me as a good trustee. Make my life a life of purpose, I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”