Drifting Or Driven Series

Let me start with a question: Have you ever felt like life is just drifting by?

You get up, get jobs done, come home, eat dinner, watch a bit of TV, go to bed…

and then do it all again the next day.

Week after week, month after month.

And sometimes we stop and wonder: “Is this really it? Is this all there is to life?”

A recent survey said that a huge number of people in the UK don’t feel their work or their lives have much meaning.

And maybe you’ve felt that way too.

Life can feel like being stuck on autopilot – we’re moving, but we’re not really going anywhere.

But here’s the good news:

the Bible tells us we were made for more.

We can either drift through life without purpose,

or we can be driven by God’s greater plan for us.

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1. The Problem of Drifting (Ecclesiastes 1:1–11)

Let’s listen to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1. He says:

“Meaningless, meaningless… utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

Not exactly a cheery start, is it?

But Solomon isn’t being dramatic – he’s being honest.

He looks at life “under the sun,” life without God at the centre, and he says it feels like going in circles.

• The sun rises and sets,

• the wind blows round and round,

• rivers flow into the sea,

and yet nothing really changes.

That’s what drifting feels like.

No clear direction.

Just carried along by circumstances.

No bigger reason for getting up in the morning.

Let me give you a picture.

Imagine being in a boat - without oars.

You’re afloat, you’re moving, but you’re not choosing the direction.

The current decides where you end up.

And that’s how many people live life – drifting wherever the current of culture or circumstance takes them.

Drifting might feel easy in the short term, but it always leads to frustration in the end.

We end up asking Solomon’s question: “What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun?”

In other words: What’s the point?

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2. The Invitation to More (John 10:10)

But into that emptiness, Jesus speaks a completely different word.

In John 10:10 He says:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

That’s the turning point.

That’s the invitation.

Jesus says, “You were made for more.”

Think about it: the enemy – the thief – wants to rob us of meaning and purpose.

He’s happy for us to drift, because drifting never leads to the life God wants for us.

But Jesus came to offer life to the full.

Now, what does that mean?

It doesn’t mean

• more stuff,

• more money, or

• more busyness.

A full life is not about cramming our calendar.

o It’s about living with God’s purpose at the centre.

o It’s about relationships shaped by love, not convenience.

o It’s about everyday choices made with intention, not apathy.

When Jesus is at the centre, life gains weight and meaning.

It has direction.

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3. Driven by God’s Purpose (Application)

So, how do we move from drifting to being driven by God’s purpose?

First, let’s be clear –

being “driven” by God’s purpose doesn’t mean frantic activity or endless striving.

It’s not about trying to prove ourselves.

It’s about having a compass.

Knowing who we are, and

where we’re going,

because God is leading us.

Three things help us here:

1. Clarity – Ask God: “What have You made me for in this season?”

It might be being a light in your workplace.

It might be serving faithfully in your family.

It might be using your gifts here in church or in the community.

Purpose begins with clarity from God.

2. Conviction – Once you know, live it out with conviction.

Our culture is drifting fast –

? towards self,

? towards consumerism,

? towards emptiness.

If we don’t live by conviction, we’ll just get swept along.

Third thing to help us:

3. Commitment – Take an intentional step.

Don’t just hear this and nod along.

Ask: What’s one thing I can do this week to live with God’s purpose?

It could be starting each day with prayer.

It could be offering encouragement to a friend.

It could be serving someone in need.

Purpose is lived out in small, consistent steps.

I think of people I’ve known who lived for years without God – drifting

– until they met Jesus.

And suddenly life had colour, shape, and meaning.

They discovered they weren’t an accident.

They felt loved, called, and given direction.

That’s the difference Jesus makes.

Object Illustration 1: A Balloon vs. a Kite

• Balloon: (Hold up), “If I let this balloon go, the wind will take it wherever it likes.