What's your purpose?
Why I'm making this page about purpose
I'm making this page about purpose because many people don't realize their purpose or even the importance of the subject. Many people go through life blindly, accepting whatever comes their way and never thinking that they could make a change - never even suspecting that their little life could possibly be a pwrt of something greater in the scheme of things.
Some time ago I was made to realize the importance of purpose in the Divine scheme of things. My mom's church was studying a book by Rick Warren called "The purpose Driven Life, " in which he points out the necessity of finding our purpose and the fact that it can only be found through God and .is a part of something much greater. I got a copy and it changed my life by making me realize the importance of purpose and that my life does have a God-given purpose and a place in the larger scheme of things .
First take my quick entry pole (immediately below), then listen to the author (Rick Warren) talk about purpose in the video further below: Then, after viewing a few quotes on purpose, take my more detailed poll before going on to learn more about purpose. Thanks.
Quick entry pole
Do you know what your life purpose is?
Listen to the author, Rick Warren speak on purpose:
The book that changed my life.
As I said, Rick Warren's book changed my life by making me realize the importance of purpose, and the fact that it all starts with God, and is a part of something much larger, and showing me how to go about discovering what it is for my particular life.. Here is the cover and the purchase link is far Below at the end of the page. I also recommend the companion study aids (Further below), which are also quite helpful in implementing the book's principles.
Two more quotes about purpose:
"A MAN WITHOUT A PURPOSE IS LIKE A SHIP WITHOUT A RUDDER--A WAIF, A NOTHING , A NO-MAN."
---Thomas Carlyle
More detailed poll about purpose
Do you know what your God given purpose in life is?
Your eternal purpose:
As Rick Warren reminds us, in his book, "The Purpose Driven Life," it all starts with God." So easily we forget this simple fact. One thing he says is that "the purpose of your life fits into a much larger cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity."
God had a purpose when he created the universe and He had a purpose when He created us.(Rom.9:11) Thus, our lives have a purpose. Thus, instead of being driven by guilt, anger, fear, resentment,materialism or need for approval, we should be driven by our purpose, that is, God's purposes for us. This will give our life meaning. It will also simply and focus our life. Without a clear purpose, you will tend to make decisions based on pressures, circumstances or you present mood. Without a purpose, you may try to do too much and thus become fatigued. Without a clear purpose, we are constantly changing our direction. A knowledge of our purpose is what should motivate us and thus, energize us. And knowing our purpose prepares us for eternity, because we were made to last forever.In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says the God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
When you stand before God, He will ask you two questions: 1)"What did you do with my Son, who died to save you?" and 2) "What did you do with what I gave you?"
One crucial thing which we must realize is that we were created to be loved by God. Think about that for minute--the creator of the universe made you in order to love you. Of course, you rejected His love and went away from Him, which is why he had to send His Son to die for you in order to bring you back to Himself. We will all have to live somewhere forever, and if you accept by faith the gift of His son, it will be in heaven with Him. That's your eternal purpose.
But what about your purpose while here on earth?
You can study about and discover your purpose either individually or as a part of a group.
I told you in the beginning that I first became of aware of the "The Purpose Driven Life" through my mother's church, as the church as a whole was studying the book. It's designed to be studied either individually or as a church or in small groups. The study guides below serve as an additional aid for any type of group study, but would also be helpful for individual study as well.
Study aids for groups (& individuals too):
Your ultimate purpose:
Whether you are prepared for eternity or not, to get anywhere in this life, you need to realize what your purpose is. It is almost impossible to have a vision without purpose. And without a purpose, any goals which we might set would be meaningless. So let us ask ourselves, what is our ultimate purpose in life. The Westminster confession summed it up this way: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." In fact, as C.S. Lewis said, "In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him." Have you ever thought about that--to enjoy God? If you are in sin, you are enjoying the pleasures of sin, but, as the Bible tells us in Heb.11:25 , the are "for a season." On the other hand, the Psalmist says of God, "At your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11b ) He also says "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork." (Ps.19:1) All creation gives glory to God and we can enjoy the fruits of God's creation, and in so doing bring Him glory. Everything that God created brings glory to him except for two classes of beings, the fallen angels (demons) and us (man.) We have all failed to give Him the glory He deserves. That's why Paul adds the second phrase in Rom.3:23. After stating the universally known fact that "all have sinned," he adds "and come short of the glory of God." If it were Hebrew poetry, this would be considered a parallelism, that is, two phrases referring to the same thing. Thus, sinning fails to glorify God and failing to glorify God, ultimately is sin. Thus Paul also tells us "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. How can we do that? Just by being aware of what we are doing and asking ourselves "would this glorify God?" Try it for a week and see if it doesn't change some of your habits, what you watch and listen to, etc.
But you may ask, "How do I know if a particular thing is glorifying to God or not?" Since all true beauty and creativity originated with God, the apostle gives us another test in Philippians 4:8: "..whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about these things." If a certain activity truly meets all these requirements, I believe we can say it is glorifying to God.
The bottom line is this: When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God. So it's sort-of a circle. Our chief purpose is to glorify God and when we fulfill our purpose, we do glorify God. But how do we find our specific purpose, or purposes in life? By getting to know God. We do this first through accepting the gift of His son, as mentioned earlier, and second through reading His word, applying it to our lives, and through prayer and worship. Then, through prayer we can also discover the gifts He has given to each of us and how He wants us to use them for His glory. Part of that may include reaching out and telling others about Him. We also glorify God, as I said, by running our leisure activities through the sieve of Philippians 4:8. All of the above bring glory to God, and thus helps to fulfill our ultimate purpose.
The resource listed below should be a big help in learning to glorify God for who He is. [From Amazon:] "'Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.' This uncovered treasure is intended for all who desire to teach or to learn the purpose for which we were created. ....This little gem is full of instruction on the reason we are here and the way that we can live to the glory of God and the enjoyment of God. Parents and children, teachers and pupils, pastors and congregation alike will benefit from this wonderful book."
Listen to Rick Warren talk about our purpose - that we were shaped for service to God.
Natural and Spiritual gifts and our purpose:
Part of realizing our purpose is to realize that we were shaped to serve our creator either directly or by serving others. In the above video, Rick Warren points out the difference between natural abilities, which with we are all born, and Spiritual gifts, which God gives us when we accept Christ. Both of these relate to our purpose in life and enable us to fulfill it, and it pays to know which ones of each we have.
The expanded edition:
Whatever other books on purpose you may buy, you should still consider getting Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life." It might just change your life, as it did mine. And while you're at it, why not get the expanded editon below? [From Amazon: Rick Warren] "has updated and expanded the book with new chapters on the greatest barriers to living your purpose, plus introductions to each chapter theme, and additional messages that go deeper into each chapter." . The changes and additions may well make this version more worth having than the original.