Living My Life on Purpose (Pt. 1)

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What am I doing with the life God has given me?” We can become so busy living life that we forget to ask whether we are living the life God has called us to live. We have responsibilities. We have families. We have jobs. We have relationships. We have church, ministry, errands, appointments, and everything else that fills our calendars. Before we know it, another day, week, month, or year has passed. But are we living on purpose? And more importantly, are we living God’s way?

The Bible tells us that our lives are not accidents. God created each of us with purpose. He has given us gifts, experiences, opportunities, and a unique story that He can use for His glory. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” God has a purpose for your life. The question is not whether He has a purpose, but whether we are willing to discover it, surrender to it, and walk in it.

When I first received Christ as my Savior, I asked “Was the Bible real, and how did we get it?” That took me on a long journey to discover the Bible and believe its authority for my life. There is too much about our lives to think that we are an accident and there was not a plan for our lives.

God’s Way Begins With Knowing Him

Before we can understand God’s purpose for our lives, we must understand that our purpose begins with God—not with us. Our culture tells us to look inside ourselves and determine what will make us happy. Being happy is not one of the fruits of the Spirit. God tells us to look to Him for love, joy, and peace. When we make ourselves the center of our purpose, our purpose will always be limited by our circumstances, desires, disappointments, and understanding. But when God becomes the center, our lives take on eternal significance.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Seeking God first changes everything. It changes what we value. It changes how we make decisions. It changes how we respond to people. It changes how we use our time. It changes how we see our circumstances. It changes how we understand our purpose.

Sometimes we think purpose must mean having a particular career, leading a ministry, authoring a book, becoming a powerful person, or doing something that everyone can see or admire. But God’s purpose is not always found in a title or status. Our purpose may look like being a disciple of Christ, raising Godly children, helping someone less fortunate than we are, faithfully serving at church, being a business owner, being the best employee or spouse. Whatever we do daily should be done for the glory of God. In fact, some of our most important things that we do for God’s Kingdom may never receive recognition from other people, but Jesus sees them and He will reward accordingly.

It is About Having a Surrendered Heart

When we surrender our plans to God, allow His Word to renew our minds, and faithfully obey the next step He places before us, we can trust that He will accomplish His purposes in and through our lives.

“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” — Proverbs 16:3

Live Intentionally

Living intentionally, loving deeply, serving faithfully, and following Jesus is a life worth living that has purpose. Because living your life on purpose God’s way is not about having a perfect plan. One of the quickest ways to become distracted from God’s purpose is comparison. We look at someone else’s life and think:

“Why isn’t my life like hers?”

“Why hasn’t God opened that door for me?”

“Why does she seem to be accomplishing more?”

“Why am I still in this season?”

Comparison can cause us to miss what God is doing right in front of us. God did not call you to live someone else’s life. He called you and no one else has your testimony or gift to manage your assignment.

Peter once asked Jesus about another disciple’s future. Jesus told Peter to focus on following Him. That is a word for us today. Do not spend so much time looking at what God is doing with someone else that you fail to follow what He is doing in you.

Are you living with a purpose? Is it proving to be yours or God’s purpose? No matter what you do, do it to the glory of God.