Many of us have that burning question in our hearts pondering what our purpose is on earth and in God’s mind. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t asked themselves this question a few times over the period of their life and continues to do so. I, myself, have done the same. I’ve asked myself that question many times. I’ve asked God that question over and over again. I’ve researched how to pin-point the answer more directly. I’ve even written down a few ideas of what it might be. However, what is it that is so important about having a Purpose?
I’ve looked up the meaning on onelook.com and found a few definitions:
1) an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
2) the reason for which something is done or for which something exists
3) what something is used for
As we look at these definitions, they provide a little more clarity about what it is that we are really asking below the surface:
1) Who am I?
2) Why do I exist in this earth?
3) What will I be used for?
4) What will be the outcome or God-planned outcome of my life?
Those are just a few but we could go on and on with these questions about our own existence in the world. But notice that in all these questions, there is a desire to fulfill some need, to be of use, to be greater, to make a difference, to be special (in the eyes of God), to please Him, to please or satisfy a void within the earth realm and human race. All I can say is Wow because if you’ve wondered about your purpose, this is your desire to some degree.
Based on that, let me tell you what the Lord has revealed to me about “Purpose” as I continue to experience life over the last few years. The way we look at life and ask this question creates an inaccurate perception about purpose. In other words, we look to God to sort of one day give us a written statement in our name answering all these questions. And after He provides the statement to us, we will go out, save the day, feel fulfillment, make a difference, and be happier. It doesn’t work like that. God doesn’t sit down with you like your boss does at your job and goes over what it is that you are to accomplish. We have to fix our mind that God is a Spirit. He doesn’t do man-like things. Man is called to do God-like things.
The first thing is to know that if God is a Spirit and if your purpose is connected to Him, then it is definitely “Spiritual” to begin. The pull in your desire, as mentioned above, comes from a feeling of something is missing “Spiritually”. People who are intimate with God, tend not to ask what their purpose is. They just live in expectancy knowing there’s a next “Great Thing” coming where God is going to work through them.
John 4:24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
There is no doubt that you exist because God wants you too. That goes without question. If God didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be here. Next, God breathed Spirit into you. You are a spiritual being inside a shell. It may seem that your Physical needs take precedence but that’s a result of sin in the earth. Your true nature is that of Spirit rather you accept Jesus as your Savior or not. (But you have…right? ) You can’t escape being made in God’s Image. Therefore, your first purpose is to carry His image. When this spiritual substance within is depleted, the purpose question is heightened. When this substance is overflowing from within, you don’t think much about a purpose. To sum this up, basically, you were born to be a worshipper (to express reverence and adoration for God in all aspects of your life). You were born to carry the Spirit of God. What you do with Him living inside of you doesn’t much matter as long as you radiate His Spirit. But you can’t properly emanate Him when His Image within you is compromised with other ‘images/spirits” that smother who you really are. However, when His Image within you is nurtured, the Spirit will do wonders in your life without you having to ask any questions. It will be like a ride in Heaven.
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Now here’s the fun part. What is it that the Spirit does when it’s nurtured inside of you? Remember God is a Spirit. We tend to look at “Spirit” as a noun when it is a “verb”. God’s Spirit is an animated and moving force within living things. Just look at the story of creation. Oh my goodness! That is enough right there. Just one word from God added some awesome creations to the world, including man and woman in it. If you think even more about that, you will see in scripture that God breathed, God saw, God said, God touched, etc. God, who seems to sit still, is a God whose senses alone create huge and miraculous changes out of nothing at all. All He has to do is breathe. That is so awesome to me and so unconceivable. When you look at it this way, how dare we question our purpose?
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
What does this mean for you as a purpose seeker? Outside of the Lord, there really is no purpose to seek. You have all you need for God’s Spirit within you to fulfill many undertakings without limit. You actually limit yourself when trying to pin-point just one great purpose in your life. This is thinking in the box. This type of thinking when lined up with the way God moves is so degrading to your true existence. It’s like asking for a government assistance check when you are a billionaire or living like a pauper when you’re true royalty. You devalue your own existence. You have to get away from this type of thinking and expectation (or non-expectation) of your life.
There are too many pitfalls in looking for a purpose - We can tend to use the purpose question as an excuse to not do anything at all. We would tend to think; if God doesn’t say anything then there is nothing for me to do. We can also tend to make our self believe that if God tells us what to do we would do it. NOT TRUE! We are already a people who don’t want to follow God’s ways naturally and innately. Therefore, if He uttered your purpose to you, you think you may jump to it but most likely you’d look for a reason to not do it. You’d, more so, turn your heart and desires to rather do something else. Usually the purpose question comes in direct relation to wanting to do something else in life other than what you are doing with no feeling of true fulfillment. But thinking that God is going to give you a personal blueprint out of it is deceiving. At some point, you have to be accountable and responsible to what your true intentions are in pondering purpose. You may have to get your spiritual heart right.
The KEY: The key to living a fulfilled life is Intimacy with God. What does Intimacy with God create? It creates a Spiritual movement. I will bet you that when you make a decision to worship God full heartedly by spending time with Him, loving Him, loving others genuinely, following His ways of peace and joy, and making good choices and decisions based on what God would have, your life will MOVE; the verb of the Spirit will manifest. As you re-align your spirit with His Spirit, in His Image, your life will move so fast in force and favor that you will end up in places and purposes that you couldn’t even think of or create yourself. Through you God will breathe, God will see, God will touch, God will taste, and God will say… Like the world was created out of nothing, so shall God create through you out of nothing, which will attract back to you Spiritual Wealth, which creates abundance in all areas of your life. Your purpose is to not have one at all but to live as God has already created you that purposes <existence, creation, action, outcomes, uses, movement> take place… In His Image! In His Purpose! LIVE!
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.