What is your 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 (Eccl.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. (See the above listed lens on salvation.) We will all have to live somewhere forever, and if you accept by faith gift of His son, it will be in heaven with Him.

What is the purpose you were placed here on Earth;
each of us in God's sight has great worth.
Each of us was created with a purpose in mind;
so it behooves each of us God's plan to find.
Each of us has a precise destiny to fulfill,
and knowing you've done so will one day be a thrill.
Each of us will stand before God one day,
destiny fulfilled or having frittered the time away.
Each of us accountable without any excuse,
all apologies unacceptable no matter how profuse.
Some souls may be waiting to be stirred by you,
needing your assurance God's love is true.
Some aching hearts may need inspiration,
they may be holding back awaiting your invitation.
Someone may be hungry or dying of thirst,
their needs can't be quenched unless you're saved first.
Your purpose is yours and can't be accomplished by me;
each of us must seek to fulfill our own destiny!
God knew of Satan's interference how he'd curse us,
so God created in each our own 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 picture was very beautiful
Gracing the outside of the box-
The clouds and heavens above,
The water, the ships, the rocks.
Inside things were very different.
There were pieces of every shape
That when properly put together
Will present a lovely landscape.
A machine had taken the image
Then precisely cut each tiny bit,
With straight edges and notches,
Each one needing the perfect fit.
Then the piecing process begins
As one by one the parts are wed,
Matching color, notch and edge,
Just as quickly as the eye is led.
Slowly the amalgam emerges.
Individual images become one.
Sections are partnered together,
And the puzzle is finally done.
Our lives just like a great puzzle
Are pieced together day by day-
Different parts at different times
In colors from turquoise to gray.
Looking at each individual piece
The appearance does not inspire.
Being appropriately fit together
Is all that your God will require.
He guides every step of the way
In the life which belongs to Him.
Parts that were once all scattered,
With His help begin looking trim.
Let the Master builder construct
The pieces into a beautiful whole,
Unified in God's graceful purpose
And complete, under His control.

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