Elizabeth and Jim George

“Reaching forward to those things which are ahead…” Philippians 3:13

As Paul states in Philippians 3:13, purpose is paramount! I know I can’t do anything, including getting out of bed on time(!), without having a sense of God’s purpose for my life. Knowing my purpose— knowing that I am here to give my life in service to God and His people—is a driving motivator that keeps me keeping on in this race toward Christ-likeness called life.

I personally discovered God’s purpose for me—His call on my life—in a very special way when a woman handed me a small, flat package wrapped in muted pastels. The card read, “Thank you for your class on prayer,” and the package contained a leather-bound, silver-edged book that soon broadened my prayer life.

Unfortunately that tiny prayer volume is now out of print, but here’s what changed my life and polished up my purpose. Four questions were posed about our identity in Christ. Puzzled, I paused long enough to scratch my head and then went on. But the questions haunted me until one day I reluctantly tackled the questions—

Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?

The beautiful little book changed my prayers and my prayer life. But, dear friend, answering these four questions changed my life! Before I answered them, I was greatly influenced by other people’s ideas about what I should do with my life and what my Christian faith should look like.

As “movement” follower and a “program” participant, I allowed other people to determine my purpose. But, praise God, these four questions helped me recognize the pur­pose of my life and gave me life goals to focus on. Today I know…

Who I am—I am a Christian woman, wife, mother, and grandmother;
Where I came from—I was “in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephe­sians 1:4);
Why I am here—I am here to give my life in service to God, my family, and His people;
Where I am going—by God’s amazing grace and love, I am going to heaven!

Please take a few minutes to answer these four ques­tions for yourself. Your answers won’t be identical to mine. But they will help you grasp God’s great purpose for your life. They will give you a sense of direction as you set your goals and plan your activities.

You may be awed like I was by the realization that God has a specific purpose for you. For me, that realization has given me a better sense of mission (I am definitely more focused as a result of glimpsing God’s purpose for my life), a clearer understanding of my job assignment (I am to spend myself and be spent in service to Christ and His people), and an urgency as I go about my tasks (knowing that my time on earth is limited, I am frightfully aware of time wasted and time passing). I want to use my time and energy to achieve God’s purposes and, along the way, find rest and refreshment in Him. After all, it is He who ulti­mately makes things happen for the kingdom. I am just thankful that He has chosen to use me in the process!

A Prayer to Pray:
Lord, present to me a vision for what I am accomplishing as your child and servant. Pare away the unnecessary pursuits so that I can discern what is most important in Your eyes.

For more encouragement in answering these questions for yourself, read Loving God with All Your Mind.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Do you ever have what I call doubtful days—days when the dull routine of duty weighs you down? Or days when the curve balls of surprise, disappointment, and tragedy leave you feeling like you’re striking out?

I remember when my life had no purpose. As an average woman with an average marriage, two average preschool daughters, and an average house, I shook my fist at the kitchen ceiling one average and desperate day and cried, “There has to be more to life than this!” My lack of purpose caused me to wonder, to doubt, and to rage.

But, praise God, He used my search for pur­pose to help me recognize that I needed Jesus Christ! I became a Christian several months later. And suddenly I saw the purpose of everything in my life because I saw that God had a purpose for me!

Knowing that God has a purpose for my life and for my salvation brings me great joy and hope. You see, now that I know there is a use and a reason for my life… and days… and minutes, I also know I can no longer live my life according to my own desires, plans, dreams, or whims. I am to live totally for God’s purposes. Therefore, I am not to make decisions based on pleasing people. No, I must please God! You see, I exist to serve Him and His people according to the gifts He has given me and in the situations where He places me.

One evening while looking at pictures of English garden mazes in a coffee-table book at a friend’s home I thought, “Why, this is the way life is!” These intriguing puzzles, created by six- or seven-foot hedges, were used initially to provide people with some entertaining exercise after their meals. Similarly, we follow along the maze of life, randomly making turns and choosing our paths.

Then we come to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. From that point on, we have purpose—to serve God. We’re still traversing the maze of life, but now we have direction. God keeps us moving forward as we pray and dedicate our lives to serving Him, becoming more Christ like, and spreading the Gospel.

While we’re in the maze, we never know who or what we’ll encounter. Why, we don’t even know exactly where we’re going! But we do know that we are to keep moving. And as we continue on according to God’s will and His leading, He fulfills His purpose for us. God doesn’t ask us to understand the twists and turns, the why’s and the how’s of life. He asks only that we trust that He is working His pur­pose in us as we live out our purpose of serving Him.

And now we’re right back to the incredible promise of Romans 8:28! We know God has a purpose for us. That’s yet another sparkling reason why we can have joy and hope in Him each day…no matter what happens in that day. And knowing that God has a purpose for us makes every day significant.

A Prayer to Pray:
Jesus, lead me through this maze of life. I want to leap with faith. Jump with Your joy. And with every surprise, twist, and turn I want to believe in Your supernatural guidance.

For more encouragement for finding your purpose, read Loving God with All Your Mind.