Life on purpose

Maybe you've already realized a goal of saving for the future or moving up the corporate ladder. You give to charity and volunteer at church, but somehow still feel a sense of insignificance or aimlessness. If so, there is a truth you need to hear: God gives each of us life for a very specific reason: to serve Him. Nobody finds inner peace without reconciling this fact. Our society teaches us that pleasure, prosperity, position, and popularity will make us happy--but living in the service of self always leaves an emptiness no earthly reward can fill.

Besides, worldly philosophy won't stand the test of time. Few of us are going to live even 100 years. So whatever we'll become in this life, we're in the process of becoming that right now. Consider David: he was anointed king long before actually assuming the role (1 Sam. 16:12). He spent many years serving the purpose of God in insignificant places while developing into a great man. As his story shows, discovering God's purpose for your life is the surest path to success.

Christian attempts to live victoriously in Christ when in a hostile environment could become frightening if we did not believe that God provides for us in every trial. The sovereign God of eternity knew every kind of attack the enemy would use before time began. And He has provided His spiritual armor—His Word, prayer and the Holy Spirit—so that we might be victorious when these attacks come against us. God has equipped you as a servant of Jesus Christ with these spiritual weapons, the resources you need to defeat the enemy and gain great victories for His kingdom.

Paul instructed Christian converts to put on the impenetrable armor of God—coverings God provides—so that we can stand victorious in every situation we face as we move forward confidently in the work God has called us to do. He also understood it to be a protective covering for the mind and spirit, ensuring that injuries to the body will not embitter or destroy the soul.

That’s a benefit that is yours if you can see that by faith you’re saved and that God by His grace has extended grace to you not because of merit, but because you have a need. You can’t save yourself, and He’s agreed to do it. Now, if you rest in Christ—believe Him—then you can have peace of mind.

But if you mean that you want to go through this world wrapped up in cellophane or packed in cotton, you’re just entirely wrong about that. Because when you get on a plane, for instance, and you get in a storm and it begins to wobble up and down, you’d be a very strange individual if you don’t lose a little of your peace and become a little bit concerned about the situation.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to “encourage one another and build each other up.” That kind of encouragement demands time, energy, and our availability to the one who needs encouraging. Many times when we are in crisis, we do not want someone to say anything or even do anything. We simply need someone to be with us and walk with us through the darkness. If we spell encouragement differently it will be easier to understand. To encourage is to “in-courage” someone, to literally put courage in someone else.

I think Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3 

Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren’t anything special, they were tent makers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren’t ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.

The more genuine you are with those around you, the more God will be able to use you as an encourager. Your credibility will rise. People will acknowledge you as a person of authority because you not only talk about it, you live it. As we spread the Gospel to a world desperate for the Truth, we must make sure our words align with our actions. Are you willing to be on the team and learn together?' That kind of honesty draws a positive response. It's also good role-modelling, teaching them humility and cooperation. Coach and players should unite, focus on winning together and learning to improve, not on competing or dominating. Succeeding or failing is all about learning and growing!

Another way of saying this is to say that we live our lives “on purpose.” We all know that we have a purpose in life. But sometimes we live life “by accident.” We forget our purpose and spend our time and energy on things that don’t really fit our purpose here on earth. To live “on purpose” means that everything we do in life aligns with our purpose on this planet.

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju