“And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” – 2 Corinthians 5:15 (NKJV)
As a child, you were likely asked countless times, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The usual answers often included professions like pilots, doctors, lawyer, or engineer. It’s easy to believe that pursuing one of these careers or any other one is our life’s purpose—until we begin to realise there’s more to life.
So, what then is our true purpose?
The first thing we must understand is that purpose is transcendent; it is more about God than it is about us. The intelligent design of nature reveals to us that there must also be an intelligent designer. Hence, whatever will not matter before God cannot qualify to be called “purpose”.
The purpose of a thing is not determined by the thing itself but discovered according to the intent of its creator. So it is that the purpose for our lives is predetermined by God, our creator, and is to be discovered in Him (Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 2:10).
Our anchor text reminds us that if Jesus died for our salvation, then our ambition should be to live for Him. In light of this, Apostle Paul prophesied “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The sum total of purpose is living for Christ.
Therefore, your purpose is the one thing for which you were created and at which you must succeed, otherwise, nothing else you succeed at will count. And as believers, that one thing is to know Christ and to make Him known. It is in this that we live for God’s pleasure and satisfy His purpose for our lives (Revelations 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:7).
It is often said that “if the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.” Imagine how laughable it will be if the only thing we use our smartphones for is as a source of illumination. We must live our lives conscious of our purpose such that it is evident that we are upholding God’s priority of living for Christ in everything we do (Colossians 3:17).
You might not be a preacher on the pulpit, but your seriousness in your daily craft must show that you live for something bigger than yourself and your ambitions.
You must be preoccupied with the ultimate goal of knowing Jesus and making Him known to others. This can be expressed via your daily interactions with people, and much more your contribution to the spread of the Gospel. This is purposeful living.
SAY THIS: I am selflessly ambitious for Christ Jesus. This is the driving force for my life.
Purposeful living is evident in all areas of my life and I am intentional about it.
Bible Reading Plan: 1 Corinthians 15 – 16