Question 1

How do I find true purpose in life?

Accepted Answer

Mark 12:28-34One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.The question asked by the religious teacher was actually a question about purpose. He was seeking Jesus’ answer to the main pursuit of life as given by God. Jesus’ answer was not only familiar to the man; it is familiar to us. It is so familiar we forget that knowing it is not the same thing as following it, or even attempting to. Until we have processed what it will take to fully love God and our neighbors and put that into practice, we will, like that teacher, be close but not in the Kingdom of God.Psalm 40:8I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.Ecclesiastes 12:13Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.Purpose in life comes from obeying God and doing his will—both his will for all believers (which is found in the Bible) and his will for you personally (which is discovered through prayer and your relationship with God). Your ultimate goal in life should not be to reach the destinations you want, but to reach the destinations God wants for you.John 17:4“I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”Romans 11:36Everything comes from him [God] and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever!Our purpose in life is to honor, obey, and praise God. All meaningful human effort is an expression of this grand purpose, and therefore such effort brings glory to God.Matthew 28:18-20Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”Part of our purpose includes taking part in fulfilling the great commission to tell others about Jesus and in building the Kingdom of God. When we are intentionally doing this, we can be sure of Jesus’ presence with us to the end.Romans 8:29God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.Part of our purpose is to become as much like Christ as we can, preparing us for eternal glory. God’s work in us through the Holy Spirit is focused on this transformation.1 Thessalonians 5:18Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.When we set out to discover God’s will for our lives, we rarely focus on clear statements like this one. If we want to know God’s will for us, we should begin by developing gratitude in all our circumstances, even when we are not sure what else God wants us to do. His Word will give us other specifics. When we start by enthusiastically doing what God has clearly told us to do, he will reveal further steps of purpose for us to take.

Question 2

Does God have a special purpose for me?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 57:2I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.God has a general purpose and a specific purpose for each of us. If nothing else, we are chosen by God to let the love of Jesus shine through us to make an impact on others. More specifically, God has given each of us spiritual gifts so we can use them to make unique contributions in our sphere of influence. The more we fulfill our general purpose, the clearer our specific purpose will become.Acts 20:24“My life is worth nothing to me unless I [Paul] use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”God gives each of us work to do, which will include a unique role made just for us. Part of his purpose for us is to bring his Good News of salvation to all people, using our unique skill sets and the opportunities God provides us with.2 Timothy 1:9God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.God calls all of us to live holy lives and to show the love of Jesus to others by the way we live. The details of holy living are made clear in God’s Word. We need to study them and put them into practice until they become the habits that define our lives.John 15:16“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”As we pursue our purpose as assigned by God, he promises that our lives will have lasting significance and an eternal impact. We shouldn’t waste time asking God for a clear roadmap of his future plans for us; he rarely makes that clear to us. We should begin by asking him about (and trusting him with) our immediate efforts and our very next steps.1 Corinthians 15:58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.As we pursue our God-given purpose, we should not get discouraged when it seems nothing significant is happening. God wastes nothing. He redeems our mistakes and even our past sins into his good purposes for us. And sometimes the small things we accomplish are multiplied by God to wonderful effect. One life touched in a small way may very well lead to the transformation of an entire family or community.

Question 3

How can I discover God’s specific purpose for me and fulfill it?

Accepted Answer

Romans 12:1-2So, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.Discovering God’s purpose for you begins with your whole-hearted commitment to God. When you give yourself to God, he promises to make his will known to you as you make yourself available to him. If you withhold willingness and obedience until he tells you exactly what he has planned for you, you will not make progress.Philippians 1:20-22I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better.When we commit ourselves to fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives, he promises that our lives will be fruitful, though often not exactly in ways we would have expected.Joshua 14:12“If the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”God’s purpose is best verified by God’s presence and participation in what we are doing. When Caleb realized he was part of God’s purpose to drive out the Canaanites, the strength of his enemies was no longer an obstacle. God’s purpose for our lives is never limited to the things we can accomplish on our own. Ultimately, our greatest usefulness in God’s Kingdom will be in doing work we can only accomplish with God’s help.1 Samuel 17:26David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”While others saw a fearsome giant, David saw an opportunity for God’s mighty work. Others saw an obstacle too great to overcome; David saw a target too big to miss! David’s eyes of faith allowed him to see God’s purpose for him in this challenging situation. Don’t let obstacles stop you from discovering and carrying out the purpose God has for you.Nehemiah 2:17Now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!”Nehemiah’s passion to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was rooted in his understanding of what God wanted for his people. Passionately pursue the process of discovering what God wants for you and the people in your community. Then step out in faith, and watch others catch that passion.Philippians 1:20I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.Philippians 3:12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.The apostle Paul’s great purpose, whether by life or death, was to win others to Christ. Your purpose in God’s Kingdom will be something you feel compelled to do regardless of the risks.Acts 13:2One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”Worship, prayer, fasting, and relationships with other believers will help you discern God’s purpose for your life. God can and will confirm his direction through others who are following Jesus with you.