How do I find true purpose in life? - Purpose - TouchPoints

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.