The Purpose-Driven Life

September 4, 2015 Comments Off Posted in: Inspiration, Self Development

The Purpose-driven life is the only life worth living

Lets start by a little test: name one thing in nature that has no discovered application or stated use.
I mean name one thing on earth not made by man that has not been found to have a function or purpose.

I believe you have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing. This should give the atheists something to chew on. What are the odds that every single thing on earth has a use/purpose?! Well it stands to reason that you as a human being, should have a definite purpose being the highly intelligent and capable being you are. Even the Bible puts it clearly that:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

2 Tim 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

Another Scripture tells us about Jeremiah’s purpose:

Jer 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Having digested the fact that you are here for a reason, a particular purpose, lets use the quoted verses as our foundation going forward. You will understand that you are:

i. God’s workmanship meaning you are God’s product
ii. Made for a purpose determined by Him BEFORE you were born

We can conclude from the previous that as a product you are useful to your Owner/Maker and thus successful only to the extent that He’s able to use you for His purpose. Like in the case of Jeremiah, God is constantly evaluating us against our assignment on Earth.

Suddenly what the world calls success is blatant failure for anyone who attains fame, wealth or power without fulfilling the intention of the Creator!

Take a look at your mobile phone, its purpose is to enable you communicate via phone calls, text and data. It may also take pictures and play media but without CONSISTENTLY fulfilling its primary purpose as a communication device, it’s going to be discarded quite soon. If that phone for any reason stops sending and receiving calls and messages, that phone is liable to be replaced soon.

When the battery of your phone goes low, you hasten to charge it only because its working, only because IT IS USEFUL TO YOU. You surely wont bother to charge a phone that doesn’t work, right? Now why should God sustain your life when you are not functioning according to His purpose? What is beholden on God to sustain power supply in a product that has never worked and shows no sign it’ll work?

When your phone develops a fault you do whatever you can to fix it with the hope that it will resume its work of facilitating your communications, right? Shouldn’t God be committed only to heal and rescue the product which is already functioning according to design?

If the cost of the fix in terms of time, effort and money gets equivalent to that of getting a new phone wont you rather replace it even if the replacement is not as powerful? Why should God hold up His plans indefinitely while you procrastinate endlessly in accepting His corrections and instructions?

That’s the dangerous situation MOST of humanity is in right now. We know He made us but we don’t want to do His will or obey Him. We are useless to Him yet we want His blessings and favour to reach us before anyone else. Almost all of us are very busy doing our own thing and yet expect the Creator Who is deriving no joy/use from His products to shower us with abundant wealth, health and benevolence. And we believe ourselves to be intelligent!

Why should God sustain your health when you are nonfunctional product?
Why should God bless you when you chose to pursue only your own agenda?
Why should you find enjoyment living a life in which your Creator finds no enjoyment?

Lets compare the lives and choices of two men called by God for similar assignments. Jonah was a prophet of God and Paul was an apostle of Christ. They were separated by about a thousand years but each one found himself in a ship about to capsize. While Jonah was on his voyage in direct disobedience to God, Paul was on his voyage as a result of his obedience to God.

Jonah 1:11-12 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

Acts 27:21-24 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you. ‘

You can clearly see the risk of living as (or staying with) a person who is in disobedience to God, the lives of Jonah’s shipmates were at risk just because he was on board that ship. Meanwhile the lives of Paul’s shipmates were saved only because he was on the same ship with them. How many catastrophes would have been averted on Earth if there was someone in obedient relationship with God among the victims? How many disasters have occurred on Earth for the simple reason that no one among the victims was in obedient relationship with God?

Deut 8:20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Josh 22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity. ‘”

How can you know who in that bus, train, ship or aircraft with you that will bring calamity your way because he/she is living in rebellion to God? Wouldn’t it be great if everywhere you went there was someone on board whose obedient life towards God confers on you immunity from destruction?

What if YOU ARE THAT PERSON? Wouldn’t it take away a lot of fear and uncertainty about your life? Imagine that from now everywhere you went you knew that the journey would ultimately end with you safe and alive. Imagine that you are the umbrella of preservation for everyone around you because you are living in obedience to the will of God. That’ll be great right?

The only reason God sustains a life that is in rebellion to Him and disobeys Him at will is to give it a chance to repent and be reconciled with Him. If He wanted robots He would have made us as such (see how man has been able to create computers that do just our bidding?) but he wanted beings that CHOOSE to be like Him in all things. Like children that imitate their loving father.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

The natural mind wants to have its way, that is a fact. See how little children try to impose their desire/will on those around them even on adults? Everyone want to do things and have everything on their own terms. So how easy/possible is it to really bow one’s will to an unseen God?

Simple:

1.   Realize that you didn’t make yourself and no spontaneous event could produce something as complex, beautiful, powerful and complete as you.
2.   Admit you don’t know where you came from, why you are here and where you are going to.
3.   Accept that Someone made you and knows your origin, purpose and destination.
4.   Resign yourself to the fact that the best life you can live as a product is the life predetermined by your Maker (imagine trying to eat with a shovel, or doing the work of a shovel with a spoon).
5.   Remember the fact that your Maker can replace you with another product to do what you were designed to do if you give Him enough reasons to.

The only ability God requires of you is availability
– Chukwuka Amamchukwu

You may ask: ‘what of noble achievements like getting educated, finding and settling with a spouse, having and raising children, influencing others for social good’? They all sound like purpose until you critically look at all of them and notice that animals do all of that quite well. A pride of lions trains its young, finds and provides food for all members, combine forces for defense and attack and so on. Don’t you know of birds that find and settle with their mates for life, build nests and raise young together? If all you achieve in life falls within these goals then you have not done anything truly unique that can be termed ‘purpose’.

You can do all of that and still be written off as a failed life before God who made you. In fact your real assignment may not even require the labour you expend on your personal ambitions. Please remember that it is IN CHRIST JESUS that your good works count. So anything ‘good’ achieved outside Christ is at best going to elicit the applause of men as your task/assignment checklist will not receive a new check mark of progress.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

SO WHAT NOW?
You must be found in Christ Jesus. In Him you receive God’s forgiveness from every rebellion and sin you have committed and get empowered to fulfill your purpose on Earth.

Rom 5:17-19 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

2 Cor 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this:that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Rom 8:28-29 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

You are reading this message because I have aligned my life to be subject to the will of my Creator. He created me to be an evangelist/preacher but after living in sin and rebellion and finding that I was out of sync I repented and began to ask for Him to lead me into His purpose for my life. He has done just that. If this message has touched something in you then you have my story as another proof that a product is most effective in its predetermined function.

If you are ready to start off on your own purpose-driven life, begin by saying this prayer from your heart:

Lord Jesus, I have heard and received Your word.
I have missed my way and walked in rebellion and error.
Lord Jesus, help me. Lord Jesus forgive me and have mercy on me.
I now repent and chose to live according to the will of God for my life.
Cleanse me from my sins by Your blood and make me a child of God.
Let the power of sin be destroyed completely in my life!
Give me Your wisdom and grace to walk in obedience from today.
I ask You in Your precious name. Thank You and Amen!

THAT’S IT?
No,

1. You must be baptized (infant baptism doesn’t replace this)

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2.   You must locate and engage yourself in an active church near you that has the three cardinal aspects of the Christian life in right proportion, that is:
i.   Reading and teaching of Scripture
ii.   Prayer
iii.   Praise and worship

3. You need the baptism of the Holy Spirit that empowers you to locate AND fulfill your purpose.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

4. You must continue in this new way of life (you knew this is a lifetime commitment right?) even when not popular.

1 Peter 4:12-19 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.