A Biblical Approach to Finding Your Purpose
One of the things I am most grateful to God for is a life of purpose. Today I have a life that despite its ups and downs has a direction that is highly meaningful. I have been driven most of my adult life, yet I can tell you that the direction of my efforts wasn’t always meaningful until I aimed those efforts at God. It is like the old adage, “don’t climb a ladder only to realize at the top that you’ve propped it up against the wrong wall.”
This is true, and that is why I wanted to share some thoughts with you on finding your purpose?—?both from my own journey and from what the bible has to say about this very important topic.
The dictionary defines purpose as, “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” With this in mind, people have debated over the purpose of man for millennia. But despite the countless perspectives on this, and the countless thinkers from Greece, Rome, India or the Orient and their various philosophies, all of these perspectives fall short because they do not focus enough on one word in that definition: created.
You and I were created and so was everything else. This reality is not a product of chance or a super computer running a simulation or aliens seeding life on distant worlds for their experiments. But then who were we created by and for what purpose? The bible tells you very plainly: we were made by God to be vessels of His will and to be stewards of His creation. And because of Jesus, through faith we can have a renewed relationship with God by also being children in His kingdom. As children we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit which comes with all manner of good things such as spiritual gifts, talents, insight, wisdom, skill, virtue and everything else needed to fulfill our purpose.
In fact probably one of the central themes of the bible is about this very topic, our life purpose. In Genesis the bible paints a vivid picture of what purpose we were created for and the idyllic circumstances we were given because of our unique role in creation. Then for a good portion of the bible we see the consequences of rejecting that purpose by listening to the voice of the enemy, Satan, on how we should live our purpose instead: by being our own gods and being our own sources of authority and rejecting God’s guidance.
After about 2,000 years of important stories, lessons and supernatural situations, we finally see the arrival of Jesus on the scene of history and the introduction of the gospel?—?the good news of our salvation and the return to a relationship with God because of His work. In other words, our purpose is redeemed and restored through Christ, forever, and this is not because of our works but because of His.
For a generation today that is constantly chasing its tail to find meaning and purpose in an increasingly hectic and superficial world, I believe this is perhaps the best news there is and should be our first place to look. Sadly it isn’t, but the truth is never popular with the world.
Nevertheless, after the gospels you have many letters that were written by various apostles, like Paul or John or James, that each discuss to some degree or another our purpose in life: to love one another and to love God. These two commandments are the entirety of God’s moral code, summarized by Christ Himself, and many of the letters discuss how to fulfill our purpose as new creations in a new kingdom until the Lord returns.
The letters, like the gospels, also remind us of the day when everyone will be resurrected. This is perhaps one of the most important yet highly overlooked pieces of the life purpose puzzle, yet it is a central teaching of Christianity. When Jesus returns everyone will be resurrected, and those who had faith will receive immortal bodies and live with Christ forever. This means that out of the 1,000 things you could make a list of that you are afraid of, worried about or despairing from?—?absolutely 0 will have any consequence to the infinite life God has prepared for you when He returns.
Isn’t that something to think about?
The bible then ends with the book of Revelation and the return of Christ to the Earth, where eternity is ushered in and man is restored to his purpose and relationship with God in a renewed paradise for all of time, free of evil, corruption, sin and death. It is a full circle from start to finish, and the good news is that God is doing the work throughout this process which means that those who believe have the peace that their purpose will be fulfilled no matter their shortcomings or failures or doubts.
In contrast to all of these things, today’s modern approach to finding one’s purpose is actually as old as it gets. Just as the serpent tempted Eve with the idea that she didn’t need God’s guidance and could be the sovereign over her own life, today’s personal growth and spirituality industry tells you that your purpose is what you make of it?—?what you decide it is. Unfortunately this couldn’t be farther from the truth and it is why so many are lost in aimless, superficial or ultimately inconsequential life pursuits.
The truth is that we cannot rely on ourselves to find our purpose. This is because contrary to what culture says, humanity is not inherently good or capable of finding the answers within. The bible says that humanity is incapable of making good decisions without God. It says the heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), that we cannot trust our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6), that the god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of people (2 Corinthians 4:4), that even our good deeds are like filthy rags when they are not grounded in a relationship with God (Isaiah 64:6) and that nobody seeks after God naturally. (Romans 3:10)(1 Corinthians 2:14)
It also calls us dead in our sins multiple times, and that is because dead bodies cannot make any choices for themselves. Just like how an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an external force, so too do we continue in the spiritual slavery that we were born into unless God’s grace is poured out into our lives, giving us the ability to see differently and to make different choices. This means that our purpose isn’t only determined by God, because He was the one who created us, but also fulfilled by Him too?—?because He is the one doing the work.
This is great news in a world that sells you a never-ending rat race of chasing your own tail, in a reality that perishes by the day with an unavoidable outcome where everything you hustle and run for will cease to have any meaning because you will die. It sounds morbid, but it is the truth. We are just renting, and worse yet we have no control over when the lease is over.
In Isaiah 55:2–3, God says:
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
Later when Christ was revealed, He told us that He is the bread of life (John 6:35) and invited all who were weary and burdened to come to Him for rest for their souls (Matthew 11:28–30). I know this kind of burden because I ran the rat race of life and I helped others run it too, until I realized the beautiful truth of the gospel. There is no greater possible purpose than to be conformed to the image of Christ, who is perfect, and there is no greater possible joy than knowing this process is guaranteed and accomplished for you by God’s strength rather than your own.
It is completely contradictory to what the world tells you about your life purpose, and this is exactly why it is the truth.
A final point about finding your life purpose is that we were all given various gifts and talents. This doesn’t mean that everyone has to play the piano or paint or sing. Gifts and talents can be many things. I know a cashier at my local grocery store who has the gift of kindness beyond anything that I’ve seen in most people, certainly including myself. Some have the gift of being a good mother or a good father and others are very resourceful or patient. Everyone has gifts because God is generous and intentional with every creation.
Our wounds are also gifts, because they are guides for us on how to fulfill the purpose of spreading the gospel to others. Remember that we were created to do God’s will, and while most of that purpose will be fulfilled in eternity, God’s will in this age is that people hear the gospel so they can join in on the fun that is to come. With that in mind, everyone has a unique testimony that can reach others just like them?—?and this is something we need to surrender to God to regardless of how incompetent, afraid or unskilled we may feel.
In this life faith, courage, love, strength, endurance and patience are all purchased through betrayal, suffering, loss, burnout and doubt. There’s no way around that, but we know that God uses all things for the good (Romans 8:29) and that means the wounds that are in our lives?—?if surrendered to the Lord?—?can serve as catalysts for our greatest impact in other people’s lives because we are not alone in our suffering.
Remember also that God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). What this means is that God uses unexpected people and situations to deliver powerful proof of His love, grace and character to the world in surprising and refreshing ways. The point is to never underestimate the power of God to use you and your story in unexpected ways, and remember also that wherever God guides He will also provide you with ample desire, skills, resources, people and bread for that journey.
Just as He commanded ravens to feed Elijah when Elijah ran from Jezebel, cursing the day he was born, God will feed you and strengthen you even when you feel that you will never measure up to the challenge. Just as He fed John the Baptist in the desert or the Israelites in the wilderness, so too will God feed you in the spiritual wilderness that we must all travel on the way to being more like Christ and sharing His good news with others.
And one day, when He returns, we will see Him in His full glory forever. On that day only one thing will matter: did we have faith or did we follow the serpent’s advice? For those who place their trust in God, no experience can possibly compare to what lies on the horizon. We will see what all of history has been leading up to and we will fulfill our purpose in the most joyful, meaningful way possible.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.” (Matthew 24:46)
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