In my sermon this week “We Have One Purpose”, I shared some thoughts about the need to get into the right place by finding your purpose. I discussed the message with my lovely wife, Dr. Melissa Manuel, and she noted I didn’t give any instructions on how to find your purpose. So here are 3 steps to help you find your God given purpose.
- Seek your individual, universal purpose.
God has one standard for us to live according to his purpose. His standard is universal and applies to everyone. Throughout the Bible, there are several passages that reveal his purpose for us. By seeking to incorporate these truths, we can lay a firm foundation for building purpose in our lives. Here are a few verses to consider.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NKJV
“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:12-14 NKJV
- Seek your corporate, collaborative purpose.
Along with our individual, universal purpose, every believer has a place in corporate, collaborative purpose of the local church and body of Christ at large. In I Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul compares the church to a human body, which has many parts but all those parts make up one body. In his writing, Paul makes it clear that each of us has been converted, gifted, and placed in the church by God. He reveals every part, though different from every other part, is important for the body to function properly. The same is true for us today. As believers, we do not practice our faith in a vacuum. We are intended to be connected to a local church. To find our purpose in this context, we must seek to identify where we fit in and how we can be useful in helping the church fulfill it’s purpose. Here are some verses to consider.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” Acts 1:8 NKJV
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” I Peter 2:9 NKJV
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
““Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:37-40 NKJV
- Seek your personal, strategic purpose.
Along seeking your universal purpose and your purpose in the larger context of the church, every believer can seek direction from God to find their strategic purpose in every area of life. The Bible gives us clear instructions for fulfilling our purpose as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, co-workers, bosses, leaders, servants, and more. Each of our lives is comprised of multiple roles and we live those roles in our own unique context. So we must seek wisdom from God and his word to help us see the strategic purpose he has for our lives in every circumstance.
For example, I’m a man who is a husband, father, pastor, leader, author, friend, entrepreneur, sports fan, etc. I need to be open to God’s word to find my purpose in each of those roles. But, on a more relational note, I must also seek God in prayer to strategically understand how to fulfill my purpose in my own unique context. I need to ask the Lord “what is your will and purpose for my life as the 50 year old, African American pastor of a Lily Baptist Church, in Tarrant, Alabama, with my current level of education, experience, and skills? And Lord, how can I achieve that purpose taking into consideration all of the other roles I play in my life?”
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t figure out your strategic purpose right away. Remember, it is a relational revelation. God will make it more clear as you move through the seasons of life and the constant changes in your context.