LIVING WITH A PURPOSE

“Lord, we love to obey your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name” Isaiah 26:8
“His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist”
Acts 17:27-28.


Everyone’s life is driven by something.
Some are driven by ambition (finish school, marry a rich guy, travel abroad, own a house, own a resort, start a business, etc.). Others are willing to sacrifice everything for their ambition.
Some are driven by things. Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goal of their lives. The most common myth about money is that having more will make me more secure. It won’t. Money can be lost instantly through a variety of uncontrollable factors.
Some are driven by relationships.
Some are driven by the need for approval. They allow the expectations of others to control their lives.
Some are driven by resentment and anger. They hold on to hurts and never get over them. They seek revenge.
But these are not God’s purposes for your life. Focusing on ourselves – our needs, our wants, our dreams, our ambitions, our desires – will never reveal our life’s purpose.
Many years ago newspapers carried the story of a young high school girl from California who did the impossible. 17-year old Karen Cheng scored perfect marks on the National Students Achievement Test, perfect marks on the rigorous University of California Entrance Exam. No one before had ever achieved such a remarkable academic excellence.
As it happens, one newspaper account of the girl’s genius included a question she had been asked by a reporter. It was the kind of question every human being should be able to answer.
The question: “What is the meaning of life?”
Her response: “I have no idea. I would like to know myself.”

Read Text:

In Him we live and move and exist. Without Him there is no living, there is no moving, and there is no existing. God is not just the starting point of your life; He is the source of it.
Before getting into God’s purposes for your life there are things you should know:

I. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT
Your birth was no mistake. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. You are alive because God wanted to create you!
God prescribed every single detail of your body. He deliberately chose your tribe, the color of your skin, your hair, and every other feature.
He also determined the natural talents you would possess and the uniqueness of your personality. God also decided when you would be born and how long you would live. God also planned where you’d be born and where you’d live for His purpose. God also decided how you would be born.
God never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes. You are not an accident.

II. YOU ARE GOD’S SPECIAL CREATION
God was thinking of you even before He made the world. In fact, that’s why He created it! God designed this planet’s environment just so we could live in it.
We are the focus of His love and the most valuable creation.
“We are God’s masterpiece” Ephesians 2:10.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it” Psalm 139:14.
God didn’t need to create you. He wasn’t lonely. But He wanted to make you in order to express His love.
God says in Isaiah 46:3-4, “I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you.”

III. YOU WERE MADE FOR A REASON
God made you for a reason, and your life has meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives.
There are many people out there who are lonely, depressed, and hopeless. Why? Because they’re looking for meaning in the wrong places. They try to find meaning through drugs, alcohol, vices, sex, wealth, fame, religion, good works, achievements, relationships, pleasure and many other things.
God is the starting point because He’s the One who created us.
“His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist” Acts 17:27-28.
“Lord, we love to obey your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name” Isaiah 26:8

God made everything for His glory. Everything created by God reflects His glory in some way – from sunsets and stars to storms and seasons. Creation reveals our Creator’s glory. In nature we learn that God is powerful, that He enjoys variety, loves beauty, is organized, and is wise and creative.
Living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives.

HOW CAN I BRING GLORY TO GOD?

1. BY WORSHIPING HIM
You were planned for God’s pleasure. The moment you were born into the world, God was there smiling at your birth. He wanted you alive, and your arrival gave Him great pleasure. Bringing enjoyment to God, living for His pleasure is the first purpose of your life and it is called “worship.”
Worship is far more than praising, singing, and praying to God. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving Him, and giving ourselves to be used for His purposes. When you use your life for God’s glory everything you do can become an act of worship.
At the end of the day we should ask, “Lord, have I given You pleasure today?”
“Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God” Romans 12:1.

2. BY LOVING OTHERS
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us” 1 John 4:11-12.


PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Romans 12:10-21
· Honor one another above yourselves (v. 10)
· Share with God’s people who are in need (v. 13)
· Practice hospitality (v.13)
· Bless those who persecute you (v. 14)
· Rejoice with those who rejoice (v. 15)
· Mourn with those who mourn (v. 15)
· Live in harmony with each other (v. 16)
· Do not be proud (v. 16)
· Never pay back evil for evil (v. 17)
· Do what is right (v. 17)
· Live at peace with everyone (v. 18)
· Do not revenge (v. 19)
· Be kind to your enemies (v. 19)
· Conquer evil by doing good (v. 21)

3. BY BECOMING LIKE CHRIST
The process of becoming like Christ always begins with a decision. When the first disciples choose to follow Jesus, they didn’t understand all the implications of their decision. They simply responded to Jesus’ invitation. That’s all you need to get started: Decide to become like Christ.
“So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go instead and become mature in our understanding” Hebrews 6:1.
“….that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ” Ephesians 4:13.
“We are not meant to remain as children…..but to grow up in every way into Christ” Ephesians 4:14-15.
Cute tingnan si Dagul sa Going Bulilit. Pero hindi cute ang Christian na Dagul sa kanyang spiritual life.
God wants us to grow up. Your Heavenly Father’s goal is for to you to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ. Sadly, millions of Christians grow older but never grow up. Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing.

4. BY SERVING OTHERS WITH OUR GIFTS
God intentionally gifted us differently for His enjoyment. You don’t bring glory or pleasure to God by hiding your abilities or trying to be someone else. You only bring Him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject part of yourself, you are rejecting God’s wisdom and sovereignty in creating you. God didn’t give you your abilities for selfish purposes. They were given to benefit others.

5. BY TELLING OTHERS ABOUT HIM
God doesn’t want His love and purposes kept a secret. Once we know the truth, He expects us to share it with others. This is a great privilege – introducing others to Jesus, helping them discover their purpose, and preparing them for their eternal destiny.

God made you to love you, and He longs for you to love Him back. He longs for you to know Him and spend time with Him. That is why learning to love God and be loved by Him should be the greatest objective of your life.
Living the rest of your life for the glory of God will require a change in your priorities, your schedule, your relationships, and everything else.
Will you live for your own goals, comfort, and pleasure, or will you live the rest of your life for God’s glory, knowing that He has promised eternal rewards.