God’s Purpose For You

A question often asked is, what is the purpose of life? Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you discover the reason why.” For the Christian, the other important day is when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. At that time you had a new purpose for living. It was to glorify God, as expressed in 1 Corinthians 10: 31, “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I am going to list four reasons how you (and all Christians) can bring glory to God.

We bring God glory when we love others as stated in the two Great Commandments given in Matthew 22:37-39. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind…and your neighbor as yourself.” We can love others without agreeing with their political or moral views by meeting their needs and being there for them in times of heartache and trouble.

A second way to bring glory to God is by letting him mold us into his image and character in all circumstances and relationships (Romans 8:28-29), no matter how difficult those situations may be. Others will see that we are in some way, “different.”

Third, you and I glorify God when we identify and utilize our spiritual gifts, abilities, and talents. A Holy Spirit inspired gift is separate from a natural  talent or trained ability. It is a gift given for the purpose of “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”(Ephesians 4:12). That means you have a unique contribution to the spiritual maturity of other believers! I know my purpose is to encourage other Christians, and to draw unbelievers into God’s grace and salvation, through writing. I strongly believe that knowing and using one’s spiritual gift is directly linked with God’s purpose for each individual. (I will be doing an article on spiritual gifts in a later article. Stay tuned).

Fourth, Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…” God’s purpose for all people is “to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth”(1 Timothy 4:2).

In summary, God’s purpose for you, and every Christian, is to glorify him through loving others, being molded into his image, using your gifts and talents, and sharing the gospel message.

Here are some questions to ask to fulfill God’s purpose for you:

1. What are you passionate about?
2. Has God given you a burden to meet a need in our culture?
3. Has God planted a dream in your heart to start a new ministry?
4. Do you know your spiritual gift, and how can you use your abilities and talents to glorify God?