Close
Today, we are talking about an exciting topic, one I am passionate about – Understanding Purpose. That is, knowing why God has put you here on earth. This subject of discovering purpose is very dear to my heart because, for a long time, I was in a place where I had a lot of questions, I lived just going through the motions, I wasn’t intentional about life, and I wondered if this was all there is to life. I knew I was made for more; at least the little I learned from God’s Word told me God had a plan for me, but what exactly is the plan? Anytime I engaged in any purposeful activity, I would be pumped the whole time, brimming with energy, but somewhere at the back of my mind, I wondered if I was wasting my time. For a while, I was unsettled and full of questions before God in His mercies, settled me, and gave me an answer of peace by His Word. My prayer for you is this, just like God settled me and has given countless others the answer of peace on this subject of purpose, He will comfort you too today by His Word.
If you’d like to continue with a video on understanding your purpose in God, here is a video for you.
But if you prefer to read the post, let’s dive right into it.
The reality of some of us believers today is this, we are wasting time doing things we have no business doing, and we are in places we have no business being at because we don’t understand God’s vision for our lives. In Proverbs 29:18, the Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…“ This verse tells us that when we don’t understand our calling, our place in destiny, and purpose in God, we become frustrated – unbearably frustrated, and we find ourselves doing things that we don’t find fulfilling. When we discover our purpose in God and walk in it, we become unstoppable, and we enjoy the great contentment that accompanies walking in purpose.
How do I find my purpose? What is my vision? I will answer these questions with a book review on the book Following the Path of the Eagle by Dr. David Oyedepo. It is a book written to believers that address the subject of vision and purpose. It opens your eyes to understand God’s Will for your life and shows you where you are supposed to be per time in God, and shows you how to be in the center of God’s plan for your life.
What exactly is my purpose? I battled with this question throughout my teen years and my young adult years, and I kept asking the question, “What am I supposed to be doing?” because I understood that life is a thousand times easier when purpose is known.
Now to the crux of the matter, in Ecclesiastes 12:13, the Bible says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.“ Often, we waste our time searching for complex answers to the purpose question – “what’s my purpose in life?” Our mistake is this: we think purpose lies in the means, not the end. How you achieve purpose is the means, not the end. But we often mistake the means for the end. The end is this – Fear God, and keep His commandments. That is, Love God and walk in obedience. For example, someone may think his purpose in life is to be a doctor, but being a doctor is the means. Obeying God, loving God, and His people through medicine is his purpose. Regardless of the means, that is, whatever we perceive we are called to do, everyone’s underlying purpose is to serve God and serve humanity. But when we do not understand this, we make the means the end, and our focus is wrong! Even though we love to do what we do, or what we perceive to be our calling, we find that we are still missing something, something we can’t explain or put our hands on.
When the Bible says fear God and keep His Commandments, fear is a term used mostly in the Bible to refer to a servant-master relationship. In Malachi 1:6, the Bible says, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is Mine honour? And if I be a master, where is My fear? Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise My name. And ye say, wherein have we despised Thy name?” From this verse, we see that to honor God is to reverence Him. God was admonishing the people when He said, “if I be your master, where is My reverence?”
Going back to Ecclesiastes 12:13, Fear God, and keep His commandments; the question now is, what are God’s commandments?
Jesus said in Matthew 22: 35-40, 35“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?“
37Jesus said to him, ” ‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The conclusion of the law is to Serve God, love Him, and love your neighbor as yourself – herein does our purpose lie, our primary vision, and the reason we live as children of God.
Rephrasing Ecclesiastes 12:13, I would say, “Herein is my life’s purpose, reverence God, Love Him and Love my neighbor as I love myself – making a real difference to my world.”
When we obey God and walk in love towards God and our neighbors as detailed in 1st Corinthians 13:1-4, we naturally position ourselves to be in the center of God’s plan for our lives. When love becomes your identity, you love the next person without judgment, and without reservation, and of course, you cannot love them and wish to hurt them. You only see the best in others. So whatever it is your passion is geared towards is a means to the end, and what’s the end? Serving God and making a difference in the world, loving humanity, and being that real hope your generation needs.
Chapter 4 of the book, Following the Path of the Eagle, talks a lot about making a godly, lasting impact in your world, and that’s why I think the book is invaluable. This subject of understanding purpose is one of the vital issues that besiege many believers today. When we understand our purpose, and know from God’s Word why we were born, and precisely what we are supposed to do in life per time, life becomes enjoyable. We can anticipate enthusiastically the things God will do in and through us. The contentment and fulfillment that accompanies being in the place of destiny cannot be taken away from you.
I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope this book speaks to you and gives you clarity on what you are supposed to be doing on earth as a child of God. I look forward to your comments. Thank you for stopping by again. God bless you.
