WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR? (WHAT IS MY PURPOSE IN LIFE?)
Aug 26, 2014
WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?
(WHAT IS MY PURPOSE IN LIFE?)
New Vocabulary: (from Dictionary.com)Devoted - to appropriate by or as if by a vow;
set apart or dedicate by a solemn or formal act; consecrate: She devoted her life to God.
Stump - the part of a plant and especially a tree remaining attached to the root after the trunk is cut Flourishing - growing vigorously; thriving; prosperous: a flourishing little business. Blessed - divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to
be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.
Trust - to have confidence; hope: Things work out if one only trusts.
Hope - the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.
Confidence - full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing: We have every confidence in their ability to succeed.
Riverbank - the slopes bordering a river.
Roots -
Deep - extending far down from the top or surface: a deep well; a deep valley.
Bothered – (from the word ‘bother’) - to give trouble to; annoy; worry: His baby sister bothered him for candy.
Drought - a period of dry weather, especially a long one that is injurious to crops.Leaves–(plural of ‘leaf’)– one of the expanded, usually green organs borne
by the stem of a plant.
Proverbs 11:28 (MSG)28 A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.
Jeremiah 17:7-8(NLT)7 “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.
HOW TO KNOW OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE“16 for through Him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16, NLT)
16 ماوات إذ به خلقت جميع األشياء: ما في السوما على األرض، ما يرى وما ال يرى، أعروشا كانت أم سيادات أم رئاسات أم سلطات. كل
.ما في الكون قد خلق به وألجله
なぜなら, 万物は 御子にあって 造られたからです. 天にあるもの, 地にあるもの, 見えるもの, また 見えないもの, 王座も 主權も 支配も 權威も, すべて 御子によって 造られたのです. 万物は, 御子によって 造られ, 御子のために 造られたのです.
“Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”- Bertrand Russell, atheist
TO KNOW YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE IS TO START FIRST WITH GOD
Why? – Because everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him (Colossians 1:16, MSG)
You were born by His purpose and for His purpose
Life is about letting God use you for His own purpose, not using Him for your own purpose.
We can never find our purpose in life if we start in – ourselves.
It is God who directs the lives of His creatures: everyone’s life is in his power.” (Job 12:10)
You exist only because God wills that you exist.
You were made by God and for God – and until you understand that, life will never make sense.
Every other path leads to a dead end.
Some people go to Self Help Books for help in looking for their purposes in life. Like:
Aim high, Set some goals, Be disciplined, Believe and you can achieve, Never give up, Figure out what you are good at, Clarify your values, Involve others, Empowerment
In some ways these can help you achieve your personal goals in life. But reaching out your personal goals and becoming very successful by the world’s standard and still miss the purposes for which God created you.
WE HAVE TWO OPTIONS IN DISCOVERING OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE:1. Speculation
What most people do but without assurance
2. Revelation What God says His purposes for our Life through the Bible
Ephesians 1:11-12 (NIV)11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)11-12 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
EPHESIANS 1:11-12 GIVES US THREE (3) INSIGHTS INTO YOUR PURPOSE:1. You discover your identity and purpose though a
relationship with JESUS CHRIST.2. God was thinking of you long before you ever
thought about Him. His purpose for your life predates your conception. He planned it before you existed, without your input! You may choose your career, your spouse, your hobbies, and many other parts of your life but you don’t get to choose your purpose.
3. The purpose for your life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity.
FIVE PURPOSES OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFEPURPOSE # 1 – YOU WERE
PLANNED FOR GOD’S PLEASUREPURPOSE # 2 – YOU WERE FORMED
FOR GOD’S FAMILYPURPOSE # 3 - YOU WERE
CREATED TO BECOME LIKE CHRISTPURPOSE # 4 – YOU WERE SHAPED
FOR SERVING GODPURPOSE # 5 – YOU WERE MADE
FOR A MISSION