P u r p o s e
I believe we have all asked ourselves the following questions at some point or another: “What is my purpose?” and “What does God want to do with my life?”
To put it simply, the ultimate purpose of man, according to scripture is to glorify God.
"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:7
What does it look like to glorify God?
First, we have to know WHO we are glorifying. We must understand WHO God is.
He is the Lord…He is God…He made you and me…We are His—His people…We are the sheep of His pasture.
“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into the presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:2-3
Once we know WHO we are glorifying, we are able to fulfill our purpose of bringing Him glory by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him.
"But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24
Jesus came to the earth in the flesh to live life as a human would. He experienced temptations and the pain that comes with being human. In John 17:4, Jesus is talking to God, His Father and says,
“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”
Just as His purpose was to glorify God, our purpose is the same, as we were created in the image of Him (Genesis 1:26-27) and because of this, man’s purpose cannot be fulfilled apart from Him.
Without Jesus it is impossible to glorify God
Since sin separates us from God, without Jesus it is impossible to glorify God. But because of Jesus’ sacrifice, our relationship with God is reconciled and our sin is forgiven.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:23-24
Because of this, we are able to live a life that glorifies God.
What does this mean practically speaking?
In the day and age we live in, it is easy to feel like we are “missing our purpose” or that people around us have found their purpose because they have it all together, have the internship, have the dream guy, lead the clubs, etc…BUT the good news lies in the fact that glorifying God is not dependent on any of those titles or accomplishments. Rather, it is about how you are serving God in the midst of your life.
You can glorify God (ultimately fulfilling your purpose) in any and every aspect of your life.
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
I want to challenge you to think about these questions as you go about your week:
Is what you are doing bringing Him glory or bringing yourself glory?
Are you using your time and talents to serve God or serve the world?
I want to encourage you by reminding you that you were created ON PURPOSE for a PURPOSE.
He wants to use you to do amazing things.
Love, Brooke