We all have the same purpose. Does that statement surprise you? With all of the dreams and aspirations about finding purpose that we see in the world today, can it really be that simple? People spend their entire lives searching for the meaning and uniqueness of their existence and here I come, a fresh-faced 18-year-old, saying that our purpose has been right in front of us from the very beginning. So what’s my theory? I believe we have missed out on our meaning because we have confused our purpose with the means we use to accomplish that purpose.
Everyone is different, but our purpose is the same.
Everyone is different, no two people are exactly the same (thanks for pointing out the obvious, Luke). So how is it possible for every person on earth to have the same purpose and meaning behind their lives even though we are all so different? It’s possible because our different likes, dislikes, talents and dreams are not the objects of our purpose.
We have made our dreams and talents the focus of our purpose when in reality they are the means with which we accomplish our purpose, which is to bring glory to God.
The purpose behind the life of every man, woman and child on the face of the earth is to “know Christ and to make Him known.” It’s not as much about what you do as it is about who you’re pointing to. Though the overarching purpose for every life is the same, the ways we are called by God to undertake and achieve that purpose are vastly different.
Our purpose in Christ is where our dreams and our callings intersect. We have been called and created by God and He has given us dreams and talents to fulfill that calling. As Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We have been created on purpose and for a purpose, and what purpose could surpass that of knowing the God of the universe and making Him known?
Dreams make great servants, but terrible masters.
When we make our dreams and talents the main objective, our true purpose gets neglected and the joy of using our talents for their intended use gets lost. Any dream or talent that we use for something other than bringing glory to God becomes an idol, and when you serve that idol you become enslaved to it (John 8:34). Dreams and talents make great servants but terrible masters. They can either be tools or tyrants.
What a shame it would be to come to the end of life and look back realizing that we had mistaken our goal in life for the devices we use to accomplish it. As John Piper says, “It is better to lose your life than to waste it.” Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” Another way you could translate that verse is, “Commit your pursuits to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” We must be careful to guard against letting our dreams become our purpose. Our gifts, talents and dreams are great methods and motivators, but knowing Christ and bringing praise and glory to His name is our purpose.
Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section!
There are currently 8 Comment(s)
There are currently 8 Comment(s)
This is a great reminder, Luke! Thank you for sharing! Sometimes I begin to feel discouraged because I have no idea what my dreams, talents or gifts may be and then I begin to think that I have no purpose either because I lack in a dream or talent, but this a great reminder that as long as I am alive God has given me a purpose on this earth and that it is to glorify him and spread the good news of salvation to all tribes, tongues, and nations. Great post!
Great article! I was worried about this when I didn’t know what I wanted to go to college for. Then, once I realized that God would show me his plan for me, I realized I really like writing!
Good job. This was like a refresher for me. As a writer, artist, and someone who has a hard time getting into conversations in general, using my talents and my dreams as a way of sharing Christ is awesome to think about. Thanks!
This is a really thoughtful, helpful article, Luke! It helps sometimes to pull out of our daily pursuits, worries, and challenges and remember why we are here on earth. To know Him and make Him known. Thanks for reminding me of this!
(Totally unrelated to the article, I just wanted to let y’all know that i’m gonna be on vacation till next Wednesday, and probably won’t be around the Reb much. Didn’t want you to think i died or anything like that 😉 Bye for now!)
“…The purpose behind the life of every man, woman and child on the face of
the earth is to “know Christ and to make Him known.” It’s not as much about
what you do as it is about who you’re pointing to…”
The way you explained everything in your article, was a really clear reminder of our purpose is in Christ & for Christ. That we shouldn’t let our ‘gifts, talents & tasks” override God himself to become obsessions & distractions. Our identity is our purpose *Child of God* , being most satisfied with Christ 1st & seeking Him above all else…
“GOD IS MOST GLORIFIED IN US WHEN WE ARE MOST SATISFIED WITH HIM”…
Thank you for this well written article
May Christ continue to be your source of Wisdom
Great post Luke! Nicely written! Short, sweet, and to the point!
Thank you so much for this post. It’s been a nice jolt of perspective for me 🙂
Thank you for this article Luke! It was really encouraging. ~AnnaGrace
This is a great reminder – I’m trying to choose which dreams to pursue, and I have started thinking of them as my purpose.
I will definitely check out your blog! If you don’t have Disqus over there I can’t really comment, but I will be reading it even if you never hear from me. (Ate you one of the folks who comments on gere? If so, who are you?)
Ser Ya, Haylie!
You figured out who it was! I just asked him…
Wow! This is a great article and a reminder…Thanks Luke!
Oh my goodness your phone….XD
“ate you one of the folks”…. made me laugh. =)
Great article, Luke!!
Awesome article!
Fantastic article! I have been really excited with what I hope and plan to do with my life, but I need the reminder that it isn’t MY life. Christ gave his life for mine. My life is His, not mine. He should always be the purpose of my life. Thanks for the reminder.
You hit the nail on the head. Young people are reacting to what they see going on around them without the benefit of sound theological to combat it. Many are living the majority of their time in the secular culture and many of the churches they attend are increasingly secularized. We are living in such a “me” frame of reference, that we think that being a Christian means finding my purpose and not God’s purpose.
As you so well pointed out, we have gotten out of focus. We need to stop asking what God’s purpose is for me and start asking what God’s purpose is. It changes all things. And all that He may be glorified.
You are an excellent writer. Keep on with it!
God bless!
Jean
Yeah. I ate one of you folks! Muahahaha!
I completely agree. Thanks for reading, Jean. I’m glad you liked it!
That’s awesome! When we let God take control everything else falls into place. Thanks for reading!
Thank you! I love that John Piper quote: God is most glorified in us When we are most satisfied with Him. Thanks for reading.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Kate!
Thanks for reading! I’ll probably put Discus on there soon. I’m out of the country right now, so if I’m not replying to comments or other things that’s why. Im glad the article was helpful!
Thanks Gabrielle!
Haha thanks! I’ll do that right now!
Thanks for reading Hannah! God’s got great things in store for your life. Stay encouraged!
I’m glad it was refreshing! Thanks for reading. I’m so glad it was helpful.
Thanks Haylie!
Thanks Amanda
Thank you!
Thanks for reading Mary!
A really great article, Luke. Even the fantastic “do hard things” mentality doesn’t mean a lot unless we can see the purpose behind our short lives. It would be tragic to have made our own flimsy dreams the consuming goals of our lives, only to find that we had lost sight of the giver of that life. And to have misrepresented the gospel as nothing but a self-focused excuse for what we want to do would be equally sad. Thankfully, however, God can help us out of this.
Very timely. Thanks.
Thank you for re-focusing my goal–“What is the chief end of man?–to know God and to love him forever!” As a recently retired teacher, I was feeling a bit lost. Thanks for the kick in the pants–and the John Piper quote. I’m sharing this article with my kids, grand kids, and former students. Blessings, Luke!
Mary
This article just really refreshed my heart, mind and soul. Thank you, Luke! God bless!
This is AWESOME!! I love it!! You have a lot of wisdom, keep it up!!:)
This is a great reminder! I know at times I tend to mix those two things up. Thanks for sharing Luke.