One of the biggest questions that people struggle with is to find their own purpose in life. This is often considered to be one of the biggest questions of the teen years, but it’s one that some never come up with an answer to. We can go all our lives, without ever really finding an answer to why we are here. That causes depression in some, even to the point of suicide.
This isn’t to say that all suicide is caused by people not knowing who they are or even that not finding an answer to that question should drive one to have suicidal thoughts. I merely mention that it is one cause; there are many others. Even so, having a firm grasp on who you are and why you are here gives you purpose and hope, both of which help to combat suicidal thoughts.
Purpose, according to the dictionary, is the reason why you exist. That’s pretty important. It’s no wonder that people put so much effort into understanding it. Let me say from the start, that the Bible’s answer to this question, like many questions, is much different from that which we receive from the world. In fact, it can be seen to be an exact opposite of the world’s idea of purpose. This is good, because the world’s idea causes depression in so many, while God’s definition gives us hope.
The World’s Idea of Purpose
Before getting into what the Bible says about our purpose, let’s take a look at what the world says about it. God’s purpose for our lives will make much more sense, when we can contrast it to the world’s ideas.
First of all, the world has many different ideas about purpose, mostly based upon the individual who has come up with the idea. Some will say one thing, while others will say something completely opposite. To some people, purpose is based on what they do for themselves, while others see that purpose being about what they do for others. But in pretty much all cases, purpose is associated with making a difference; whether that difference is in one life or a million lives.
People often create their own purposes, by what they decide they want to do with their lives. One person decides to become a scientist and develops a cure for a rare disease. Another decides to go into politics, working to pass laws to remake the world into their own image. Still another sees their purpose as raising a family, helping those in need, or just making money.
If we connect the word “purpose” to “success,” we come up with what can seem to be a much clearer picture of what purpose is; one that a lot of people agree with. Here in the United States, success is usually understood to be financial success. This criteria forces purpose into a profit-and-loss statement, where the people who make a lot of money are successful and therefore have purpose, while those who don’t make a lot of money obviously haven’t found their purpose in life.
This is a dangerous outlook on life and purpose, as it only allows a very few people to claim they have purpose in life. Those who don’t meet the world’s criteria of “success” are relegated to being seen as people who wander through life lost, without purpose.
The other definition of purpose that the world uses is to describe people who seem to be driven to do their life’s work with a passion. These are the people who seem like they were created to do a particular thing; usually because they’re the ones who go the extra mile. People look at them and say “they’ve clearly found their purpose,” just because of the effort they put into what they do.
I have to wonder though; are those people like that because they have found their purpose or because that’s just their personality. Would they act the same in another type of job, as they are racing in the one they’re in? That’s something we’ll never know.
Fortunately, we don’t have to depend on the world’s definition of purpose or success.
What Does the Bible Say?
Jehovah God is our creator, as well as the creator of the universe we live in. Therefore, it only makes sense that He would have an idea of who we are and what our purpose in life is. Considering that the Bible is usually at odds with what the world says, it also makes sense that God’s idea of our purpose in life would be quite different from the world, which has developed its opinion without God’s input.
Actually, there are a number of different, but interrelated things, that the Bible tells us we are created for. This means that we don’t just have one purpose; but we have several. It doesn’t matter who we are, these purposes apply to us all.
To be in Relationship with Christ
The Apostle Paul apparently left a lot behind when he decided to follow the Lord. Pharisee of Pharisees, a member of the Sanhedrin and recognized by all as a serious teacher of the Law. Yet, when he had his Damascus Road experience, he was willing to give all that up, to have a relationship with Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. – Philippians 3:8
Just knowing Christ, in our goal-oriented world, may seem like it’s not enough. Yet Paul, the greatest Christian teacher of all time, thought it was enough. He found purpose in knowing Christ, more than in ministering the Word of God or writing the letters which became our New Testament epistles.
To Love God
There can be nothing greater in our life than to love God the Father. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He replied:
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. – Mark 12:30
God created us with the dual purposes of loving us and receiving our love in return. Jesus made clear that loving Him is the most important part of what we have been created to be and to do. If we were to do nothing else in our lives but love Him, our lives would have been worth living.
But of course, there’s more to our relationship with God, than just loving Him. Because of that love, there are other things He will tell us to do; so, we’ll need to do those things too.
To Show Others God’s Love –Phil 2:1-8 & Matt 28:19-20
Jesus went on to say that there was a second commandment which was like unto the first. By doing this, he added additional purpose to our lives, saying:
And the second, like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. – Mark 12:31
Why is loving others as yourself so important? Because if there is anything this world is lacking, it’s love. Oh, there’s plenty floating around that calls itself love; but when we compare it to the Biblical definition of love, as shown in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, we find that it falls far short. That’s because the world’s love is more focused on what we can receive, rather than what we can give.
Paul admonishes us, in his letter to the Philippians, to love one another, following the “new commandment” (John 13:34) that Jesus gave to His disciples. The second chapter starts out talking about this love and describing it as not being selfish, telling us: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). When we love, like Jesus loved, we share God’s love with this world.
The greatest demonstration of that love is telling others about Jesus, following the Great Commission. In this, we offer them the opportunity to receive God’s love, just as we have. If we don’t do this, who will? How will they ever come to receive God’s precious love?
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 28:19
To Obey God
So, just how do we show God that we love Him? More than anything, we do that through obeying Him and the commandments that He has given us. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). That’s not just the Ten Commandments, but all the commandments contained in the Bible.
There can be great purpose in obedience. Through it, we not only show Him that we love Him, but show the world that we do as well. From their point of view, the only real difference between them and us is seen through how we follow those commandments. Through that obedience, we demonstrate that God is not only in our lives, but that we truly consider Him to be Lord over us. There is true purpose in that, in that it demonstrates to this world who God is and that He has a right to be God over us. Most people will never see that, if they don’t see it in our lives.
But there’s more purpose to obeying God, than just a general testimony of His existence. When we obey Him, we end up being a blessing to others. In that, we become God’s hands and feet in this world, showing His love and His greatness to those around us.
To Bring Glory to Our Heavenly Father
One of the main ways we show God our love and devotion is through worship. As we worship Him, we bring glory to His name. We acknowledge who He is and all that He does for us.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. – Psalm 119:105
Does God need our worship? No, He doesn’t. We worship Him for our benefit, not His. Yet through that process, we bring glory to His name, declaring to ourselves and to those around us just how great He is. They need to see God glorified, so that they will recognize their own need to worship Him.
To Become Like Christ
God’s greatest purpose in all of our lives is that we might be saved. But it doesn’t stop there. Once we are saved, God’s great desire for all of us, is that we become more and more like Jesus, every day of our lives. It is through becoming like Jesus, that we bring Glory to God and demonstrate His love to others.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. – Romans 8:29
This is why we don’t die immediately after receiving Christ. There’s a great work to be done within each and every one of us, in order to remake us into the image of Christ. This doesn’t mean that we stop being ourselves or lose our personality, but rather, that we take on His character. The more we are able to do that, the more we are able to demonstrate the love of God to this world.
Our ultimate purpose in this life is to demonstrate Jesus Christ to this fallen world. We do this both by showing the impact that He has had on our lives, as well as showing the world His character. There are many who will never read one page of the Bible; yet they read us every day. Let it be Jesus that they see on the pages of our lives.
To Bear Good Fruit
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. – John 15:1-2
The Lord desires that we produce good fruit. This is not the only place where He mentions it. But just what is that fruit and why is He concerned that we bear it?
The fruit of our lives is the work that we do, whether good or bad. There are many who have bad fruit, infecting this world and those around them. God desires that we produce good fruit, as one of the principal purposes of our lives. This fruit can do many things, from bringing blessings to others, to testifying about God’s power in our lives. With so much bad fruit in the world, there’s a near desperate need for good fruit.
As we bear good fruit, God, working as the vinedresser, “prunes us,” preparing us to bring forth more good fruit. In gardening, this process of pruning serves two purposes. One is to remove unfruitful branches, making more room for the fruitful ones. The other is to encourage growth in the fruitful branches, so that they bring forth more good fruit. This is what God is doing in us, so that we may be more like Christ, bearing more good fruit.
To Help Those in Need – Matt 25:34-
People complain to God about their needs and even the needs of others. Those latter complaints often take the form of “Why don’t you do something about this God?” But God has done something; He has created us and given us the job of helping others in need. Jesus expressed this wonderfully, when He said:
Then the King (Jesus) will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” – Matthew 25:34-36
Jesus sees these acts that we do, reaching out to help others, as doing them for Him personally. It is as if He was saying, “do this for them and lay it to my account; I will pay you.” This agrees with what it says in Proverbs, when it says: “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given” (Proverbs 19:17).
God knows that there are needy people in this world. Jesus said they will be with us always (Matthew 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8). But why would that be so? Couldn’t an all-powerful God eliminate poverty? Wouldn’t He?
While I am sure that God could eliminate poverty, I am equally sure that He won’t, for no other reason than Jesus saying that they will be with us always. Even so, I believe there’s a deeper message in this statement, in that Jesus is implying that the poor are there for our benefit. He wants us to do something about the poor, so that He can bless us for it. That’s the purpose!
To Prepare for Heaven
While our lives have plenty of purpose here on this earth; this isn’t the end. There’s a life to be lived beyond the grave; and that life lasts for eternity. As some have said, “this life is only a test.” Yes, and it’s a test with one question – whether or not we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
But while the test is only one question; there are extra credit questions to take into consideration. Those won’t make up for a mistake on the first; but they will affect us in the next life. We must prepare ourselves; not only to live this life for Jesus, but to be ready to live the next life for Him as well. That means changing the focus of our thinking from this world, to the life to come.
Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. – Colossians 3:2
I’m only quoting this one verse, but the 16 verses that follow it give us insight in how to accomplish what this one says. We must put aside our earthly lusts and take upon us the new nature of Christ. That is our greatest purpose; because in that not only do we prepare for the life to come; but we also accomplish all of the things I’ve mentioned above.
Isn’t There a Specific Purpose for My Life?
Everything we’ve talked about so far is general; things that apply to every believer’s life. Yet, I know this is not enough to satisfy many people. The real question we all want an answer to is not about the general purpose for our lives, as believers; but rather, the specific question about the purpose that God has for our individual life. How do we find that?
God has told us that He has plans for us through the prophet Jeremiah. While some take this verse to refer to the nation of Israel, that doesn’t preclude it speaking to us as individuals as well.
For I know the plans that I have you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Don’t get fixated on the word “prosper” in that verse. It’s not necessarily talking about financial prosperity. The word is literally referring to “a good road” in life. That might include financial prosperity, but not necessarily; there are a lot of other things in our lives which need that “good road.” The focus of the verse isn’t on prospering anyway; but rather that God has plans for us and that those plans are for our good. For our purposes at the moment, it is good to know that He has plans for us.
But just how far does that go? Is it just generalized or is it specific?
Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men…” 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ. – Ephesians, 8, 11-12
Here we find some more specific giving of purpose, in that Jesus Himself called those who are to fulfill the five-fold ministry offices, giving them as “gifts.” This can either be taken to mean that He gave them the gift of that office, including the anointing and whatever else is required to fulfil that office, or that He gave those people, who are fulfilling those offices to the Body of Christ in general, as gifts. Both work and they are not mutually exclusive.
We also find some specific direction about the Holy Spirit giving gifts to people, in Paul’s instructions about what are commonly referred to as spiritual gifts and motivational gifts:
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant… 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. 5 There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same god who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. – 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them… – Romans 12:6
These two verses alone make it clear that God gives different “gifts” to different people. Not only that, but He expects us to use those gifts for the betterment of others. That sounds an awful lot like He is seeing specific purpose in individual people’s lives.
Most ministers and even missionaries, can tell you a specific moment when they felt the calling of God to the ministry. According to statistics from one mission organization, something like 95% of all missionaries receive their calling to the missions field before they are 12 years old. Considering the struggle we all have with figuring out what we’re going to do with our lives, evidenced by the number of college students who change their major more than once, its’ remarkable that these missionaries know what direction their lives are going to take, so young.
But is this idea of knowing one’s purpose in life limited to only those who are in full-time ministry? The answer to that would have to be a resounding “No.” First, not all full-time ministers are working full time in the ministry; many support themselves with other work, so that they can minister. Secondly, not everyone who is called to minister is called full-time; many ministers as the opportunity presents itself, as a vocation, not as a profession.
The truth is, we’re all called to minister in some capacity; whether that means preaching in a pulpit, sharing Christ with co-workers, teaching a children’s Sunday school class, reaching out to the poor and homeless, cleaning our church or just encouraging those around us. We all have a calling from God in our lives.
How do I Find My Calling?
Finding your calling can be tricky and many people make a couple of false starts before finding their true calling. That’s okay; because God will use those experiences somehow. The most important thing is that we allow Him or His Holy Spirit to guide us into what He has called us to do, rather than trying to tell God what it is that we’re called to do. As one minister put it, many years ago, “If you want to hear God laugh, just go to Him saying ‘Here’s my plan God.’” Whatever that plan is, He has a better one.
Some people find their calling just by what they enjoy doing or find that they do well. Some skills we have in the “secular world” translate well to various ministry needs. That has happened in my own life, where I learned how to edit video as a side-job for my work. I also learned how to write as an engineer, writing proposals for the factory I worked in. God has used both.
The best thing to do, if you are unsure about what God has called you to do, is ask Him in prayer. He will find a way of showing you. That may be through an opportunity opening up, through someone talking to you and saying “you’d be a good…” or even though you are doing something that you see needs being done and finding satisfaction in that.
One thing you can be sure of is that when you find what it is that God has called you to do, it will bring you more satisfaction than anything else you’ve ever done. It may not seem like something that you would expect, but you will be satisfied doing it. You will know that you’re where you are supposed to be and doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Not that someone tells you that; just that you’ll know.