Know Your Purpose & How to Fulfill It in 600 Words
Jul 31, 2020
The Wrong Question
According to research we did with the Barna Group, only 11% of self-identified Christians know their purpose! 22% said that they had no idea. The rest said things like, “Be a great parent to my children” or “Be a loving husband.” Unfortunately, neither of these last two answers nor ones like them are your purpose. They are examples of ways you can try to fulfill your purpose, but they are not your purpose.
Complicating this issue is that people start with the wrong question, “What is my purpose and how can I fulfill it?” The Enemy is so happy that we ask this self-centered, “me me me” question. It immediately leads us on the wrong path. So, what is the right question?
The Right Question
The right question is, “Why did God create mankind?” We are members of mankind, and there must be a reason why He created us. The answer to this question leads us to our purpose. Fortunately, God has made the answer extremely easy for everybody to understand, so let us review some scripture.
Isaiah 43:6-7 (ESV): I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
Psalm 86:9 (NIV): All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT): So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Why did God create mankind? For His glory. We were all made to glorify Him.
You are now ahead of 89% of self-identified Christians in knowing y(our) purpose!! Congratulations, but it is sad that you are in such a small group. Fortunately, there is something else big that is also clear and easy to understand.
The Next Question
The next question is, “How do we fulfill our purpose?” Again, the answer in the Bible is clear.
Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV): But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
How do we fulfill our purpose? We are to love God and our neighbors. That is it! Is there anything confusing about this passage? NO! If clear, why don’t we see a lot more loving our neighbors in the Summer of 2020? Come on, Christians. Set a God-glorifying example. Is this passage not The Great Commandment!
Beware of Your Motives
The topic of glorying God always needs to include our motives, otherwise, we go riding into the sunset of legalism – also known as checking things off a list. Conversely, our motives for loving God and others should be fueled by our surrender and love of Christ because of the love for us He displayed on the cross. Anything short of that will lead to actions of futility.
Conclusion
There may not be many times when something so important is also so clear. However, you need to put these simple commands into action. Some examples of glorifying the Lord: 1) Love God by deepening your relationship with Him by studying His Word, 2) Help the poor by giving your time, talents and treasure, and 3) Love your neighbor by getting to know him or her, and listen to their story for openings to share the gospel. Finally, go to or help somebody else go to the nations, the people who have not heard about Jesus. Ready?
Charlie Haines
