Purpose

We have want and need to feel like we have a purpose. We need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Have you ever been laying in bed and thought "the only reason I am getting up is because I need to go to the restroom"? Or maybe your first thought when the alarm went off was "Coffee...." But don't we all need a real purpose in life? Do you have an idea what your purpose is? How do you fulfill that purpose? Do you envision what is involved in that purpose? Do you expect some result from that purpose? And this is a BIG question: Is the purpose you have for yourself in line with the purpose that God has for you?


Psalm 20:4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 May He give you what your heart desires
and fulfill your whole purpose.

Psalm 20: 4 helps us understand a lot about purpose. The desire of our hearts should be to fulfill God's purpose for us. When those two things are aligned, God works in us to not only give us a real sense of purpose, but also to fulfill that purpose in us. If someone were to ask me right now what my purpose in life is, I would have a fairly long list. You probably do too. Most of us have the purpose of going to work to pay the bills and have food to eat. I feel that the work I do for that paycheck also has a purpose. My purpose at work is to make a difference in the lives of the children, to love them with Christ's love, to be genuine in my concern for them, and yes, even to help them meet the goals and objectives they have on their Individualized Educational Program (IEP). I also have the purpose of working on another graduate degree so that I can do my job better, and be better able to take care of my family's needs. I have the purpose of loving my family and helping them in daily tasks, and especially when we have a crisis or some out of the ordinary needs. I think that this blog has a purpose too. Not a lot of people read this (Thank you for taking time to read what I have written!) but if God uses me to make a difference in the life of just one person, that purpose has been fulfilled. My greatest purpose is to have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ that leads me to yield to His will and obey Him in all aspects of my life. This relationship pulls all the individual purposes into one big purpose. All the other "little" purposes are part of the "big" purpose of obeying Him. Let's say this again: My purpose is to have a heart that desires to allow Christ to work in me to fulfill His purpose.

Psalm 57:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

Just as Psalm 20: 4 talked about the "what", Psalm 57:2 tells us the "how".  I call out to God. He fulfills His purpose. Honestly, I am so busy with two classes this summer that I thought I didn't have time to write this blog this morning, but when I was reading some Bible verses a few minutes a go, this topic seemed to stand out to me. I was concerned about (angry with) a family member who seems to have no purpose. I did not have a really good attitude in my heart. This person stays up to the wee hours of the night, and spends all of his waking hours watching television and playing on his iPad. He doesn't go to work. He doesn't do any household chores or any yard work. He just sits. I was angry because he does nothing to help me or to even do the things that are his "job". I was venting to God about it. Then I realized that God's Word speaks to us about having a purpose. This tells us that (1.) He has a purpose for us. (2.) He will fulfill that purpose in us (3.) We need to call out to Him asking Him to fulfill His purpose. ( Let me confess my bad attitude and make a point about calling out to God. I wasn't exactly praying with a humble and contrite heart when I was venting about my family member lacking purpose, but God still honors our prayers when we pour out our hearts to Him. He took my frustration and used it to show me an important concept about my own purpose. Call out to Him. Pour out your heart to Him. He will listen and fulfill His purpose for you.)

Psalm 138:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.
Lord, Your love is eternal;
do not abandon the work of Your hands.

God will not abandon the work of His hands. We can be confident that when we call out to Him and yield to Him to fulfill His purpose in our lives, He will do what He says he will do. He doesn't give up on us. One of my students lives with his grandparents. His mother struggles with lots of issues. He was telling me about his family situation. He said "My mother gave up on me, so I live with my grandma." I thought he probably meant to say "gave me up" but his words pierced my heart. At a conference I told his grandmother what he had said. She said he probably meant to say exactly what he had said. She thinks that he really does believe that his mother gave up on him. I can not express the sadness that makes me feel.  No words...But listen to this, God NEVER gives up on fulfilling His purpose for us. Parents may abandon their children, but God will never abandon us!

Romans 8:28-29 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

Some phrases from these verses are sometimes taken out of context. It does not say that everything that happens is good. Nope. It does say that all things work together to fulfill a good purpose in our lives. Even that has a prerequisite, a disclaimer. This only applies to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  If I love Him, call out to Him, desire to fulfill His purpose, everything will work together for my good and His glory. Lots of things have happened in our family recently: my husband's wreck, my daughter in law's cancer and lupus, my grandson's injuries. Not all those things are good, but they work together for good. I trust God to not abandon His purpose for me and to work those things for good. I don't know you, but I am confident that bad things happen in your life too. I am also confident that when your heart's desire is to fulfill  God's purpose for you, He will work those things together for good.