Purpose

[Gary Petty] Jesus told a parable about a man who was very wealthy – everything was going his way. His biggest problem was he was so successful as a farmer, he didn’t have enough room to store all of his crops. And so he said, “I’m going to build bigger barns and bigger sheds and I’m going to expand out and I’m going to be very, very successful”. But he didn’t consider God. And Jesus said he was foolish because he didn’t consider God. He said, “Today you will die, and what will be the purpose of your life?” You see, whatever we do in life, whatever success we have, has to be based in God’s greater context for our lives. Sometimes we even define success differently than what God does. What is God’s definition of success? What is God’s purpose for you?

Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People says one of the most important things you can do in life is think about your tombstone, your epitaph. What do you want to have written on there about yourself? And think about that, that’s a very small space. A very small space. One little line that says “This is who this person really was”. Think about maybe “A loving husband”, you’ve seen that one. You very seldom see “A great businessman”, “A great baseball player”. Can you imagine “A son of God”? “A daughter of God”? Think about your epitaph. Take some time to do a couple of things to think about your purpose in life.

First, take some time off. Take some time off. I mean, take a weekend and go off someplace where you can be clear of television, and the internet, and all this junk that just clouds your mind. And take and think about what do I want said about my life at the end? Write it down.

Secondly, spend some time while you’re doing this in Bible study and prayer and even fasting, seeking God’s purpose. Seeking God’s purpose. What does He want in your life? And let Him break it down. You know, it’s more than just some grand concept of Christianity – it’s down to what He wants you to do every day.

And in the third step, consciously then take that purpose and apply it to every decision, everything you do, every day. Think about it. It’s time for you to discover God’s purpose in your life.

That’s BT Daily. Join us next time.