How To Discover Your Purpose In 15 Minutes or Less
I know, reading that heading, you are probably thinking, 'This
guy must be nuts. How can someone find out his whole life purpose
in 15 minutes?' But truth is, you can actually discover your
entire life purpose in 15 minutes or less. Fifteen minutes is
about all the time it will take you to read through this piece.
Sure enough, I trust that you are willing to invest just 15
minutes of your time to find out what may turn out to be the
most transforming moment of your life.. Ready?
But first, you need to understand what 'purpose' we are talking
about here. We are not talking about introspection, potential,
mission statement, goal setting etc. Those are important aspects
of 'purpose', but are not your primary purpose. Purpose deals
with the nature of meaning, origin and value of who you are
as a person. You may click
here now to find out the difference between purpose and
life mission or assignment. And, yes, this discovery is from
an essentially christian worldview, because, 'It's in Christ
that we find out who we are and what we are living for' ( Ephe
1: 11; The Message).
How I discovered my life's purpose
Now, let me share with you how I came upon the biggest discovery
of my life...the exact purpose of my life. The year was 2000.
I was on a missionary journey to a small African town. While
I was preparing for my trip, I had gone to a christian book
store and collected a number of books that I felt could help
me. It was going to be a long and somewhat lonely trip for a
then bachelor missionary pastor like me.
One of those days, I was at my desk, reading one of these books
when I recieved an insight that was to change my life. This
particular one was called, 'The Hidden Man'. The book was discussing
the uniqueness of the human spirit and its relationship to the
Creator Spirit. As I kept reading, something flashed into my
mind that I can not explain. Suddenly, I was lying flat on my
uncarpeted church office, lost in the deepest worship and adoration
that have ever come up to God from this being.
It was the very sharp realization of who and what I am that
produced this kind of worship. It was as though I was immediately
translated into the 'beginning' and I saw into the heart of
the Father God as He said, 'Let us make man in our own image'.
I could feel the love and joy with which he anticipated making
another set of beings who will be his own, to love and to bless.
Then, I understood why God 'rested' on the seventh day after
he made human beings. Seeing that, I saw why he made me, who
I am and what my role on earth is.
So, let me share a bit of what insight I recieved that day
with you. Remember, it's just a bit. You may have to read most
or all of the other articles posted here in order to recieve
the rest. But as you read, I trust you will come to discover
why God made you and what your purpose on earth is all about.
So, let me begin with the key question that changed my life:
Why did God 'rest' after he made human beings?
It is written that God rested on the seventh day. But notice
that God did not rest until his work was completed. And his
work was not completed until he made man and woman on the sixth
day. So, in essence, the creation of humans marked the achievement
of God’s goal and the beginning of his rest. ‘So
the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in
them was completed. On the seventh day, having finished his
task, God rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh
day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested
from his work of creation.’ Genesis 2: 1-3 NLB. This is
an important key in eventually understanding the divine purpose
for human beings.
Nature of God’s rest.
The nature of God’s rest could not have been physical.
Why? The answer is simple; God does not grow weary or tired.
Isaiah 40: 28- 29 captures it clearly:
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
So, it is clear that God’s rest was not one of cessation
of activities in order to regain strength. The Creator of the
ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary. He certainly
did not run out of breath and had to slow down enough to catch
his breath back.
So, then, what does it mean that God rested on the seventh
day? It is a state of mind that results from accomplishment,
from purpose achieved. It is a tranquil state of happiness,
contentment and satisfaction that stems form successfully accomplishing
an important mission.
After God made man, he entered a state of rest, joy, contentment
or satisfaction. He looked at man and the rest of the creation,
and knew without doubt that his work was done, his goal achieved.
It was like Jesus saying at the Cross, ‘It is finished’.
The Human Connection: You are in the picture
Here is an interesting point to consider: God never considered
his work finished until he created man, and empowered man to
take charge of the earth. Or, put in another way, the purpose
of creation of the earth was not yet fulfilled until humans
were created. God never did ‘rest’, at least throughout
the period of creation, until man was made.
It does seem then that the creation of man signaled the accomplishment
of God’s goal in creating the earth and the firmaments.
Humans were the crown of God’s creation, the chief end
in divine mind at the outset of the creation venture.
It’s difficult to picture what could have gone through
God’s mind on the evening of the sixth day as he beheld
the man and woman he made. It would have made quite a scene
to
have watched God as he looks in admiration, maybe, even in amazement
and wonder and honor, at this special species he has just created.
This is how Exodus 31: 17 puts it, ‘for in six days the
LORD made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day He
rested and was refreshed.’ That word ‘refreshed’
is very interesting in this context. One of the definitions
for ‘refresh’ is ‘to make fresh again; reinvigorate
or cheer (a person, the mind, spirits, etc.)’. Agreed
that God does not grow weary, faint, and does not, in a physical
sense, need to be reinvigorated, then that leaves us with the
last part of the definition; to cheer.
God was gladdened in no small way by examining the man he made.
His loving heart was cheered and pleasured when he saw this
being that was an exact representation of his person, an image
of the Godhead. Here was a being that was God’s protégé,
beneficiary, friend, and an exact reproduction of His person.
I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?
Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden's dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps
Psalm 8: 3- 8, Message.
No other creature evoked such a response from God, except the
man he made. He ‘rested and was ‘refreshed’
at the sight of man. Who is this man that God is so mindful
of him? Who is this special being that so awakens the divine
emotion, as to cheer and refresh the divine heart? ‘Then
I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?’
In deed, he does not only take a second look at us, but we
do hold his undivided attention since creation. The word translated
‘mindful’ in Psalm 8: 4 is ‘zakar’ –
a Hebrew word which means ‘ to mark or remember continually,
as perpetual incense rising; to set heart upon; to keep continually
in merciful view’.³ God’s mind is set upon
humans, for a reason.
Okay, let’s recap. God rested after he created man. The
nature of his ‘rest’ was one of contentment, satisfaction
and cheer that come from a feeling of accomplishment of a desire
goal or objective. In order words, God had a purpose in mind
when he set out creating the world, which was fulfilled in man’s
existence on creation morning.
There is also a second but related reason God rested on the
seventh day. It does seem as though when man was ‘born’,
God saw in him all the prerequisite abilities necessary to continue
to keep and maintain the whole earth. Why, he put in him those
abilities. And so, in a way, God no longer needs to work, for
here was another ‘form’ of him that is capable of
carrying on the good work, so to speak.
Let's drive it home
Here is the insight that hit me that day in 2000. It pleasured
God so much that he made me. Then it hit home, my being pleasures
God. It is because of who he made me to be that gives him so
much joy: God’s image, protégé, friend and
beneficiary. God wanted someone special to lavish his love on,
to pour out his goodness and kindness on. He decided man was
to be just that person. It gave him great pleasure just thinking
about our coming into being. Imagine then what joy he had when
he finally succeeded in bringing us into being. No wonder he
‘rested’. You are special to God. His love for you
is personal, complete and unconditional. He made you to lavish
his love and gifts on you. That is his purpose for you: to embrace
his love for you, enjoy it, and give him thanks!
From that day, I have never doubted that
the primary purpose of human beings is to enjoy God and
glorify him.
If any of these writings bless you, feel free to post
a comment or share a testimony with us. Others may be blessed
by your testimony or comment. And feel free to contact us anytime.
Our genuine desire is to assist you in your search for meaning
and joy.
Visit DiscoverPurpose
blog for more.
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