Purpose

“A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree”  - Proverbs 11:28

Gentlemen, I’m willing to bet that at some point in your time here on Earth, you have probably thought about what your purpose is in life?  I think we’ve all had that thought cross our minds at some point.  It is a loaded question, and one I’d like to try to shed some light on for you.  

How many of you consider yourselves to be ambitious? You know, are you the kind of man that has set goals and dreams, and takes on the day to day doing what you can to achieve those goals? Sounds like something that should be an admirable trait, right? Well, it depends on if those goals, dreams, and ambitions are GOD centered or self-centered.  Be honest, do you ask yourself … What do I want to be? What do I want to do with my life? What are my goals? My ambitions? My dreams for my future? If you do, then like me, you are guilty of trying to fulfill your life by your own purpose and not God’s. Now don’t get me wrong, you should set goals, be disciplined, aim high, never give up, and try achieving those goals. You could actually do all these things and become a huge success, ... but understand that even though reaching personal goals might give you success by the world’s standard, you could still be missing the purpose for which God created you. 

To discover our purpose in life, men, we must turn to God's Word, not the world’s wisdom. We need to understand that we were born by His purpose for His purpose! And that purpose for our lives is far greater than our own personal fulfillment. God’s purpose for our lives is far greater than our career, our dreams, and ambitions, and even our own happiness. He is our Creator, we only exist because God wills that we exist. We were made by God, for God. It is only in God that we discover not only our origin, but our identity, our significance, and our destiny. Any other path we take, that does not go through Jesus, is just like spinning our wheels. 

I have four older siblings, and each of them are a year apart ... the youngest is 10 years older than me. So, I always assumed I was an “accident”. Well brothers if you are like me and have ever had that thought, let me tell you that we are dead wrong. God does not make mistakes. There may be illegitimate parents but there are no illegitimate children.  We were all born for a reason, on purpose!  

My son’s name is Jeremiah, and he is an athlete. We chose the number 15 for him because of this following scriptures: “Before you were born, I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5 

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not of disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11      

 God was thinking of each one of us before we even existed. He already had a plan and purpose for each one of us. God’s motivation for creating us is pure love. Our job is to discover our identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ. His purpose for us is what we need to strive for. You may choose your career, your hobbies, or even your spouse, but you don’t get to choose your purpose! 

“The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” Romans 12:3

God loves us all so much that we sometimes forget that we are living and breathing because our Almighty Father in Heaven wants a relationship with us and has a very distinct purpose for each and every one of us.  We all need to dive into His Word daily and continue to strengthen our walk with Christ so that we may discover His purpose for us. I truly believe that in time, He will reveal it to us all. 

Brothers, I pray today that we all become humbled by God’s enormous love for us. We must learn to steward this life He has given us and really strive to not only know Him better, but to fulfill HIS purpose in our lives! Here at Fort Iron we encourage you to get that fire for God burning, and it is my  hope that after reading this, there is a fire sparked inside of you to take charge of your daily life. If it is stagnant, energize it with the Word of God; if you feel like your wheels are spinning, dive into your relationship with Jesus; if it is lacking, fill your days with the overwhelming love God has for you! 

I hope these words encourage you to have confidence in your existence, and know that God has made you for a purpose. I challenge you all, my brothers in Christ, to seek your purpose through an intimate relationship with Christ, speak with purpose, walk with purpose,  and be the light wherever you go!  

S/F