Purpose is the key to truly living. Everything we do is just existing unless we live purposefully.
KEY VERSE
“For David… served the purpose of God in his own generation.” Acts 13:36 NASB
The questions we often ask ourselves are mostly answered in the purposes God has given us. These questions usually involve our identity, importance and impact which are all revealed in the five purposes God gave us. For our identity is created by God and He has given us purpose which makes us important and our impact valuable.
The five purposes (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission) are essential, they are not negotiable, and we must fulfil them. But we are easily distracted and forgetful so we must learn ways to focus and not forget our purpose.
PURPOSE STATEMENT
One way to remember our purpose is to create a purpose statement. This statement if we review it regularly will help us stay focused on our purposes and make the right choices.
But what is a purpose statement? It’s a statement that sums up the five purposes God gave us in our own words. It provides direction and defines success because it highlights the correct path and declares what is important to us refining our role in the church and in the wider world.
Our purposes don’t change even as we do but how we fulfil our purposes will change. Regardless of the change that happens to us or around us we must determine to succeed in our purposes.
A purpose statement is unique to each of us, just as we are different so is our purpose statement. We can’t hope to create a perfect purpose statement, and it may take time. With time it can be refined and changed as necessary. The intention of the statement is more important than the statement itself. For some a purpose statement may not be the way to remember the five purposes and stay focused on fulfilling them and for others it may be the only way. The choice is in your hands.
Creating this statement can be difficult and for some help we can consider the following questions.
WHAT WILL BE THE CENTRE OF OUR LIVES?
Who do we live for? Who or what do we worship? Everyone worships something whether it’s God or money or material things. There are many things life can be centred upon, but the only unshakeable centre is God.
We know God is our centre when we are filled with peace. Likewise, if we are filled with worry and stress, we know He is not our centre, and we have turned away from Him.
In our purpose statement we must consider where our centre lies, it should lie on God, but this is not always the case. If we want God to be our centre, we must say so in our purpose statement.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 CSB
WHAT WILL BE THE CHARACTER OF MY LIFE?
What kind of person will we be? God is mostly interested in the kind of person we are than the things we do. Our actions are important, but our character is eternal, so it holds greater importance. We want to develop Christlike character because Jesus is our Saviour and the perfect example of man on earth.
We need to reflect on our character and consider the qualities we would like to develop and which we would like to remove with time. It takes a lifetime to develop Christlike character, but it is something we need to do for our own good. We read about some Christlike qualities in Jesus’ speech on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) and the passage on the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Since our purpose statement declares the direction we should be heading we must consider the characteristics we would like to develop in our statement.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONTRIBUTION OF OUR LIVES?
How will we serve? How can we make a difference? We don’t need to help everyone; it would be impossible to try. But we do need to help where we can and serve based on our SHAPE – which is our spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences.
Often there is a group of people or area in which we desire most to help, and this is a good indicator of where we should serve. Likewise, we have passions for a reason, and we should use them for good.
Our purpose statement should indicate the way in which we should serve or the impact we want to make.
WHAT WILL BE THE COMMUNICATION OF MY LIFE?
How will we share the good news? This is perhaps the most important question to consider because it can be done in so many ways now through social media or in person. The rise of internet and technology has made the world a much smaller place and it has never been easier to share the good news but too few of us do.
We may feel the need to focus on reaching a specific group of people and that’s okay we have that need for a reason. Our life lessons and passions have been given to us for a reason too and we should use them to build bridges between God and unbelievers.
Our lives must support the message we share; we must practice what we preach because the way we live may be the only we reach some people. We are set apart from the world designed to stand out so that through our differences many may know God and be saved.
“As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1:27 CSB
Our purpose statement should also include our mission statement, this is our commitment to testifying and sharing the message of salvation.
WHAT WILL BE THE COMMUNITY OF MY LIFE?
How will we demonstrate our commitment to other believers? Which church will we join? Where will we learn to love others as God loves us? Fellowship is vital for spiritual growth and for fulfilling our purposes. It is in community that we learn best and through it that we receive the support and encouragement we need in our lives.
In our purpose statement we should show our love for God and His people. We can use scripture or be inspired and advised by friends.
We may have many questions left unanswered even with the five purposes revealing many and these are secondary to the purposes. God’s five eternal purposes are the priority regardless of where we live or who we marry.
Whether we choose to create a purpose statement or not our direction is clear. Our focus is on our purposes because they are God-given and eternal, and our plans are temporary even if they are for fulfilling our purposes. Living in purpose is the only real way to live, it pleases God and has an impact greater than we can imagine.
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Wholeheartedly Faithul 
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