How do you define purpose? Is it something you measure your
success by? Is it fulfilling the lifelong desires of your heart? Do you measure
your happiness and your worth by your purpose? When I think about purpose, the
first thing that comes to mind is what brings me fulfillment. It is the very
thing that makes my heart come alive when doing it. When I think about my
purpose, I think to myself, “This is what I was created for.” But what does God’s
Word say about purpose? I love what Colossians says about God’s divine purpose
for our lives. In NKJV Colossians 1,
verses 16 & 17, it says, “For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and
that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before
all things, and in Him all things consist.” Wow. I could probably end the blog
post right here, because that verse pretty much emphasizes the main point of today's topic. Every single human being that comes into this earth, male or
female, is created for the One who created them. I love to imagine the look on
the Lord’s face when He knits each of us together inside our mothers’ wombs. I see
the smile on His face and the pride in His heart, seeing the beauty, holiness,
and might He places within each of us. No matter what our history is or what
our story is, every single one of us is created with a divine purpose, and that
purpose is for His glory.
It can be easy to be distracted by human purpose. What I
mean by this is that it can be distracting when we value what the world thinks our purpose should
be over what the Lord thinks of us. Now, allow me to clarify that I believe some people have the calling and the
grace to specific areas of life compared to others. For example, some people
work well with younger children, and some people do not. I believe what I am
describing is a small part of the intentionality with which God created each of
us. However, at the root of what we specialize in is our reason for doing it. When
we lie our heads down at night on our pillows, we ponder on our “why”. And our answer to what our "why" is what we define our purpose as, whatever it may be.
Isaiah 61 has a dear place in my heart because the Lord
highlighted it to me many years ago in a special way. There was a season in my life
when I struggled with understanding my purpose and my “why” on this earth. The
Lord brought me to this verse in His lovingkindness. NKJV Isaiah 61, verse 1-3
says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who
are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance
of our God; To comfort all those who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of
praise for the Spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of
righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Now this
verse is describing Jesus, who has come to do these things: to provide freedom,
joy, gladness, healing, justice, and purpose for us as our beautiful Savior.
Because He is my Father and I am His child, I have the authority to walk in
this anointing. His word is part of my birthright in the kingdom of Heaven when
I chose to be born again in Him. I declare with my mouth and believe in my
heart His word. I meditate on His words and keep them in my heart. He also
confirms His authority in us in NKJV Isaiah 43, verses 1 – 4 & 7, “But now,
thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear
not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers,
they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be
burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One
of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your
place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have
loved you.’” V . 7 “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for
My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Not only is He affirming
that He created all for His glory, but He is affirming each in His sacred love
and protection.
It is a choice to walk in His calling and in the purpose He
has prepared for us. However, when we do accept that we were created for Him
and His glory, it is a beautiful realization and reconciliation with our Creator.
When we understand our purpose, we also get the privilege of recognizing this potential
in those around us and get to build them up in the Lord as well.
Finally, I want to emphasize that we can never define our
purpose in Him by the things He gifts to us. The Lord loves His children, and He gives good gifts to those who love Him; however, we cannot define our relationship with Jesus by what He can provide us with. We love Jesus for who He is, our beautiful
Savior and Friend. We love Him with a life of adoration and praise because He
is simply worthy. That is the prayer of my heart that what we do in life will be
an overflow of our life in the secret place with Jesus. Everything is to bless
His heart, and in that He will honor the work of your hands. When we truly
define ourselves by His purpose, it doesn’t matter what we do on this side of
eternity.
I encourage you to read the verses mentioned in today's post and to meditate on them with the Lord in a tucked-away and quiet place. You were created for more than a 9a-5p job Monday through Friday, where you only live for the weekends. Your purpose is to find a greater calling in a greater man, and His name is Jesus. I also invite you to surrender the areas of your life that you find false security and purpose in. This world will never be able to satisfy your deep desires. He is our true purpose, and He is our true security.
