Day 3: Benefits of Living for a Purpose

“Cause I don't want to live like I don't care. I don't want to say another empty prayer Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself. I could choose not to move but I refuse.” – Josh Wilson: I refuse

That should be my theme song. I do not want to go another day of my life living for anything other than God’s purpose! Rick Warren talks about some benefits of living a purpose driven life:

 A significant life:

One of the first questions asked when meeting someone new is: “What do you do?”  “Where do you work?”  or “What do you want to do?”

If I was to answer honestly, I would say: “I am a SCM Specialist (what does that even mean?? haha) I do special projects for the Supply Chain department.” (AKA- I do all the various tasks my boss doesn’t want to do) “I am not sure where this will take me in life, but I sure know it’s not what I intend to do forever… In fact I have no clue what I would like to do. Not knowing what I want to do often makes me feel like a failure. I am going through the motions but for what? I must be good at something; I mean why would God make me if not? But I do not even know what I enjoy!?”

*Isaiah 49: 4- “My work has been for nothing. I have spent my strength for nothing. Yet for sure what should come to me is with the Lord, and my reward is with my God.”

It may seem like what I am doing is meaningless, but God knows the reward! It is not for nothing J

Why do we place our identity in our jobs? What you do should not define who you are. If I placed my identity in my current job, Wow… I would be pretty boring. I am confident that God did not place me on this earth solely to sit in a cubical and build spend reports & compile deal sheets. This role is temporary; God placed me on the 14^th floor of an office building down town for a reason. I am still unsure what His plan was exactly but I guarantee He has building character, perseverance, discipline, and patience in me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not miserable, in fact I am very blessed to have my job & I thank God each day for providing it. However; I know Christ has been using this period of my life as a stepping stone. God has something big planned for my life and He is whispering: “Laura, this is not what I have called you for, but this is your time to grow in me. You were made for so much more but I am preparing you for what is ahead. Trust me and remain faithful that I know what is best and my timing is best.”

An undemanding Life:

People, who live life without a purpose, will look almost anywhere and everywhere for answers. They will base choices on situations, feelings, and external advice. When we live without a purpose, we often try to do more than we can handle. (I am the perfect example of this statement!) This past year I over committed myself; I was involved in pretty much every activity I could find. But I was busy without a purpose! This type of lifestyle may fool everyone around you to think you are important or have such an exciting life, but really it only causes stress and conflict! When you live a life full of purpose, you will have a simpler and saner schedule!

I found this quote on the Spiritual Kindling website: “When we let go of things, we release their hold on us and free ourselves to enjoy the everyday miracles that grace our lives.”

A focused life:

Matthew 6:33- But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

You will never be content without a focus on Christ. We often believe that running from our problems will make those problems go away. We will seek new activities, relationships, jobs, churches, exedra… But we will never ever find true satisfaction until we place our focus on Christ! Stop looking, Christ is already knocking!

I cannot do it all, you cannot do it all. Many of us need to DO LESS and prune away some “pointless business.” I need to focus on what truly matters.

“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.” – Lau Tzu

A motivated life:

Motivated From the Heart

We can do all the right things and be eloquent in what we say. But if we don’t have love in our heart, what we do and say is in vain.

We can give everything to those in need, even sacrifice all our time. But if we don’t have God’s love inside, it’s as if our faith is blind.
The only motivation we should have is God’s compassionate heart. To really have God’s mercy and grace for the many lost in the dark.
Touch us again with your love and a desire for the lost. To show them there is a better way to lead them to Jesus cross.
So they too may be deeply touched with your saving grace, O Lord, and know the missing link is you: The key that unlocks the door.
For you have reconciled us Lord, back to our Father above to have a meaningful relationship and receive His eternal love.
So may our walk be blameless Lord, reflecting who you are. Let nothing we do be in vain but be motivated from the heart.

~ M.S.Lowndes

What a sweet and truthful poem. Our motive for all that we do should come from the Lord. Think about all the daily tasks you do. There is usually some sort of motive behind everything. I constantly have to check my motives: “Why am I going out of my way to help is this person? Is it because he is attractive and I secretly hope this could lead to something? Is it because she is well liked and I want others to like me? Am I helping my mom with something so she will buy me a new outfit?” Don’t tell me you have never had a hidden agenda! Yes, it is ok if you do something nice for someone and they then do something for you in return, but I should be willing to give my time towards blessing others expecting nothing in return! I don’t deserve anything from anyone, non of us do. If we change our mindset and quit all these hidden agendas or expectations, we will never be let down. However; I believe God wants us to ask and ask expectantly, but this is a different type of expectation. We deserve nothing from Christ, but we should be faithful that he will always provide for us and that his plan is better than our own!

2 Peter 1: 3-4 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (the message)

A life preparing for eternity:

Many of us spend our lives looking for ways to leave a legacy here on earth. Why are we concerned what others have to say about our lives? When we die and go before the Lord He will not ask us: “So Laura, what records did you set? What trophies did you win?” No God will evaluate my heart and what I did to please him.

“Given enough time, all your trophies will be trashed.” – A Purpose Driven Life

What I accomplish on the earth will be forgotten. I need to stop worrying about myself and what others think of me and start telling people what Jesus thinks of them!

Today’s Challenge:

Evaluate your life. Are there some things you need to eliminate? Be honest with God, tell him exactly what you are feeling. Ask Him to show you how to live a life full of purpose!

-Today I am asking Christ of contentment. I need to be thankful for what I have and quit seeking things of this world. I am praying daily that the Lord will be my rock proving to me, he is all I need. Right now the Lord is using this time to prepare me for what is to come. I may not have it all figured out, but I am trusting he will open the right doors at the right time. “Lord I am patiently waiting. Today I choose to be Joyful!” 

Day 2: What is Driving Your Life?

Acts 17:26- From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

God has a reason for everything and everyone in this world. His purpose took into account every humanly sin. So if God created us all for a specific purpose, are we allowing his purpose to be the driving force in our lives? In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren talks about some common forces that drive our lives: guilt, resentment, anger, materialism, & approval.

Guilt

I will be the first to admit that I have allowed all 5 of these to drive my life. Guilt is something Satan uses to convince us that we do not deserve Christ’s forgiveness, that we are unworthy. Guess what, we are unworthy! Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  “Yeah Satan, guess what… You are right! I am not worthy. But you know what… Jesus died so that my sins could be forgiven! YES ALL MY SINS. All I have to do is believe in Him!”

Romans 5:8-9: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Next time you are feeling guilty, you can look Satan straight in the face and say: “I am no longer a prisoner of sin. My sin has not only been forgiven, but it has been forgotten!” (Heb. 8:12)  
Resentment
Wow, this is some good stuff; when I repent for the ways of my past, I have a fresh start! Think about how many people have hurt you in the past, now times that by 1000000000000000000000000000 (I think the zero’s behind that are never ending), that is how many times a day an earthly sin is committed. God is willing to forgive & forget that many each day! How is it that I struggle to forgive only one or two people for such small things? This is what I think we have all been guilty of saying to God: “God please forgive me for A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I…..&Z! Thank you for showing me your mercy. OMG, can you believe what Sally said?! I will never speak to her again.”
Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
*Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent!- Rick Warren*
If I have resentment building up inside of me, I will never be able to grow, much less forgive. No matter what someone has done to hurt me, I need to forgive them and let it go. That person can no longer hurt me if I chose to let it go!
Materialism & Approval
I think it is safe to say that we all have a list of “things” we would like to have. Not going to lie, my closet is a testimony to this, but at the end of the day, nothing in my closet can comfort me. I think we would have a much bigger issue to discuss if I was running into my closet embracing my clothes/shoes/bags and asking those items to make my pain go away. No, that is crazy. So why do so many people think the answer to their problems can be fixed with a “magic credit card?” (Well until the bill comes) HAVING MORE DOES NOT MAKE ME MORE IMPORTANT! As Christians, we need to remind ourselves (daily, maybe hourly): “My self worth and security is in Christ Jesus. All my possessions can be taken from me, but my relationship with Christ cannot ever be stolen!”
Ecclesiastes 5:10 - “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income”
 Luke 16:13- No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
In the verses above, you can replace the word money with anything other than God. This includes friendships, relationships, work… anything. Even if I the world’s greatest job, perfect relationship, and an endless number of friends, I would still want more! Only Jesus can satisfy me J
 *If your goal is to become rich, you will never find it!” –John Rockefeller

Today’s Challenge:
List “driving forces” in your life; who are you seeking approval from? Ask God to reveal the areas driving your life and ask him to take control!
I admit that there are some “driving forces” in my own life that I need to eliminate. One major force in my life is approval. I long to feel accepted by others and often go out of my way to make sure I receive their acceptance. Through this study, I have realized that it is impossible to please everyone and that if I try, I will fail. God is the only one I need to please, and in doing so I will no longer chase approval of others.

Day 1: My Identity and Purpose can be discovered through a relationship with Jesus!

No matter how hard you try, you can never discover your purpose without Christ. You did not create yourself, God created you.

Jeremiah 1: 5: "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations— that's what I had in mind for you."

He made each and every one of us different. God did not make one person better than another, he made us different. I have always struggled with this meaning of “different,” and never truly believed He made us all equal and loved us all the same! Honestly, how could God love us all the same?

I am not a mother so I cannot comprehend how you love all of your kids the same. Lets face it, there is always the “perfect” child and then we have the “not so perfect” child. In my family, Rebecca (my 19 year old sister) is the perfect child. I honestly cannot say one negative thing about my sister, I am convinced God made her without flaw! How could my parents possibly love me as much as they love her? She has a positive attitude about everything, an endless number of friends, Varsity Cheer captain, Kiowa Princess at Kanakuk, Prom Queen… Should I continue? But to my parents, Rebecca and I are equals. I guarantee if you asked Rebecca to compare the two of us, she would have a list of reasons why my parents should love me more than her.

When we are seeking our own happiness and trying to find our purpose without Christ, we will always notice our own imperfections. But just as my parents believe Rebecca and I are equally “perfect” (this “perfect” is a very relative term) God made each of us equal and we were made perfectly in his image!

Psalm 139:13-14: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

*I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12. This chapter talks about different spiritual gifts and why one is no better than the other.*

But back to our purpose, life will never make since until we understand that we were made by God and for God! In The Purpose Driven Life, Warren talks about different “self help books” that suggest ways to discover, your life purpose form a self-centered viewpoint. Warren shares that many of these books are more “How to be successful” guides. “Being successful and filling your life’s purpose are NOT AT ALL the same issue!”-Rick Warren. WOW… What an AHH HAA moment I had reading that statement! The world has such a skewed view of success. If I make enough money to buy a drive a nice car, if I wear a size 2, if I become the President of some big company…. Then to the world, “I am successful.”

Matthew 16:25: “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

Day 1- True Success= Fulfilling Christ’s purpose for my life- to worship Him and share His love!

I Surrender: What now?

Although I come from a "Christian Home," I only recently surrendered my life to Christ. Growing up, I went to church every Sunday and said my prayers every night; but never TRULY knew Jesus. Life was all about Laura.

If I am honest, for the first twenty-two years of my life I was only concerned about how situations affected ME. This time last year I was convinced that I had everything, I had never been happier (I was happy; not joyful) I had a boyfriend who I was "madly in love with" a good paying job, and life seemed to be going GREAT! "Ha God- I don't need to give you my life. Why would i surrender when I already have it all?? Everyone wants what I have, I've got it all!"
"NEWS FLASH- Get off your high horse Laura... You have nothing without Me." (If I had been listening... That's what God was SCREAMING!)

Oct. 2010- My "Magical" boyfriend and I fall apart, by mom is dealing with melanoma, my brother leaves for the army, Oh and I quickly found out working; even on pay day,  isn't all that "fun." Nothing money can buy satisfies you long-term.So now going into the 2010 Holiday Season, I am at the lowest point of my life...

So I decided to devote my time to activities... I realize now, this was a way to put my problems/ upset feelings on hold. I became a regular at Second Baptist Church, joined a rodeo committee, Lead socials for a new singles class, Attended several young professionals events, played on a Co-Ed softball team (HA... that was humbling), & joined a number of small groups. I think I did a great job at fooling everyone, myself included, that I was happy and had it all together. But like they say... Habits are hard to break; again I was trying to find happiness by myself. (Which can only be found for a temporary period)

August of 2011, (Yes about 8 weeks ago) I woke up one morning and for the first time ever felt the Lord speaking to me... "Laura- I love you more than you will ever know. Only I can bring you joy (True happiness). What are you looking for? I am right here!" But God... “I am going to church, I am even a class leader... what do you mean? I am drawing to you....”
Matthew 15:8 says: "These people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is FAR from me."

Ok God, "You are right. You know my heart and I might be able to fool the world, but I cannot fool you. I am broken. All these activities I am involved in are just keeping my mind off my pain.... I SURRENDER! What now?"

Philippians 3:13-14: Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

For the next few weeks, I will be reading through Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. I am by no means a writer or a teacher and I do not claim my thoughts and words as truth; but I feel called to share what the Lord has been teaching me these past few weeks. I cannot begin to describe the Joy Christ has started to form in my heart. Although my life is a complete mess, I am full of Hope. I am confident Christ has something exciting planed for my life and I feel something BIG is coming. For now I choose to remain patient, and Trust in HIM!

I hope this Blog will inspire those of you "seeking for happiness," to no longer seek. Happiness is temporary. The key to Joy (which is permanent happiness) is in JESUS CHRIST!

LORD: I SURRENDER MY LIFE TO YOU… WHAT NOW?