I am 15 years old and one of about thirty teenagers sitting on a living room floor listening to Paul King, our Young Life leader, talk about God. “Do you know God has a specific purpose for your life? Do you know your purpose in life?”
After the second question, I didn’t hear much of what he continued to say. I couldn’t stop thinking about the phrase, “Your purpose in life.” What really is my purpose in life?
Ten years later, I had the answer to that question. Do you know what your purpose in life is? Do you know why you are alive? I will help you answer those questions in this article.
Your Purpose in Life
Why am I alive? What is my purpose? Is there a reason why God put me on earth, in this family, in this country, and in this city? Does my existence have a reason?
It is easy to feel small in a world with 7.7 billion people. You can feel as if your mundane, ordinary life isn’t worth much. You begin to wonder if your life has any value.
You can question your entire existence.
Yet God has a specific purpose and plan for each one of us.
You are unique, with a unique purpose and gifts designed to accomplish that purpose. God placed you where you are geographically, because He knew that was the best place for you to live to accomplish His purpose.
Your purpose in life is in a direct relationship to the God who created us. God created us for a specific purpose. Our purpose in life is to honor God by:
- Worshiping Him
- Serving others
- Being the salt and light in the earth
- Showing God’s love
- Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Those five things are our purpose on the earth. Within them, there are specific things given to you. You have special talents and gifts so you can accomplish what God has designed you for. It is those specific plans God has for your life that are your specific purpose.
For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 CSB)
Your purpose in Worshiping Him
Everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory. I have formed them; indeed, I have made them. (Isaiah 43:7 CSB)
God created every one of us for His glory. We are to glorify God in everything we do.
What does “glorifying God” mean? To glorify God means we acknowledge how great He is and give Him honor by worshiping Him for His greatness.
Therefore, glorifying God includes worshiping Him. Jesus told us in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”
“In spirit” means from our spirit. It is our spirit that connects to our spiritual God. It isn’t our body, mind, or emotions that connect to God. Though they do play a part because we live in a physical world.
I don’t want to worship God without the physical part of me responding. What fun is it to worship God if you can’t feel His presence? Sure, feelings aren’t necessary when you worship God, but they make it more enjoyable and memorable.
Of course, our body can play apart. The Bible speaks of dancing before the Lord and of clapping. This is a part of worship, but more because of our need to express ourselves physically.
We must worship Him in truth. This is an expansive form of worship. We worship Him with the Word, which is truth. But we also worship Him by the way we live our lives.
The way we live, our every intent, word, and action we do is done in the truth of God’s Word.
Look at what the Holy Spirit told us through the Apostle Paul’s pen:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. (Romans 12:1 CSB)
We present our bodies to God through living a life that conforms to His image and what He commands in His Word.
(You can learn more about true worship in my article HERE.)
Your Purpose in Serving Others
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 CSB)
We are God’s workmanship. He is designing us for His purpose. The Lord is the potter, and we are the clay. God is forming us to do His will.
One purpose is to serve others. We are to consider others more important than us. Their needs come ahead of our needs. This is first learned in the family, practiced in the church, and finally carried out in the world.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4 CSB)
Serving others requires us to esteem others more important than us. Here is a good example of this:
I have gone out and helped the homeless many times. Some who I have done this with served the homeless from the position they believed they were better than the homeless. Their attitude showed they were giving their leftovers to the homeless.
Others I have done this with did it from a position of love and humility. They were there not only to give food and supplies, but also to give God’s love. It takes love to hug a dirty homeless person. It takes love to sit and listen to them.
This teaching must start in the home by teaching our children to esteem their siblings as more important. We practice this in the church by showing our children how to help and serve others. Then, when they are grown, they will carry this out into the world.
If you are not involved with your church, ask where you can be of a service to others.
Learn by serving those in the church first. God has equipped you to serve others.
Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)
Your Purpose for Being the Salt and Light in the Earth
We are called to be THE salt and THE light in the earth. The word “the” is an all-inclusive word. In other words, if we are not the salt and light, there will be no salt and no light in the earth.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16 CSB)
We are salt and light in the earth through our good works. These good works, done by esteeming others more important than us, will cause the people of the world to glorify God.
Christians are the ONLY salt and light in the earth. It is your purpose to be the salt and the light. Without our salt and light, the world would be in bigger trouble than it is now.
Your Purpose in Showing God’s Love
We are to show God’s love on the earth. Without us, the world can’t experience the relentless love of God. The life we live reveals God’s love to the world.
Our peace, in spite of stressful circumstances, reveals God’s love. It is also revealed by God’s consistent supernatural provision in our life. It is through our life the world sees God’s love for His people.
It is also through our love towards others that God’s love is shown to them. When we help others, feed the homeless, mentor others, and do other types of serving, we reveal God’s love to the world.
Your Purpose in Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Finally, our purpose is preaching the Gospel.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16 CSB)
We are not ashamed of the Gospel. We know someone hearing the Gospel is the only way they can be saved. It can’t be done any other way.
“How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15 CSB)
A preacher is anyone who preaches (shares) the Gospel. Ministers are not the only preachers. Every believer is called to preach (share) the Gospel. This isn’t a job reserved only for ministers.
Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20 CSB).
This is more than being a witness through the life you live. That is important, but the unbeliever needs to HEAR the Gospel. Hearing the Gospel is the only way they can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You can learn more about the ministry of reconciliation in my articles HERE:
Salvation Is The Family Business For A Child Of God
All People Are Special to God
God placed us in a special place. In fact, the angels were amazed when God created Adam. Their awe and amazement is revealed in Psalm 8:4-8.
What is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? You made him little less than God, and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas. (CSB)
God positioned man in a position just under Him. This amazed the angels. Here is God giving Adam, and all people after him, dominion, and authority over all of His creation.
To the angels, this was almost unbelievable. God gave earthen vessels the ability to carry His spirit and power inside of them, and to have dominion over all the works of His hand.
Of course, Adam committed high treason and gave his dominion and authority to satan. But then, Jesus bought it back by paying the ransom for us.
Therefore, as a believer, we have dominion and authority in the world.
God’s Purpose, Therefore Your Purpose, Will Always Happen
I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2 CSB)
I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will. (Isaiah 46:10 CSB)
God always accomplishes His purpose. There is nothing able to stop the plan of God.
Regardless of what satan tries, God always accomplishes His purpose.
If you are plugged-in to God, your purpose will always come to pass. What do I mean about being plugged-in to God? I mean, knowing His will through His Word.
(You can learn more about faith and the will of God in my article HERE.)
Whatever is God’s will is what happens. We just have to be in harmony with His will. That isn’t difficult. He reveals His will in His Word.
Your Purpose Will Be Fulfilled By God
When your purpose is in harmony with God’s will, your purpose will happen.
I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. (Psalm 57:2 CSB)
Again, we are in harmony with God’s will when we are in harmony with His Word. There is nothing that can stop God’s purpose from happening, so when we are aligned with His purpose then our purpose will happen too.
How to Discover Your Specific Purpose and God’s Plan for You
What do we need to do so we can discover our specific purpose? We know God’s general purpose, but He also has a specific purpose for our life. Each of us needs to find God’s specific purpose for their life.
Discovering God’s Specific Purpose for Your Life:
- Discover God’s purpose in His Word. The Word of God is the first step in finding His specific purpose for your life. We find God’s general purpose in His Word. If we are not doing His commandments that are revealed in His Word, why would He reveal more specific purposes to us?
- Spend time in prayer, sharing what you desire to do and listening to His desire for you. Time alone talking with God is vital in discovering our specific purpose.
- Do whatever you find needs to be done. You don’t have to know your specific purpose to work in the church, help the poor, or mentor children. As you do whatever needs to be done, God will reveal His plan and purpose for your life.
(You can learn more about God’s will for your life in my Article HERE.)
The Challenge
If you don’t know God’s plan and purpose for your life, I challenge you to do the necessary steps to discover it. There is not a more exhilarating life than one lived in the perfect will of God.
This isn’t wishful thinking. Do the teaching in this article and you will discover God’s plan and purpose for your life.
If you liked what you read, share it with your friends:
This is an affiliate link. If you click on the graphic and buy something, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That is how I maintain my website.
Christianbook Distributors
This is my favorite source for everything Christian. I have ordered from them with great satisfaction for over 20 years. If you need it, they have it.
- Bibles: Every translation imaginable
Books
Commentaries
Concordances
VBC Supplies
Bulletins
Communion Supplies
Pastor Resources
Bible Studies
- Gifts
Music
Movies
Journals
Children’s Books and Bibles
Toys
Stuffed Animals
Software
Clothing
