It starts with God

I have been thinking a lot about purpose. My purpose. Am i really who God has intended me to be, am i fulling His purpose for my life?

I have started reading the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren again and some things jumped out at me so i thought I would share

Everyone struggles with the Who am I question. We all have the drive and longing to find out what we were created to do. This wednesday night I am speaking about King Solomon and his 40 year journey to find satisfaction. This man had everything and yet nothing was good enough. All the money, power, sex, and fame wasn't enough. The bottom line is he was looking for a purpose....just like you and me. But the problem is that we have things backwards. We think that looking for our purpose is about us. Self Help books teach us to find our dream, set goals, figure out your strengths, and GO FOR IT! Of course there is nothing wrong with doing these things and more times than not they will lead to success, BUT they will not lead to happiness nor will they get you any closer to finding God's purpose for your life. Because all those things have to do with you.

Ephesians 1:11 says

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone."

Rick Warren gives us 3 insights to this and i would like to share them and add some stuff of my own

1. You only discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the beginning, middle, and end. It starts with Christ. Not Church, careers, dreams, talents, wants, desires, etc.... If you don't have a real everyday relationship with Jesus then you will be no different than King Solomon and will wander and search for satisfaction. And with no success of finding it.

2. God was thinking of you long before you ever thought of Him. His purpose for your life was planned before you ever existed, and guess what? He planned it without YOUR INPUT! You had no say in your purpose. You can pick your career, hobbies, relationships, and any other part of your life but you don't get to choose your purpose.

3. The purpose of your life fits into a much larger purpose that God has designed for mankind and for eternity. Its not just about you, its about Him and about all of us.

What is God's purpose for your life? I dont know.....but...i do know that the only way to discover it is to change our way of thinking. To began asking for the heart and mind of God. Ask Him, pray for it, fast meals for it. But let this be your warning......The Bible says seek and you will find. If you ask God for it, be ready......

because it may not be at all what you thought or even wanted.

is that something you can accept?