Continuing to do God’s will is what living on purpose is all about. Living this way begins with a confident trust in the Lord. Purpose is rooted in knowing just who God is and trusting that no matter what, He is in control and rewards faithful obedience.
3 Things to Remember when Seeking to Live my Life on Purpose
1) Trust that the Lord is good and kind.
How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours! ~ Psalm 116:5 NLT
I must believe that God is good, not that He is a dictator. He created us with freedom and free will so He cannot be a dictator. But if I believe He is a tyrant, then I will be too afraid to attempt anything for His cause. I shouldn’t anticipate God’s disappointment in my meager efforts. However, when I believe that God is a loving God, then my desire is to do His will and I am happy when I even get a chance to try. The loving God of the bible looks for obedience, not necessarily success.
God made a world full of beauty and wonder that is full of intricacies to get my attention. He did not create a drab gray world with robots to do His bidding. I can choose to serve Him, but I can also choose not to serve Him. A walk through nature displays the variety and beauty of God’s creation. An MRI displays the intricacies of a human body. God lures me with the intelligent design of the world as well as my body. He made these details for me to be in awe of the amorous pursuit of a loving suitor. He is indeed good.
2) Trust that living my life for the Lord is the best thing.
For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right. ~ Psalm 84:11 NLT
I also have to trust that living my life in God’s way is better than living in the world’s way. The world offers glitzy distractions that seem wonderful. The desire to have my home look like the after scenes in an extreme home makeover can entice me into a feeling of discontent. Magazine portraits of perfected beauty and fitness can make me wonder if I could ever look like that. If money, material things, and beauty are my end goal, I will always feel empty. Sure, God does bless me as I travel this journey of life but those blessings can’t bring peace or purpose in themselves. I must see the Giver above the gift.
3.) Trust that God is with me even in the midst of suffering.
You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. ~ Hebrews 10:34-36 NLT
God is good even when things do not go as well as I planned in my head. God does reward good and kind behavior even when I do not see the results that I intended. God has a bigger (and better) plan than I could ever imagine. Sin has caused the world to be fallen and corrupt and bad things are going to happen. Disease, pain, and unwished for circumstances are an inevitable part of the backdrop of life. However, God wishes for me to be kind and loving to other people anyway. He also wishes for me to seek to bring more and more beauty to the world through good deeds. God can and does use those good things to make the bad things tolerable in many people’s lives. Without the bad circumstances, I would never learn patient endurance, which helps me to see things from a similar viewpoint as God, who is the King of loving patience.
In conclusion, I can trust that God will see that everything I do and even what I fail to do will result in His good purposes. His sovereignty remembers my frailties and works in spite of them. God sees my heart. When my motive is kindness and a desire to do God’s will, then He is pleased even when I may feel like I have failed. God sees more than I can see. Therefore, He can do something good with my efforts even when I do not perceive what He is doing.