The three main questions most people have as they come to discover a purpose in their lives are: “Who am I”  which  is about your identity” The second is “Do I matter” which speaks to our need of feeling important. The last is “What is the place in my life?” This deals with our desire to make a difference or an impact with our lives.

The answer to all three of these questions are answered in the five purposes that we have been studying.

As we come to the last day of the 40 Days of Purpose, and we look at what we have covered, it’s a lot of material isn’t it? It raises the question of what we do with all of this and how do we apply it in our daily lives.  What ’s the next step?

I think you’d agree that what we have learned, we are responsible for. It would be easy to get distracted and continue doing the very same things that we did before we started the 40 day journey. But it’s not that easy. We cannot go back. can we. We now know too much.

Hopefully the light bulb has come on and you have had a few “ah-ha” moments on the journey. God is so willing to work with us and help us if we just cooperate. The fact is that it’s easy to get off course. This will take us doing our part to work at this, take action to develop some new habits and focus.

One of the ways we can better “internalize” our purpose is to develop a Life Purpose Statement. It’s a statement that summarizes God’s purpose for your life. It’s not a list of goals. It’s not a “to-do” list. As a matter of fact I have heard it said that sometimes it’s better to have a “not-to-do” list, but we’re not talking about that either.

Your Life Purpose Statement is a way, in your own words to write down and affirm a commitment to the five purposes in your life that you have been learning about over the last six weeks.

It’s a statement that points the direction of your life. It’s a statement that speaks to what you are going to do with your time, life and money, and it also addresses the areas of your life that you are not going to do certain things..where you may need to stop spending money, time, or resources.

It’s a statement that defines success for you. You write down what you believe is important, not what your friends, co-workers or the world thinks… it’s what you think. It clarifies your values. It clarifies your roles, and it is a statement that expresses your “shape.” It reflects the unique ways that God made you to serve him.

It’s easier to prepare a Life Purpose Statement if you answer the Five Greatest Questions:

1. What will be the center of my life?
2. What will be the character of my life?
3. What will be the contribution of my life?
4. What will be the communication of my life?
5. What will be the community of my life?

An example of a short life statement can be like this.

• “My life purpose is to worship Christ with my heart, serve him with my shape, fellowship with his family, grow like him in character, and fulfill his mission in the world so he receives glory.”

You get the idea. The focus is on God’s purposes for your life, not just your plans.

The question is this: Will you be a person used for his purposes in this generation? The greatest joy will be the day that we stand before our Father and he embraces us and says ” well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”  We have the opportunity here on earth to bring him pleasure, enjoy and minister to his family, become Christlike, and share the Good News with others. May His purpose be released in us today!

Onward to Day 41 in His purpose….

Keeping a balanced life is a challenge for all of us. We tend to be really busy. We focus on some things and let other things go. Sometimes the things we focus on, or the things we let go can be good, sometimes bad, but it takes work and discernment to keep things in balance.

It’s the same way with the five purposes we have been learning about. Some of the readings may have resonated with us and we said “Yes… this means something to me.” Others may have been difficult to even finish the reading. Whatever the case we have five purposes, all of which are important to keep balanced in our lives.

How to we maintain balance? One of the best ways to maintain balance is to have some accountability in your life through small groups. Remember, we were never meant to do this alone and small groups provide a safe atmosphere where we can share and have others reflect the Word of God back to us and we can see where we need to grow. We learn best in community. Even though the temptation is to be a “self contained” unit, we have some very valuable lessons that we cannot learn apart from being with other believers.

Our minds are sharpened and our convictions deepened through conversation. We can learn from each other, give feedback to one another and encourage each other. Sometimes we just cannot find what we are looking for on our own. We don’t see things from the perspective that we need to see it. We can get lost in our own little world. This is where we can open up to each other share the hard times, the good times and have times of worship and healing.

Another way we can maintain balance is looking at where we are spiritually and doing an assessment of our spiritual health.  Give yourself a spiritual checkup. The “vital signs” that can be checked are: worship, fellowship, growth in character, ministry and mission.  When we look at each of these areas we can take an inventory and ask ourselves if we are balanced or where we need improvement.

We can stay balanced by recording, or “journaling” what we are learning and the progress we are making to fulfill God’s purposes in our lives. Writing tends to help us remember things. What we write about, we can go back and review. It helps us to clarify what God is doing in our lives. Write down the pleasant things and even the not-so-pleasant things. Remember every problem we have is purpose-driven.

A fourth way of staying balanced is to give what we have learned to others… pass it on.. The best way to keep growing and learning is to pass on what we have learned to others. When we pass on the insights that God has given us, He gives us more. It’s an amazing truth. We were not meant to learn the lessons we learn just to keep them “hoarded” for ourselves. The Bible says that “the one who blesses others is abundantly bless; those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25 The fact is this. What you have learned up to this point can and will bless and touch others if you just make yourself available and are willing to pass it on!

The reason that we pass on what we learn, is that God has a purpose to bring others into His Kingdom to know Him and experience His glory. We are privileged to be a part of this great purpose. Bringing Glory To God!! He wants us to introduce others to Christ, bring them into fellowship, help them grow into maturity and discover their place of service, then send them out to reach others too.

No matter where we are in life currently, the rest of our lives can be the best of our lives. Praise be to God

You have a choice to make, be a world class Christian, or be a worldly Christian.

A worldly Christian is someone who look to God mainly for what they can get from Him and for personal fulfillment. They are saved but full of their own agenda that may include enrichment seminars  and concerts, but not be the least bit interested in missions or serving.  It’s a case of the “me” generation just slapping a Christian exterior on. They say all the right things, but are really more interested in a comfortable lifestyle,  and having their own needs met and use God for their own purposes instead of being used for His purposes…

Worl-class Christians know that they have been saved to serve and made with a mission. Big difference. They are excited about the privilege of being used by God. Thy feel fully alive and know that their lives make a difference. They wake up excited about the new ways God is going to use them.

Which type of Christian do you want to be?

It takes a shift in thinking to go from worldly to world-class. You have to shift from a self centered focus to thinking about others. It’s a maturing process. When we were baby Christians, we are naturally a bit self centered, because babies are just that way. We mature as we depend upon the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. It’s not a job we can do on our own. It’s God’s Spirit that helps us mature.

We can also mature and become a world-class Christian as we develop global thinking. The world around us is much bigger than our own home, neighborhood, city or even country. We can start to think globally. The nations of the world are so much more available to us to see on television, read about and even visit. Our lives can make a difference to an entire nation if we open ourselves to thinking that way.

The best way to start is to simply start praying for a country. Start with ours, then branch out. Pray for the leaders to come to know Christ, for the needs to be met for the poor and homeless, that Christian laborers would be released to the harvest fields. Pray that the deceptions of the enemy would be revealed and that the truth of Christ’s finished work on the cross would go forth. Pray that God’s judgment would be held back and that his mercy would prevail.

You can also think more globally if you actually see the areas of the world that you may be praying for. Volunteer for a short term mission. Experience the other places that may not have as much as you do. It’s eye opening to see and it gives you a different perspective.

Becoming a world-class Christian also requires a shift in thinking from the short term, “here and now” to an eternal perspective. Paul said, “we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but that which is unseen. What is seen is temporary, what is not seen is eternal.” 2 Cor 4:18  This shift in a more eternal way of thinking will allow us to put things into perspective. We won’t major on the minor things. We won’t be overly concerned about the things that don’t last and really don’t matter.

How do we shift from temporary thinking to eternal?  We have to daily remind ourselves that we cannot trade our lives for that which is temporary. It is a maturing process to let go of the temporary and replace it with the eternal. We have to trust that our here and now will be taken care of. Even if things don’t look like they will.

The goal to become a world-class Christian can be realized if we don’t make excuses. Shift from excuses why you can’t do it to thinking of creative ways to fulfill your commission. You are never too old, or have nothing to offer. These are just excuses. Not knowing a language is no excuse. There is no special call or voice from heaven that will direct you more than the word that has already been given. Stop making excuses to serve God and becoming a World Class Christian. Ask God to show you where you can serve. Just be willing. You may be surprised what God will do with a willing vessel.

You may not feel as if you have anything to share but that is just the enemy whispering in your ear. You actually have a huge deposit of experiences that God wants you to share in order to bring others into His family.  This is your Life Message, and no…it’s not boring or unworthy to be told.

There are four parts to a life message.

1. Your testimony: the story of how your relationship with Jesus began
2. Your life lessons: what has been the most important lessons God has taught you.
3. Your godly passions: the issues God shaped you to care about most
4. The Good News: the message of salvation

The essence of witnessing is really nothing more than sharing your personal experiences with the Lord.  Your not expected to “prove” anything, convince anybody of anything or try and convert people. It’s your testimony. It’s what’s happened to you. A witness just reports what they saw. Jesus said that you would be “his witnesses”  not his attorney.

Sharing your testimony is an essential part of your mission on the earth because it is unique to you. There is no one else that has your story.  You may not be a bible scholar or even know where all the books of the bible are, but you are an authority on your own life and it’s hard to argue with personal experience.

Personal stories are easier to relate to. When you are sharing what happened to you, and you are authentic, people will respond much differently than a sermon from a professional “preacher.” As a matter of fact, you may be the only Bible some people will ever read…

In order to be prepared to share what God has done in your life, divide it into four parts.

1. What was your life like before you met Jesus
2. How did you realize you needed Jesus
3. How did you commit your life to Jesus
4. The difference Jesus has made in your life.

There are other areas that you could focus on, but this is a great start in telling your story.

Remember that God has also taught you many lessons that you may take for granted, but these are a part of your Life Message as well.

The lessons you have learned will be used to help others through similar situations and maybe even spare them some of the pain that you had to endure while you learned the lesson.

You can share with people what God has taught you through failure, having a lack of money, an illness, from disappointments or even some great blessing you have been given. What have you learned from other brothers and sisters, a great message you responded to, or how home groups have helped you.  You have a lot to share, and as you think about it, you’ll be surprised as to how much..

Your God given passions are areas that God wants you to talk about. You may be passionate about a cause, such as the rights of unborn children, or about the elderly and seeing that they are taken care of. Whatever you feel passionate about, is an area that you have a Life Message in as well. Everybody is not as passionate as you are about things, that is what makes us different.

The Good News is part of your Life Message, isn’t it. God has never made a person that He didn’t love. Many of them just don’t know it yet. It’s your job to tell them the Good News. Loving others leaves no choice but to share God’s love. Are you willing? Is anyone going to heaven because of you?

Think of who needs to hear from you today. It is your Life Message that can be the very tool that God uses to touch that person. Don’t let fear hold you back…

Yes…God is at work in the world and He has extended an invitation for you to join him. Should you accept the invitation, this assignment will be your mission. Your work and service to the Body of Christ is your ministry, and your work and service in the world is your mission. God wants you to have both…

As we come to day 36 of in our 40 Days of Purpose, we find that fulfilling your mission in the world is our fifth purpose. There are two parts to this mission. One part is shared. The other is specific. The shared part is the responsibility that we share with every other Christian. The other part is the part that is specific only to you.

When we become Christians we are sent out with a unique mission in the world, to represent Christ,  as messengers. Jesus said, “as the Father sent me, so I send you…” Jn 20:21 His mission was completed at the cross, when he uttered “It is finished.” He passed the torch on to us, because we are his body on the earth. Our mission is to show the love of God, and introduce others to Christ.

Our mission is important and there are several reasons why

1. Your mission is a continuation of Jesus’ mission on earth
2. Your mission is a wonderful privilege.
3. Telling others that they can have eternal life is the greatest thing that you can do for them.
4. Your mission gives your life meaning.
5. God’s timetable for histories conclusion is connected to the completion of our commission.

The mission is so significant that Jesus said it five times in five different ways in five books of the Bible! The Great Commission that Jesus gave all his followers, (not just pastors and teacher says “Go to the people of every nation and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you.”  Matthew 28:19-20  As followers of Christ this mission is a wonder, but mandatory, privilege.

If you knew the cure for cancer but never told anyone…that would be a criminal act. If we knew how people could be set free from bitterness and experience forgiveness, have peace and a purpose in their lives,  and live eternally, wouldn’t we want to say something? Do we really believe that we are the message bearers of Good News…the Best News? Or.. have we gotten so bogged down not trying to “offend” people, even if it meant they would be saved from a life of destruction and death. Sometimes it boggles the mind why we don’t say more than we do…

We have a divine purpose in our mission that has eternal significance. The consequences of our mission will last forever, the consequences of our job will not. Nothing that we do has more meaning and matters more than helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.

There are people here in this world that you are the only person that will be able to reach them because of where you live or work. You are that very person that God chose for that very person at this very time. It’s a divine appointment with eternal consequences. Don’t miss the opportunity.

If you commit to fulfilling your mission, no matter what it costs, God will meet you with grace and power beyond your wildest dreams. To share the very thing that is closest to God’s heart, his love and desire to reconcile the world to himself, will bring you into an understanding and joy of knowing Him that compares with nothing that is offered by this world. To cooperate with God, there isn’t anything that He won’t do for you.