What is a Purpose Driven Life?
Purpose Driven Life means living a life that is based on and motivated by your personal values and beliefs. By making choices – both big and small – based on what you believe is right, rather than what is easy or popular.
Bible text-John chapter 17 vs 4
"I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do"
The Bible tells us that the values of the world are very well known and they have not changed. We are going to get our values in life from one of two places ' the World or the Word (the Bible). You will get your values in life from either culture or Christ. The book of 1 John 2:15-16
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16.) For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world.
The things of the world
What are the things of the world?
Pleasure: Pleasure is one of the three primary values in this world. If you ask most people, 'What do you want out of life?' They'll say, 'I want to have fun'. I want to be happy - I want to feel good.' That's a different way of saying pleasure. One of the largest industries today is now entertainment. We're a pleasure-obsessed culture.
*Note-Pleasure doesn't last. Heb.11:25 says, 'The pleasures of sin only last for a short time'.
Possessions: The ambition to buy everything that appeals to you. Our society is consumed with consuming. Clothes, cars, homes, and jewelry. We want everybody to see what we've got. We collect things and amass things and buy things we don't need but we keep buying. We base our self-worth on our net worth.
*Note-Possessions don't last. 1 Tim.6:7 says, 'We brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out'.
Prestige or power or position or popularity: In our world, image is everything. We're very status conscious. We want people to look up to us. We want people to think we're important and successful and we have value.
*Note-Prestige doesn't last either. Mark 10:31 says, 'Many people who seem to be important now will be the least important in eternity.' It goes on to say, 'Many who seem least important today will be the most important in heaven.'
Romans 12:2 says, 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.' The Message Bible says, 'Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.' Solomon had it all and yet he drifted from God's purpose in his life.
The Big Question!
What's Driving You?
Everyone's life is driven by something - guilt, worry or fear, insecurity, anger, resentment, their past, possessions, parents, money, etc. God wants us to be purpose-driven people, driven by His plan, and His purpose for our lives. That's where meaning and significance come. Before God even planned the world, He planned you. When He planned you, He planned your purpose even before you were born. When you fulfil your life purpose it brings honor to God and it brings satisfaction to yourself. Jesus was a purpose driven person.
There are three basic levels of living a Purpose Driven Life-
Survival level: The first level, the lowest level is the survival level. Most people live in the survival mode. They get by in life. They're not really living, they're just existing. They put in their time, punch the time clock and live for the weekends. They never really have any major goals or major drive in life.
Success level: Most people are in the second level, a little higher level called the success level. Focus is on paying off the mortgage or establishing a comfortable lifestyle. Yet this level does not satisfy.
Significance level: Significance is when you know why you're here on earth. You have a purpose for your life. You know that your life matters. You know that there is meaning behind what's going on in your life. People who enjoy significance know what on earth they're here for.
**How to live a purpose driven life-
1. Establish Your Values
The first step towards finding your purpose is identifying the values you stand for. This will determine the way you set up priorities, the way you behave and how you make decisions. Your values are a unique set of principles that you would not break, no matter the circumstances.
By now, you most likely already have a set of rules you live by. Some of them might not be things you value, but rather things you do because you were taught to do so, or because certain things were expected from you.
2. Define Your Purpose
Your ultimate purpose in life should not be driven by some obscure objectives, but rather align with your core values. This is exactly why some people find it so hard to achieve their goals and become frustrated with this. Although they might not want to admit it, their goals were conflicting with their values.
In order to define your goal, think about something that you truly want to achieve and compare it with your values. You need to be completely honest with yourself, define who you are and avoid starting conflicts with yourself. Throughout your life, you may find out that some of the goals you have set are not in line with your values, so you need to go over them again and rewrite them, as they may not fit your life anymore.
3. Set Up Objectives
In order to achieve the ultimate purpose of your life, you need to start setting up small goals that will help you move towards your purpose. This way, you will not end up feeling overwhelmed with the work you have to do to reach happiness. Setting up meaningless goals will only stray you from the road, so make sure your objectives act as steps that you have to climb to reach your destination.
Once you have set your objectives, you can start focusing on them, instead of the bigger picture. Accomplish them one at a time and you will soon discover that you are closer to your purpose than you imagine.
4. Find Your Passion
You might have experienced moments when you find it easy to accomplish tasks simply because you find yourself being passionate about them. Pursuing your passion is what will keep you motivated and help you achieve better results in every area of your life. Determine the things you like to do, whether it is something art-, technology- or sports-related.
Defining your passion will also guide you towards finding a profession you like, which can help fulfill your professional objectives and bring you one step closer to your ultimate purpose. Once you do things out of passion, you will find them much easier to accomplish, and even if you struggle somewhere on the road, you will find the motivation to get over the most difficult moments.
5. Become Self-Aware
To make sure that everything you do is meaningful to your ultimate purpose, you need to understand yourself better than anyone else can. Identify your strengths, your deepest weaknesses, your likes and dislikes and you will be able to find the motives behind your every action. Know what your deepest beliefs are and what motivates you every day.
To do so, you need to evaluate yourself every day and understand why you act the way you do. A self-aware person will know when it’s time to put effort towards an opportunity and not waste time with things that are not bringing any positive contribution to their life.
6. Think About Investment
Living a purpose-driven life does not come costless. Sometimes, you will find yourself having to make some sacrifices to achieve your goals, so take the time to think about what you are willing to risk in order to see your vision become reality. Time, energy, and sometimes even money needs to be invested in your dream.
If you have selected your goal in alignment with your core values, you will find those sacrifices are worth making.
**The Benefits of a Purpose-Driven Life
It Reduces Frustration: A sense of purpose makes daily decisions easier.
It Increases Motivation: A sense of purpose gives you a reason to get up in the morning.
It Creates Concentration: A sense of purpose enables you to focus and avoid distractions.
It Attracts Co-operation: A sense of purpose attracts other people to your life to help and get involved.
In conclusion-
It is in the nature of all human beings to have something to look forward to, in order to give themselves a reason for waking up in the morning and going through all the ups and downs life throws at them. No matter the reasons, without having a purpose in life, one will only wander through life without living it to the fullest
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