Life's Purpose in the Midst of Difficult Circumstances

Dr. Purushothaman
November 27, 2013

 

Life's Purpose
By David Guerrero, Speaker/Director Rekindle the Flame Ministries

As a Life Coach and Christian counselor I often meet people, who are stuck not knowing the next direction or step to take in life. Often time the counselor or client doesn't realize that they reason why they are stuck is that they have lost a sense of life's purpose.
The Apostle Paul made a most profound statement when he penned these words found in Philippians 3:10 and I Corinthians 2:2:
"that I may know him and the power of his resurrection."
"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
It is abundantly evident that Paul's life's purpose was to know Christ. He sought to now Christ personally and how He was at work in life circumstances. This pursuit of discovery was the objective of Paul's life.
Paul just didn't seek to simply know Christ for the first time, but to continually seek to know what Christ wanted from his life each and every day, as well as to experience Christ power in the course of daily living. Paul determined to discover God's will and purpose for his challenges and trials. Paul understood that it was through difficulties that God journeys with us in order that He might help us to see our need and help us in our need to become more like Christ.
This is life's purpose - to become more like Jesus. So often we view life as what we possess or what status we have in life. However, in heavens economy it is who we are or who we are becoming that God is most concerned with. When we think about it, isn't this what matters most? Isn't this what should determine what we do and how we do it?
They other day someone who is a life coach client of mine called me and was stuck. He was perplexed as he did not know what he should do. He wasn't sure what he should do as it related to his future. Should he take a job offer in another state or should he remain where he is now? When our conversation was done, the bottom line came to the surface when I asked him: "In God's call in your life, who has He called you to be?" There was a long silence then a "hmm, that a good question." Then, in answering that question my dear friend began to make his choice of what he was to do. You see in responding to who God wants us to be we can effectively respond to what we will do. When we discover who God desires us to become we can face life's challenges with the great expectation that what we are becoming in Him will certainly lead us to what we ought to do in every life circumstance. We simply make the choice based on if it aligns with what God is doing or what He would have done as it relates to our character development.
Not to long ago a fellow Christian felt the extreme need to sue the company she worked for. This was a Christian organization that she worked for and she felt that she had been treated unfairly. Instead of trying to work things out she consulted an attorney of sorts. What saddened me is that when she and her Christian attorney were asked to sit down and reason together to discover the best course to pursue the response was "NO we have nothing to discuss, if you the company does not reply to our request as we have demanded they will be sued!" I wondered, "Is this God's way to solve this problem?" I thought, "Doesn't God's word encourage us as Christians to come and reason together?" What is sad is that the Christian lawyer didn't even see the wisdom in seeking to glorify God by (1) learning all the facts and clarifying the issues to effect an optimal God glorifying outcome and (2) seeing if indeed something could have been worked out that would not only lift up Jesus but would demonstrate a powerful witness to everyone involved what God can do to bring reconciliation in the body of Christ.
You see, as Christians the first things we should ask ourselves in any situation is: "What is God's purpose in this?" Our problem is that we all too often seek our personal purpose and reasoning for what we do without consulting God. Many of us can recall that when Joshua forgot to consult God at Ai he experienced a great loss; however, when he consulted God and followed His direction he gained a great victory (see Joshua 7 & 8). We must remember to always make sure that our purposes and decisions are in tune with God's. This is imperative in our Christian growth, as we must always remember that "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD." Isa. 55:8 As this is true, as we grow we must be constantly and consistently consult God in all our matters of life. We must be seeking His purpose and not our own. For it is in seeking and fulfilling God's purpose that we glorify Him and accomplish with great joy the direction and purpose of life that He has designed for us. This must be our life's direction and goal.
In life we too, like Paul, in all things must seek to decide to know nothing else in the midst of our decision making and life circumstance but to know Christ, Him Crucified and the power of His resurrection. To do this and to have this experience is life's ultimate purpose.

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