Purposeful Living

“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” Luke 9:51

Jesus did things intentionally, on purpose. He knew what His life was about. Not only did this help Him decide what to do, but it gave Him reason to live, and confidence to die.

I heard a podcaster recently note that most generations have had purposeful lives. They even found community in coming together to be family, to work, to fight wars, to protest, to help others, etc. Recent generations have chosen or been forced to choose individualism, which has led to loneliness, solitude, and self-dependence. Although, on the surface, this isn’t all bad (especially for people who prefer to be alone), it does rob us of purpose that links us to others and things which we cannot accomplish alone. And it puts the weight of a purposeful, meaningful life fully on the individual – which can be a heavy burden, highlighting our flaws and inadequacies.

Everything about Jesus’ life was purposeful. His words, His actions, His miracles, His choices, His death, and His resurrection. They all were carefully chosen and were meaningful. I’m suggesting that we learn from this. That we think about our lives and live them with purpose – that our words, our actions, our choices, our lives, and even our deaths be intentionally for God. It’s Joshua’s challenge: “Choose you this day whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15).

There is a temptation to live life in a non-purposeful way. To not think spiritually about our choices and actions. To not have spiritual direction and goals. To just live based on what life throws at us. To simply react in the moment, hoping it somehow turns out okay. Jesus came so that we’re not going through life blindly. He is the light of the world so we don’t have to walk in darkness (Jn 8:12). We don’t have to live life guessing what way is best or through trial and error.

Our purpose is to glorify God now and in eternity. That is the purpose we have for our families. That is the purpose we have for our neighbors. That is the purpose we have for the world. Our words, our actions, our choices, everything in our lives will show that this is our purpose. It gives our lives meaning even when other reasons for living seem fruitless or end. And it gives us a connection to others as we show them Christ, the way to God, and as we help each other fulfill our purpose.

Purposeful living starts right now. How will our thoughts and actions right now – as we read this – glorify God and plan to glorify Him? That’s how Jesus lived. That’s how we’ll live if we are truly following Him.                dd