Let’s Think About Purpose
If I asked you, as a Jesus follower, what your purpose in life looks like, how might you answer?
When pressed, ideas will come from the realm of duty (to God and family), or service (selflessly stewarding gifts), or just trying to live a quiet and peaceful life. Google the question and you get something like, “Christian purpose is to love God supremely, reflect Christlikeness in life, and to serve others.”
There is a great passage in Ephesians 2 that might give some insight into how we can fill in some of the blanks every single morning. Let’s glance at the first ten verses.
In Eph. 2:1-3 we are told that outside of Jesus we are dead to God along with all humanity. Pretty sobering.
Then comes the thunder. Verse 4: “But God…” stands in the way of destruction and stops the madness with the words,
“…because of the great love with which he loved us…made us alive together with Christ.”
By grace alone, through faith, based on the work of Jesus, we are alive, free, redeemed, adopted, accepted, and all the rest. Undeserved privilege.
Verses 4-9 lay all this out: How we came from death to life and now stand, welcomed into God’s presence. Now, that’s good news. But what about our purpose after that? That’s where vs.10 comes into focus.
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Let’s spend our time today breaking this sentence down to understand how it relates to us.
The word translated “workmanship” is poiema, where we get our word poem. Consider how different a poem is to any other writing: Each word is chosen and placed just so for maximum impact. Whether a sonnet or E.E. Cummings, a poem is a work of art from the mind of its creator.
Now paint that on yourself. You are his poem. His creation made just as he wished for the purposes he intends. Without bowing to comparison or competition, our task is to live out our poem-ness in whatever arena we find ourselves.
He goes on with “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” My life is not for just me and my fulfillment since this sure looks like I’m created with a purpose in mind to use what I have to extend kingdom goodness in my corner or the world. Purpose is coming into focus! Christ remade me to partner with him in his work right here and now.
There are two words in Greek for “good.” One, kalos, talks of good in terms of beauty, like a good sunset. This is the other one, agathos, which describes work that is noble, useful, virtuous, helpful, brave. You and me, wherever we are, have a purpose to do good, helpful, brave, noble things every day. Tiny moves or big swings, it’s all the same. That’s why we were created the way we were. Ups the ante a bit, eh?
He goes on: “which God prepared beforehand.” Let that sink in. The God of the universe has scattered across your daily path opportunities built to match your poem-ness and for you to live out your purpose by doing good works. He has set the table each day, and it’s almost like we are on a delightful treasure hunt for the next chance to partner with him.
The verse ends with an interesting phrase: “that we should walk in them.” This is the power of “should.” Your standing as a beloved child of God is not conditioned on your doing good works. You can never be more loved than you are. But to be fully alive in Jesus, we “should walk in them.” That’s where the fulfillment resides. Doing otherwise is like being gifted a pickup truck but never getting it dirty or hauling anything or letting someone borrow it. That’s it’s purpose! Use it.
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Now, that’s a slice of practical purpose for every one of us, every day.
Here’s an idea to take out for a test drive: Every day for the next week, as you wake and before your feet hit the floor…
Thank him for making you as his poem, his master creation.
Say a simple prayer asking for your eyes to be open to what God has prepared for you beforehand.
Tell him you are “Open for Business.”
Then, go through your day on the lookout for divine interruptions to your plan.
As the good Doctor Seuss says, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.”
Music for the week is always good…
How ‘bout a couple of lame jokes?
An old wild west fort was about to be attacked. The wily old general sent for his trusty Sioux scout, Tonto.
"Tonto, you must use your many years of skill in trying to estimate the sort of army we are up against here," requested the general.
Tonto laid down and put his ear to the ground.
"Large war party, maybe three hundred braves, four chiefs, two on black stallions, two on white stallions. All have war paint; Many many guns. Medicine man also with them."
"Good grief!" exclaimed the general, "You can tell all of that just by listening to the ground?"
"No," replied Tonto, "I can see under gate."
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A mother was visiting her son on an Army base, and chatted with a colleague of his.
"What rank are you?" she asked.
"I'm relieved to say that I've just been promoted from captain to major."
"Why relieved?"
"Because," he replied, "my last name is Hook."