Jesus is the best example of an “on-purpose” person. He came for a purpose, and He purposed to fulfill His purpose. Just look at this example in the book of Luke:
And when daybreak came, He left [Peter’s house] and went into an isolated [desert] place. And the people looked for Him until they came up to Him and tried to prevent Him from leaving them.
But He said to them, I must preach the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God to the other cities [and towns] also, for I was sent for this [purpose].
Luke 4:42–43 (AMPC)
Jesus had been visiting and preaching in Capernaum, and it was time for Him to go on to another place, but the people tried to prevent Him from leaving. His response informed them that He had to stick to His purpose. Well-meaning people who care about us are often used to prevent us from fulfilling our purpose in life. Their plans are based on what would be best for them, but rarely is that in accord with God’s plan.
Jesus came to teach the Gospel, to pay for our sins through His suffering and death (see Hebrews 9:26), to destroy the works of the devil (see I John 3:8), to give us an example to live by (I Peter 2:21), to be an example of serving (Mark 10:45), and to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17–18), among other things.
Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil, who was tirelessly trying to move Jesus away from His divine purpose (see Luke 4:1–13). Thankfully, Jesus was determined to do the will of God.
At another time, Peter tried to prevent Jesus’ purpose by telling Him that He must not go to Jerusalem to suffer at the hands of the Jews. Jesus wasted no time in confronting Peter and telling him that he was a hindrance and a snare. Jesus then said, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23). Wow! Talk about dealing with a temptation in a straightforward manner! Jesus knew that Satan was using Peter to try to get Him out of God’s will and purpose, and Jesus was determined that would not happen.
The apostle Paul experienced the same type of opposition, and he said that if he had been trying to please people he would not have become an apostle of Jesus Christ (see Galatians 1:10). I know for sure that had I been trying to please people I wouldn’t be in ministry today. I wouldn’t be writing this book right now. I would probably be frustrated and unfulfilled, wondering why I couldn’t seem to find happiness and peace. Most people have no idea the price they will pay if they live to please people instead of living to please and follow God.
It is very clear in Scripture that in the midst of opposition we must determine whether we will choose to please God or people as we travel through life. If we make the right choice now, we will avoid living with regrets later on.
The men who followed Jesus all had careers and were busy, but when Jesus said, “Follow Me,” they immediately left what they were doing and followed Him.
What if they had not followed their hearts, but instead had leaned on their own reasoning? They could have missed being part of the greatest miracle in the world. Don’t miss your moment! Don’t miss your miracle!
They didn’t ask what the pay would be, or where they would sleep, or what the workday would look like. Like Abraham when God called him, they went without troubling their minds about where they would go. Abraham is a good example of how we should respond to God’s call:
[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go.
Hebrews 11:8 (AMPC)
All of these men took risks! If we are not willing to risk what we have now, we will never find out what we could have. I am not suggesting we do foolish things, but if we really think about what these men did, surely they must have appeared foolish to any thinking, reasoning person. However, they were urged on by faith, and faith will take you places where reason would not allow you to go. Living by faith requires us to take a step without always knowing positively what will happen.
If we are not willing to risk what we have now, we will never find out what we could have.
I was busy being a housewife and mom when God called me to teach His Word. In fact, I was making my bed. From that moment I have passionately pursued that purpose. I have had to take many risks, and there have been sacrifices along the way, but I am so grateful that I made the right choice. Unless we fulfill our God-ordained purpose, we will always be searching for something and never attaining it. We end up empty inside and frustrated, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Faith may require us to let go of some things. Many people are fearful of giving up what they feel is safe, but with God, we can be safe in the midst of risk! As long as He is guiding our steps, we are not in danger.
To be passionate means to be compelled to do a thing by strong, intense feelings. I mentioned that I have pursued one main purpose with passion. But in order to have passion, we must enjoy what we do. I want to do what I am doing—I love it and cannot imagine doing anything else. I suggest that you ask yourself what you love, what you enjoy, and what makes you feel alive. It is difficult to give your life to anything unless you are passionate about it.
I don’t believe a loving God would have me do something all of my life that I despised doing. Some people may pursue careers simply because they pay big money, and yet they are miserable all of their lives. May I suggest that money isn’t as important as joy and enjoyment! Do something you enjoy! This doesn’t mean to live selfishly. Don’t get true joy confused with entertainment.
Another thing to ask when searching for your purpose in life is, What am I good at? God wants you to succeed, but you won’t do that if you are trying to do something that you simply are not good at. I am good at talking. I am a gifted communicator and that makes me comfortable while fulfilling my purpose.
If you love to cook, maybe you should own a restaurant or a catering business. Or maybe you should just cook for your family and friends. If you love to bake, maybe you should start a bakery. I know one woman who absolutely loves to clean house, and she is welcome to come and clean mine anytime she is looking for some enjoyment!
It makes me sad to watch people go through life miserable because they deeply dislike what they are doing. Don’t be afraid to make a change, or take a risk. You never know what you may find on the other side of what you think is “safe.” Find something that you can be committed to and do it with all of your heart.
Passion keeps us going even in times when we want to give up. Building anything requires a lot of courage and sacrifice, and there are times when we wonder if it is worth it. If we have true passion, we cannot quit even if we want to. Passion takes us across the finish line of our race in life.
Passion keeps us going even in times when we want to give up.
You might say that a momma bear is passionate about keeping her cubs safe, so she becomes fierce when anyone tries to take them away from her or harm them in any way. Passion makes us fierce in the spirit. It gives us a determination that not everyone understands. We refuse to let our destiny be stolen from us when we have true godly passion.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary partially defines passion as the suffering that Christ endured between the night of the Last Supper and His death.19 Wow! What a thought. Passion means that we have a willingness to suffer in order to fulfill our purpose. Jesus suffered, and we have all benefited—that gives Him continual joy. I can say with certainty that if each of us fulfills the purpose for which we are here, we will have joy, and someone else will benefit greatly from our choices in life.
Passion is enthusiastic, creative, and alive—it is active! Enthusiasm doesn’t just happen, but it is a result of being active in something. I don’t feel enthusiastic when I first wake up, so I have to stir myself up. The whole point of being an “on-purpose” person is that we don’t live by feeling, but we make choices that we know will give good results, and we invite our feelings to go along if they want to. Most days my feelings get on board and go along with me, but there are some days when they don’t. Those are testing days, and we grow spiritually and we develop character on those days.
I wake up in the morning and, most days, before getting out of bed I declare that something good is going to happen to me that day and that something good will happen through me. I pray for and expect the day to be blessed. I pray for energy, enthusiasm, zeal, and passion—and then I get up!
Don’t start your day feeling guilty about the mistakes and failures of yesterday. Receive God’s mercy and forgiveness and expect good things to happen to you and through you. If you feel badly about yourself, it will drain your energy and that won’t help you seize today and make it count.
It is important that you start your day right, and making sure you don’t have a bad attitude toward yourself is part of doing that. How we feel about ourselves affects all of our actions. If we devalue ourselves and feel worthless, it will adversely affect how we interact with other people. The fact that Jesus died for you gives you infinite worth and value. Believe that you are important to God’s plan and you will be more enthusiastic about facing the day.
By the time I begin my day like this, I am feeling pretty enthusiastic about getting started. This is an important part of my “on-purpose” day. I spend time with God because I know the day will not go right if I don’t, but mostly I do it because I love Him and I want to be with Him. During that time I often think over what I need or want to accomplish that day and then I get started!
You might be thinking that all you need to do is clean house today and that you surely cannot be enthusiastic about that, but you actually can! If you get your day started right, you will be surprised by how many things you can enjoy and do with a bounce in your step.
A positive mind leads to an energetic, enthusiastic life!
A positive mind leads to an energetic, enthusiastic life!
I challenge you not to waste today! Live it fully and do it on purpose. God’s glory is man fully alive! I talk to one or more of my children every day unless I am out of the country and in a strange time zone. I can usually tell by the tone of their voices what kind of day they are having. If I say, “How are you today?” and they answer in a low tone, “I guess I am okay,” I am always disappointed because I know something is bothering them and I want my children to fully enjoy each day they have. How could God feel any less about His children?
We all go through things, and not every day is going to be perfect, but let’s make a decision to enjoy and fully live each day that God gives us. Make your days count, because time goes by faster than most of us can imagine. I told my children the other day that we should laugh as much as possible and make memories together, and they agreed.
Don’t just drift through life. Don’t live in darkness, but follow the light as Jesus taught us to do.
So Jesus said to them, You will have the Light only a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light [keep on living by it], so that darkness may not overtake and overcome you. He who walks about in the dark does not know where he goes [he is drifting].
John 12:35 (AMPC)
If we don’t purposely follow the light, the darkness will overtake us. I think for our purposes in this book, we can say that following the light refers to doing what we know is the right thing to do. As long as we are purposely engaged in doing what is right, the darkness cannot overtake us. It has no power over us. But if we drift along with no purpose, we will be deceived by the darkness.
• Jesus is the best example to follow as you strive to live an “on-purpose” life.
• We all have a choice to make—will we live to please other people or will we live to please God?
• Faith will take you places where reason would not allow you to go.
• Give your life to that thing you are passionate about doing.
• Enthusiasm isn’t just a feeling—enthusiasm is a choice.
• The fact that Jesus died for you gives you infinite worth and value.