Before
we dive into this point, we need to make at least one caveat. In one sense, you
are always living in God’s purpose. God is God and He works all things,
including your life, according to his purposes. Nothing can happen without God
ordaining it.
Psalm
57:2 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for
me.” This is key in understanding God’s purpose for your life. God has numbered
your days and will fulfill every purpose He has for you.
However,
our choices and actions also really matter. In some ways, this is a mystery we
can’t fully understand, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. We can choose to
do things that will bring us more joy and give us more of a sense of purpose.
That’s where we’re headed in this post. We want to help you identify those
choices you can make to bring more excitement and God-given purpose into your
life.
But
first, here are 6 pointers that you don’t have much purpose in your life:
1.
YOU’RE
BLATANTLY LIVING IN SIN:
Let’s
start with the obvious here. If you’re blatantly disobeying the Bible, you’re
not living in God’s purpose and you will certainly experience a sense of
aimlessness in your life. This one is pretty straightforward so we don’t need
to spend too much time here.
2.
YOU LACK
JOY AND EXCITEMENT:
If
you wake up every day filled with apathy or dread or total boredom, you’re
probably not doing what you were meant to do. God has created you uniquely, has
really good things planned for you and one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy
(Galatians 5:22). Sure, there will be difficult things you encounter that
require patience and persistence, but overall you should have a sense of joy
and excitement that fills your days, your work and your relationships.
In
his book “Desiring God,” John Piper says:
The
pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is not an “extra” that a person might
grow into after he comes to faith.
3.
YOU DON’T
FEEL MUCH FULFILLMENT IN LIFE:
If
you go about your days experiencing little fulfillment, you may be wandering
from your God-given purpose. Fulfillment comes from doing rewarding,
meaningful, purposeful things. From a job that taps into your skills and
passions. From a relationship that involves giving and receiving. From hobbies
that are invigorating instead of mind-numbing. Yes, you’ll have to do certain
things that are boring and unfulfilling, but if you’re entire life is gray, you
probably need a change.
4.
YOU WORK
SO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK:
You
know the feeling of pointless work. You go to the office, clock in, do your
job, then go home and collapse in front of the television. You work for the
weekends and for retirement. All true joy you experience comes from things
outside of work. From hobbies or friends or side jobs.
Ecclesiastes
8:15 says, “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to
eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the
days of his life that God has given him under the sun.”
Would
you say that this kind of joy characterizes your life and work? If not, you may
need to rethink where you’re headed.
5.
YOU FEEL
STUCK:
If
you desperately want a change but also feel totally stuck in your life, that’s
almost certainly a sign that you’re not walking according to God’s purpose.
Those who are stuck want to go in a particular direction but don’t know how to
get there. So they spin their wheels, feeling endlessly frustrated but unsure
of how to make the frustration end. Do you feel trapped?
6.
YOU HAVE
NO DIRECTION:
If
you don’t know God’s purpose for your life, you constantly feel a sense of
aimlessness. You feel as though you’re wandering from thing to thing without
any forward progress. Nothing excites you and you don’t have any specific goals
you’re working toward. Unlike the Israelites, who wandered for 40 years yet
still had a goal (the Promised Land), you don’t even have a goal in front of
you.