I sat in church earlier this week meditating on a phrase the Pastor had just said; “fulfilling purpose”. Purpose, it’s a word we hear often in any setting where the word of God is being shared. But what does it really mean? Does a person have just one purpose? How can one know their purpose? What happens when a person doesn’t fulfil purpose? What is purposeful living? These questions are probably impounding on your heart as they were on mine but there’s nothing to worry about, in today’s post you’d be getting answers. 

 In simple words, purpose means essence of being (as in to be). Looking at it from the spiritual perspective, it is the reason why God made You. 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], 
And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; 
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:5  

This verse refers to God’s purpose for you and me. Now that we are clear on what purpose means, we’ll need to also understand that purpose is quite different from assignment and the calling, but they are interwoven.  

• Calling is defined as the office or the position through which the assignment is carried out.  
• Assignments are other things you’d be asked to do that are also in line with purpose… as you walk intimately with God. 

It is safe to infer that a person is just with one purpose, but many assignments. As humans, we go through different stages of life and for every stage, we have an assignment. Everyone has their purpose as an individual, and there is a unique plan God is set to accomplish through you.   

Assignments do not rule out the fact that everyone has a unique and major purpose in life. Esther’s own was to save the children of Israel from Haman (Esther 4:13-14), Paul’s own was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:15-16), even Jesus had a purpose, and it was to save the world from sin and its penalty to reconcile us to the Father (Luke 19:10; Matthew 1:21). 

Generally, we have all been given the assignment of sharing the gospel, but we as well have specific purposes, the major purpose of which every of our minor assignments submit to. 

The first step to fulfilling your purpose is to know your purpose. To know your purpose, you must be in Christ first. It is impossible for any man to find purpose outside Him. God is the Creator, so He alone knows best the functionality and use of His creation. Perhaps, you are already in Christ and so you are thinking to yourself “now what?”, the next step for you to do is to ask. Do not be afraid to ask God “what is my purpose?”  And when you do ask, be careful to listen… let your mind and spirit at all times be ready to receive His answer. Now that you know your purpose, you can then run with that vision. In all honesty, your God-given purpose may contradict the idea you already have in your head, it may scatter plans you have already made but we have this one confidence in God, that He always has our best interest at heart (Romans 8:28; Psalm 9:10). 

“For it is not your strength, but it is God who is effectively at work in you both to will and to work; that is, strengthening, energizing and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfil your purpose for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 AMP 

Since purpose is the reason for one’s existence, a major reason why people get fed up with life and begin to wonder why they were born in the first place is that they are yet to discover their purpose. Living a purposeless life will make you feel empty. In contrary, to live a purposeful life is to live in the reality of why you exist as a person.  

When a person fails to fulfil purpose, it is equivalent to a wasted life, such a person has just come and passed away like smoke in the air…quickly forgotten. Purpose helps you impact lives. It doesn’t have to be an impact on the whole world, it may just be a certain group of people who were blessed by the reason of your obedience to God.   

Remember, Romans 8:28 which says “…All things work together for good for those who love the Lord, who are called according to His purpose”. 

The point of emphasis in the Scripture above is not just for “those who love the Lord”, but also “who are called according to His purpose”.  For you to maintain a perfect balance in your walk with God, you must live in His purpose as much as you love Him