Do you often find yourself going through your daily routine wondering, “What is my purpose?” This post includes three important Biblical lessons that will show you how to discover your purpose in the mundane. Read on to learn how to live out God’s purpose for you in your normal daily routine.
Ecclesiastes is a book of the Bible that I like to read regularly. It has a sort of essay-style argument about what King Solomon believes is the point of life.
He starts with some pretty bleak arguments, but he eventually turns them around. By the end, he brings about a simple way to look at life with meaning and satisfaction.
The main message is this:
We all go back to the earth at the end of our lives, so the legacy we try to make for ourselves here is futile. Instead, we should turn our eyes to the one who created us and live according to his purpose.
This means offering our working hours to God, stewarding his creations, and worshiping him for all of the ways he cares for us.
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How do I know what my purpose is?
Let’s look at the tough facts Solomon lays out at the beginning of his argument.
He asks, “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3, NIV)
If anyone were to think too long on this subject, they would eventually grow weary of their own life.
The things they’ve learned have been learned before. The places they go have existed long before them and will continue to exist long after them. After death, even their name will be forgotten in time.
Knowledge only brings more distress. The more we try to reach for something tangible, the more pained we feel when it slips from our grasp.
What, then, is the point of it all?
How can I fulfill God’s purpose for my life?
I know it sounds a little harsh to open an argument by announcing the pointlessness of every endeavour we start on, but there is a reason for this.
It is important to recognize, above all else, that we were not put on this earth to be our own gods. We are not here to make a name for ourselves or to change the world with one command.
Only one person can do that- our creator.
God didn’t put us on earth to challenge us to be him.
That would be impossible!
No, he put us on this earth to have a relationship with him and to work with him. And isn’t that so much better than having to constantly strive to be something that we just, well, aren’t?
If we are not here to create worldly success, then what are we here for? Lots of things, really, but in this article, I wanted to share with you three things that bring you purpose on this earth.
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3 Valuable Lessons that will make you look at your Daily Life with More Purpose
Lesson #1: My purpose is to worship God, the one who made the earth and all that is in it.
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
Psalm 105:1&2
Our first and most important purpose is simply praising and worshiping the God who made us and everything that is good.
I’ve heard from a lot of experienced parents that parenting is the most difficult job that they’ve ever had. When asked why, so many of them respond saying, “It is the most thankless job I’ve ever had.”
We were created in God’s image, so it’s not hard to imagine how God feels when he made this entire universe for us, and we spend most days focusing on ourselves and complaining about the traffic or how tired we are.
Talk about a thankless job!
God wants us to see the wonderful things he has made in us and for us. When we recognize and thank him for those things, he is so happy!
Not only does he want us to praise him, but he wants us to have a relationship with us, as well.
In the garden of Eden, God often walked with Adam in the garden and loved to spend time with him. God wants that from us even now.
By praising God, building a relationship with him, and doing what he asks of us, we have already served the most important and valuable purpose on earth.
There is no pressure to be perfect, just to connect with God to the best of our abilities.
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Lesson #2: My purpose is to be a steward for God’s creations, including other humans.
Let us make man in our image…and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
Genesis 1:26
When my husband first came to meet my family, I had offered him tea, which he accepted. We have a lot of different teacups in our house, so I asked him which one he wanted.
He asked for the cheapest, most generic cup we had.
When I asked him why he said that he didn’t want to be responsible for potentially breaking a cup with sentimental value.
If this was a cup that belonged to him, he wouldn’t have thought twice about using it, but because he was acting as a steward to someone else’s belongings, he wanted to treat everything with extra care.
I hope this story didn’t suggest to anyone that we should be afraid of using God’s creations because we don’t want to potentially break anything of value!
Instead, I want to highlight just how careful we are with belongings when we know they don’t belong to us.
Absolutely nothing in this world is ours to keep. God created everything in it, and he has every right to do with it what he wants.
But he has decided to give it to us to take care of, to steward as best we can.
These things are not ours to keep; they are ours to take care of.
And so it is our second purpose to care for all of the things God places in our lives as if they were not our own.
This might look like caring for your family, making an effort to lower your ecological footprint, or using your money to help others (because that, too, belongs to God).
Additionally, it means being thankful for everything you have, because it is not something that you have because of your own fortune. This, too, is a gift from God himself – be thankful for it!
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Lesson #3: My purpose is to use my God-given skills and passions for work.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24
Work is an important part of human life. I don’t just mean the work you get paid for- I mean EVERYTHING! Parenting, cleaning, budgeting, volunteering, and yes, your job.
Work is everywhere! There is value in it, no matter what the job and no matter what you get paid.
God wants us to work hard for him, but he does not want us to work joylessly. We are to work with joy, knowing that our work has a purpose that God sees, even if no one else does.
God is the one who will be with us in eternity, not the money we make here on earth.
When we do our daily work with God in mind, everything becomes so much more meaningful and fulfilling.
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A Word from Solomon
When Solomon makes his argument, he sums up what he believes to be the main purpose of our lives.
He tells us the thing that will truly satisfy us:
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil- this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
Conclusion
If you are here today and you are feeling overwhelmed by the expectations of the world, I hope you can find peace in this message.
You no longer need to worry about how much money you make, how beautiful you are, how smart, or even how much other people appreciate you.
These things are nice, but they are just dying leaves in the wind, ready to blow out of your life as quickly as they came to you.
You only have one person to please, and that is your creator, God. The one who already loves you no matter what you achieve.
So accept that love and find the freedom that comes with knowing that you are already good enough.
Instead of striving for impossible goals and comparing yourself with every Instagram post and Facebook feed, rest in who God made you to be. Make it a goal to simply draw closer to God and become who you were created to be, not who you think everyone wants you to be. And whatever you work at, do it with joy and true effort, knowing that it is for God and no one else. THAT is your purpose.
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