REMEMBER…You Were Created for a Purpose!

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

Isaiah 150:6

The verse above is such a simple verse. It’s one we’ve heard time and time again, and yet, do we really grasp the magnitude of what it’s saying? Every living thing with breath was created by God who is worthy of all praise and honor. Praise for God should flow from us as freely as the breath we breathe. 

Growing up a PK (preacher’s kid), I would hear a statement almost every Sunday that would make the congregation laugh. My dad would say, “You weren’t created just to breathe up all the air and eat up all the food! God created you for a purpose!” While humorous, it was a truth that spoke to my spirit the reality of why I existed. Even when I wasn’t walking closely with the Lord in some of my younger years, I believed it to be true. God’s Word is clear about it. And while we may claim to know this truth, sometimes we need to REMEMBER it. 

Living in this fast-paced, crazy world can cause us to forget if we aren’t careful. We can get caught up in the happenings of this temporary place we call home. We must remind ourselves every day, every moment if necessary, that we were created for a purpose.

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Philippians 3:20

To not live out our true purpose in life leads to emptiness, dissatisfaction, and even despair. Sadly, this is where many people are today, including those who proclaim to follow Christ. The search for happiness is a common pursuit, leading to all sorts of trouble in life. This doesn’t have to be though! We have the answer in God’s word. While life will never be problem-free,  living out our true purpose brings fulfillment and blessing as nothing else can. It enables us to rise above the difficulties and find peace and joy in living out what we were created for. We just have to REMEMBER.

#1 REMEMBER… You were created by God and for God.

For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.Everything was created through him and for him.

Colossians 1:16

It’s as simple as that. Our first and foremost purpose in life is always to have a relationship with our Creator and Perfect Heavenly Father. This love relationship brings life and wholeness to us as nothing else can. I’ve made this statement before and I’ll say it again, “You and I were created with a God-shaped void only He could fill.” We can try and satisfy the cry of our hearts with things this world has to offer, but they will only leave us wanting and most likely hurting. We need more than the shallow and empty things of this world, and that “more” is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Amazingly, the creator of Heaven and earth wants a relationship with us! What an honor and a privilege to be loved by such a good and powerful God. Too many think that saying the salvation prayer is the end of our relationship with God, but it’s just the beginning. It’s not enough to say, “Well, I’m going to Heaven, that’s enough,” when God created us for so much more. Eternal life is more than dying and going to Heaven. It’s knowing the one true living God and His son Jesus as we read in the verse below:

Now, this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:3

This revelation has transformed my life, and every personal encounter I have with God transforms me more and more. I wrote Encountering Jesus for the very purpose of sharing with others how powerful a personal relationship with Jesus can be. We need to drink deeply of His love every day by spending time with Him in the Word and prayer and just “being still” and knowing He is God! The more we spend time with Him, the more we want of Him. On the other hand, the less we spend with God, the colder our hearts grow and the further we drift from Him. We must REMEMBER! We were created for a purpose and the first is to love Him and be loved by Him.

#2 REMEMBER… You were created to do good works.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

The more you nurture your personal relationship with God, the greater the truth that says, “We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19),” manifests in our lives. It’s like a continuous cycle of love being poured in and out of our lives. As I was writing this, the Lord gave me an image of this cycle of love. See below.

Early in my walk with God, I had such a difficult time loving God, never mind loving others. I felt unworthy, bad, and incapable of loving at all. I was in such a broken place and finally, in my desperation, I reached out to God and allowed Him to pour His love out to me. It was healing and empowering. The more I experienced God’s love for me, the more I was able to love Him and others. This receiving of God’s love can and should be a daily outpouring we receive through our personal relationship with God. It’s then that we can freely and joyfully do the works God has placed before us.

We were never meant to be lone rangers or live an isolated life and that’s exactly how the enemy has targeted God’s creation. With technology, the need to interact with living breathing people is being diminished more and more, especially for this upcoming generation. After Covid, and the forced isolation, more and more have become comfortable being separated and not living life as God created us to. We cannot do the good works God called us to do by staring at a computer screen, listening to a message online and calling it church, or having limited interaction with others. We were created to be people of relationship. Iron sharpens iron, and yes sometimes we get nicked, and it hurts, but we must learn and grow and rise above every tactic satan uses to isolate us from one another. Offense and broken relationships are a plague today and not just in the world but in the body of Christ! This should not be! We must fight for our relationships! We must leave our desperate attempts of self-preservation behind and become bold testimonies for Christ. It’s only God’s LOVE that compels a person to do this. To lay aside these things so that others can experience the same amazing and powerful love of God that they have. Every day God has good works for us to accomplish. At our workplace, at home, in our church, on the checkout line, in the coffee shop, on the street, and everywhere you place your feet. The Holy Spirit will highlight the assignments God has for you to do. You just have to be willing.

Beloved, you are powerful! You are a force to be reckoned with. In fact, let’s make that number 3 for us to remember.

#3 REMEMBER…You are powerful!

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13

The problem with a lot of “us Christians” is that we don’t realize how powerful we are. We need to remember, we are called to be more than ‘Christians.” We are called to be disciples of Christ, who were created to do even greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12). Instead, we feel afraid, unworthy, and incapable of doing the works of the ministry God presents to us each day. But God promises, He who called you is faithful. He will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24)! He will do it in and through you. This brings us full circle back to our first and foremost purpose in life which is to have a relationship with God. It’s through that relationship and receiving God’s love that all insecurity and fear will be wiped away and we will become empowered by His love to push past any obstacle so that we may love others. Spend time nurturing this relationship every day. Read the Bible, God’s love letter to you. Don’t let this blog be the most scripture you have read in a week or a month or however long. Spend time with Him every day and allow the Word of God to renew your mind and transform you into the powerhouse you already are and just need to be reminded of. Be so filled with His love that it can’t help but overflow into the lives of others. Look daily for the opportunities God is preparing for you to fulfill your purpose in life.

Somebody out there needs hope. Somebody out there needs healing. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Be a peacemaker and quiet that strifeful and chaotic situation by releasing the presence of God within you. Speak words of life and hope that will bring healing to souls and bodies in desperate need of a touch from God. Open your eyes to see what God is placing before you and you will always find an opportunity wherever you are to live out your purpose. It’s in this, you will find the peace, fulfillment, and joy your heart cries out for. Together, let’s REMEMBER, we were created for a purpose and together strive with the Lord’s help to live it out each and every day.