The Shepherd Who Reorients Everything Copy
It's Not About You: Discovering Your True Purpose
Life has a way of pulling us in countless directions. We wake up each day bombarded by messages telling us how to be successful, how to achieve our dreams, and how to build the life we've always wanted. Self-help books line the shelves, promising fulfillment if we just follow the right steps. Social media feeds overflow with images of what the "good life" looks like. But what if we've been starting from the wrong place all along?
The Two Roads
Picture two very different roads stretching before you.
The first is cluttered and dark. It's filled with self-proclamation, worldly success markers, and the constant pursuit of personal achievement. The signs along this road promise happiness through career advancement, financial success, and self-fulfillment. It looks appealing at first glance, but if you follow it to the end, you'll find it leads nowhere—or worse, to a dead end.
The second road is bathed in light. Along this path, you see people serving others, living in peace, and carrying something precious: God's Word. This road isn't about self-promotion but about selfless service. It's about asking God, "What do You need me to do next?"
Most of us find ourselves somewhere between these two roads, zigzagging back and forth like a car navigating 312 turns in eight miles. Some days we choose the right path; other days, the culture pulls us down the wrong one. This daily struggle is real, and it's one of the hardest things we face.
Starting With the Wrong Question
The search for life's purpose has puzzled humanity for thousands of years. The problem isn't the question itself—it's where we begin looking for the answer. We start with ourselves. We look inward, believing our hearts will guide us to truth. We spend years, even decades, trying to figure out what we're meant to do.
But here's the reality: focusing on ourselves will never reveal life's true purpose.
Even the well-known atheist Bertrand Russell acknowledged this truth when he said, "Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless." Without a Creator, we're left with nothing but speculation, conjecture, and guesswork.
The Inventor Knows Best
Imagine someone hands you an unfamiliar object. You could spend years trying to figure out what it's for, coming up with countless theories and assumptions. Or you could simply ask the inventor, who would immediately tell you its purpose.
We are God's creation. We didn't make ourselves, so we cannot determine for ourselves what we were created for. The easiest way to discover our purpose is to go directly to the One who made us.
Colossians 1:16 reminds us that everything—absolutely everything, visible and invisible—got started in Christ and finds its purpose in Him. Not in us. In Him.
This is where the journey begins. Not with self-discovery, but with God-discovery.
The Owner's Manual
When something breaks in our car, we don't just guess at how to fix it. We consult the owner's manual. It tells us exactly what we need to know—the specifications, the proper procedures, the right way to make repairs.
Scripture is our owner's manual for life. It reveals five critical things we need to know:
The Bible doesn't leave us guessing. It provides clear answers to life's biggest questions—if we're willing to look there instead of relying on worldly wisdom.
The Vine and the Branches
John 15:1-11 paints a powerful picture of our relationship with God. Jesus describes Himself as the true vine, with God as the vinedresser and us as the branches. The message is clear: apart from Him, we can do nothing.
A branch cannot bear fruit by itself. It must remain connected to the vine. When it's disconnected, it withers, dries up, and is eventually thrown into the fire.
This isn't a comfortable image, but it's an honest one. Our purpose is found in abiding in Christ—remaining connected to Him, drawing our life from Him, and bearing fruit through Him.
When we abide in Him, He promises that we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us. But this doesn't mean God becomes our personal genie, granting wishes for luxury cars and mansions. It means that when we're aligned with His purpose, He provides everything we need to continue bearing fruit for His kingdom.
The Might That Requires Action
John 3:16-17 contains some of the most beloved words in Scripture: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
But notice verse 17 carefully: "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
There's a crucial word there: might. The world might be saved through Him. This isn't automatic. It requires something from us—a response, an action, a decision.
We must invite Christ into our hearts. We must surrender our own purposes and embrace His. When we do, the "might" becomes a certainty. We no longer wonder about our salvation; we know it because we believe in Him and live for Him.
The Transformation
Romans 12:1-2 issues a powerful call: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
We're called to be living sacrifices. Not dead offerings, but alive and active, wholly devoted to God's purposes. We're called to resist conformity to the world's patterns and instead experience transformation through renewed thinking.
This transformation doesn't happen through self-help strategies or positive thinking. It happens when we stop making life about us and start making it about Him.
The Question That Matters
So here's the question for each of us: How is your relationship with God today?
Not your church attendance. Not your Bible knowledge. Not your leadership position or your good deeds. How is your actual, living, breathing relationship with the God who created you, knows you, and loves you?
God desperately desires a relationship with you. He proved His commitment by sending Jesus into this world to live perfectly and die sacrificially so that you could be saved.
Are you ready to be loved at all times? Are you ready to be forgiven?
If so, it's time to make room in your heart. Time to surrender your purposes for His. Time to stop asking, "What can God do for me?" and start asking, "What does God want to do through me?"
Because at the end of the day, life isn't about you at all.
It's all about Him.
The Two Roads
Picture two very different roads stretching before you.
The first is cluttered and dark. It's filled with self-proclamation, worldly success markers, and the constant pursuit of personal achievement. The signs along this road promise happiness through career advancement, financial success, and self-fulfillment. It looks appealing at first glance, but if you follow it to the end, you'll find it leads nowhere—or worse, to a dead end.
The second road is bathed in light. Along this path, you see people serving others, living in peace, and carrying something precious: God's Word. This road isn't about self-promotion but about selfless service. It's about asking God, "What do You need me to do next?"
Most of us find ourselves somewhere between these two roads, zigzagging back and forth like a car navigating 312 turns in eight miles. Some days we choose the right path; other days, the culture pulls us down the wrong one. This daily struggle is real, and it's one of the hardest things we face.
Starting With the Wrong Question
The search for life's purpose has puzzled humanity for thousands of years. The problem isn't the question itself—it's where we begin looking for the answer. We start with ourselves. We look inward, believing our hearts will guide us to truth. We spend years, even decades, trying to figure out what we're meant to do.
But here's the reality: focusing on ourselves will never reveal life's true purpose.
Even the well-known atheist Bertrand Russell acknowledged this truth when he said, "Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless." Without a Creator, we're left with nothing but speculation, conjecture, and guesswork.
The Inventor Knows Best
Imagine someone hands you an unfamiliar object. You could spend years trying to figure out what it's for, coming up with countless theories and assumptions. Or you could simply ask the inventor, who would immediately tell you its purpose.
We are God's creation. We didn't make ourselves, so we cannot determine for ourselves what we were created for. The easiest way to discover our purpose is to go directly to the One who made us.
Colossians 1:16 reminds us that everything—absolutely everything, visible and invisible—got started in Christ and finds its purpose in Him. Not in us. In Him.
This is where the journey begins. Not with self-discovery, but with God-discovery.
The Owner's Manual
When something breaks in our car, we don't just guess at how to fix it. We consult the owner's manual. It tells us exactly what we need to know—the specifications, the proper procedures, the right way to make repairs.
Scripture is our owner's manual for life. It reveals five critical things we need to know:
- Why we're alive – We exist because God wills it, for His purposes
- How life works – The principles and patterns for living well
- What to avoid – The pitfalls and dangers that derail us
- What to expect in the future – Both the hope of heaven and the reality of hell
- Where we're going – Our eternal destination based on our relationship with Christ
The Bible doesn't leave us guessing. It provides clear answers to life's biggest questions—if we're willing to look there instead of relying on worldly wisdom.
The Vine and the Branches
John 15:1-11 paints a powerful picture of our relationship with God. Jesus describes Himself as the true vine, with God as the vinedresser and us as the branches. The message is clear: apart from Him, we can do nothing.
A branch cannot bear fruit by itself. It must remain connected to the vine. When it's disconnected, it withers, dries up, and is eventually thrown into the fire.
This isn't a comfortable image, but it's an honest one. Our purpose is found in abiding in Christ—remaining connected to Him, drawing our life from Him, and bearing fruit through Him.
When we abide in Him, He promises that we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us. But this doesn't mean God becomes our personal genie, granting wishes for luxury cars and mansions. It means that when we're aligned with His purpose, He provides everything we need to continue bearing fruit for His kingdom.
The Might That Requires Action
John 3:16-17 contains some of the most beloved words in Scripture: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
But notice verse 17 carefully: "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
There's a crucial word there: might. The world might be saved through Him. This isn't automatic. It requires something from us—a response, an action, a decision.
We must invite Christ into our hearts. We must surrender our own purposes and embrace His. When we do, the "might" becomes a certainty. We no longer wonder about our salvation; we know it because we believe in Him and live for Him.
The Transformation
Romans 12:1-2 issues a powerful call: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
We're called to be living sacrifices. Not dead offerings, but alive and active, wholly devoted to God's purposes. We're called to resist conformity to the world's patterns and instead experience transformation through renewed thinking.
This transformation doesn't happen through self-help strategies or positive thinking. It happens when we stop making life about us and start making it about Him.
The Question That Matters
So here's the question for each of us: How is your relationship with God today?
Not your church attendance. Not your Bible knowledge. Not your leadership position or your good deeds. How is your actual, living, breathing relationship with the God who created you, knows you, and loves you?
God desperately desires a relationship with you. He proved His commitment by sending Jesus into this world to live perfectly and die sacrificially so that you could be saved.
Are you ready to be loved at all times? Are you ready to be forgiven?
If so, it's time to make room in your heart. Time to surrender your purposes for His. Time to stop asking, "What can God do for me?" and start asking, "What does God want to do through me?"
Because at the end of the day, life isn't about you at all.
It's all about Him.
Posted in Purpose Driven Life For Christ
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