Finding Purpose in Life: What God Made You For

We all know that the goal of life is to glorify God, but what does that look like practically? If you’ve ever struggled with what to do ‘in between’ – well, there is good news. You were created for a very specific, practical purpose!

Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 2, but sometimes we get so enamored by the first half – the ‘but God’ part – that we forget about why Jesus Christ rescued us. Don’t miss verse 10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Wow, did you see that? God already prepared good works for us. Now it’s time to live them out!

Or look at how Paul put it in Titus 2:14: Jesus “…gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Ever been so busy wondering what to do that you neglect to do good works? Paul told Titus to insist on believers doing good works. He said we should “be careful to devote” ourselves to good works, in Titus 3:8.

Of course, as Christians well know, good works don’t make us right with God or get us bonus religion points. They overflow from a heart that is right with Him. They show that we have a personal relationship with Jesus.

How do you do this practically? What does it look like to ‘devote yourself’ to good works?

Glad you asked. It looks different for everyone, and you can devote yourself to good works wherever you are: in your family, in your church, in your community, and in the wider Kingdom of God.

At its essence, good works look like service. It refers to physical service – finding ways to help people in daily life with their physical needs. It refers also to spiritual service – finding ways to help people learn and apply God’s truth in their daily lives.

Service can be as simple as doing the dishes when it isn’t expected. It might look like mowing the yard for a neighbor. It could involve changing the oil on a friend’s car, or stopping along the road to help a stranded motorist.

And service might look like starting a discipleship relationship with the teenager in your church. You can serve by driving a local college student without transportation to your church service. Maybe you serve the meal at your church’s potluck.

There are lots of ways to devote yourself to good works. As you ponder God’s purpose for your life, don’t neglect the obvious. You can’t go wrong with it.