Live With Purpose. Here’s How.
Do you ever want to know that what you do matters? Maybe you want to know that clocking in or caring for loved ones means more than the acts themselves.
When my kids were young, and my life was a revolving door of diapers and feedings, I created a purpose statement for parenthood to carry me through the long days that felt purposeless: To serve my family well so they can be all God created them to be.
That statement gave meaning to washing dishes for the fifth time in one day because if life’s purpose was just to keep the dishes clean, I would have despaired. Likewise, no matter the landscape of our days, we need to know that the muddiness of our work is shaping something beyond the messiness of the job, whatever that job is.
But how do we define ultimate purpose? What is our source? These questions are critical for the Christian because what we place our purpose in shapes how we spend our lives. And for followers of Jesus, how we spend our lives has the potential to impact others for eternal salvation. Yes, it’s that big of a deal. So, let’s explore purpose from God’s perspective.
How does God define our purpose?
It is safe to define our purpose by the way Jesus defined His in John 17:4. In His prayer to the Father, Jesus said, “I glorified You on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.”
Jesus glorified His Father by doing the work the Father gave Him to do. Period. And you have work the Father is giving you to do for His glory as well.
In other words, our value and purpose are not measured by the world’s standards—by our power, positions, or possessions. Jesus’ words define our purpose: to glorify the Father by completing the work He gives us to do.
In addition, for the New Testament Christian, the work the Father is giving us to do is to make disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20). What this means is, we share who Jesus is with others and teach them to follow God’s teachings as we continue to learn how to follow Him ourselves.
Okay. This all sounds sweet, but what about Wednesday morning when we’re running late for work and spill coffee on our shirt? What about the heated conversation with a loved one or the friendly chat with another dog lover in the neighborhood park?
Living Our Purpose in the Practical
Living out our kingdom purpose in the practical happens as we practice walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and sharing Christ as He leads while we type emails and answer texts, as we walk along the road, when we rise, and when we rest (see Deuteronomy 6:7).
To help tease this out, let’s explore the story of two women in the Old Testament whom you probably skip over when you read Genesis. These two women help us see kingdom purpose from a bigger perspective.
Shiphrah and Puah
Shiphrah and Puah were two midwives living in Egypt (yes, their names sound like “ship” and “poo,” as my 9-year-old pointed out). These women, however, were nothing to giggle about. They lived quiet lives at the bedside of birth, day-in and day-out for years. It was messy, hard, and dangerous work.
Then, one unfortunate day, they were told by the most powerful man in their known world that they needed to kill every infant boy they delivered.
They were ordered to become baby murderers—a direct command from Pharaoh.
But instead of killing the boys, they let them live. When Pharaoh asked why they had disobeyed him, they lied: “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive” (Exodus 1:19).
Because of their fear of God and their faithfulness to honor Him in their messy jobs, generations of families carried on. Moses lived. God’s people were rescued from slavery. The Messiah came through this people.
Shiphrah and Puah didn’t have a five-year strategy for how they were going to “live with purpose” and “make a big impact.” They were simply being faithful to God in their season and place.
They did not know that the impact of their obedience would be written down for people to read tens of thousands of years later. They didn’t know that God would raise up Israel’s deliverer from slavery through an infant boy saved from death by their God-fearing obedience—Moses. They didn’t see the big story of God unfolding, that the Savior for all of humanity would come from the oppressed people they served.
Obedience is Our Purpose, Not Measurable Standards of Success
Like Shiphrah and Puah, we do not know how our obedience to God will unfold in the years to come. How will one obedient act inspire millions? Or even change the life of one eternal soul? American Christianity will tell us that to make a big impact for Jesus, we need to do “great things” that we can measure. But greatness is God’s job.
We have no control over how our lives will impact others for the glory of God, but we do have control only over our willingness to obey and be faithful to His leading.
Sometimes following God looks like listening to the promptings of the Spirit as you lead a board meeting or live out Scripture to love your neighbor as yourself as you take a Saturday morning to rake their leaves. Sometimes faithfulness to God even looks like walking by the Spirit as you wash dishes for the fifth time today. (Sigh. I type this with a sink full of dishes I should probably go wash).
My point is, living for kingdom purpose can look like all these things because obedience to God—not measurable impact—is our purpose and success. Now, should I load the dishwasher?
Your Turn
How might your vision of purpose need to shift in this season?
How should you spend your time and resources today in light of your desire to live faithfully and obediently to the Lord?
Pray about this.
You can also use this prayer below:
Father God, thank You for Your Word, which guides me in the path of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Help me to live faithfully today and every day, with the long-term vision that Your purpose through my life will be fulfilled as I follow You in every moment. In Jesus’ name, amen.
