Your Path To Purpose
This weekend we continued our new Cross Point series entitled, Dream Job.
I focused on what we called “Your Path to Purpose”. Walking this path requires you to answer four very important questions. These questions were inspired from a fabulous book I read several years ago by Dr. Dan Allender entitled “to be told”. I highly recommend it.
I believe to really find the deepest purposes for which you exist, you must be able to answer the following questions.
1. Who Am I To Serve?
Your deepest purposes must bring good to someone who is without justice, reconciliation, or hope. It might be abused women, orphans in Africa, or business men who don’t know Christ.
2. Where Am I To Be?
What is the primary context where I will serve the people I’ve been called to love?
3. What Burden Am I To Bear?
This is so important!! Everyone of you reading this right now is called to battle some unique effects of the Fall. Don’t just blow by this. Stop for a moment and think about this… there’s a problem in this world that brings you to tears or makes you downright angry. What is it?
4. How Am I To Engage?
Your engagement to the problem might be to pray, administrate, teach, serve, lead, paint, sing, confront, repair or nurture. EACH of us will do what we do with a style which reveals something about God in a way that no one else can.
This is not meant to be a guilt inducing question but I’m wondering. How far are you down the path of pupose? Can you answer these questions?
29 Comments:
Currently I feel that I am in a re-structuring period asking myself these exact questions. At one time I was so certain of my purpose but now, midlife, children raised, the one thing I know to do right now and am only capable of doing is praying and until I get further marching orders this is what I will continue to do.
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Julia
9:50 am
orphan care…in the U.S. and abroad…adopting kiddos into our own home…and supporting others who are doing the same…and supporting ministries working for the benefit of kiddos with no mama or daddy…it’s what make me tick…keeps me up at night…and what I will advocate for and believe in until I’m no longer on this earth. The need is daunting…but not if every Christian would get involved. Empowered by Christ…not daunting.
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Bonky's Mama
9:52 am
Wonderful post, Pete. Wish I could have heard you teach on this. I have been asking myself many, many of these same types of questions lately. Some I know to the bottom of my being. But that doesn’t mean I see clearly how to live it out…….I feel like God is preparing me for something more through some pain in my life. He has matured me. I feel like I’m ready to walk into the battle but can’t find the door! I am obviously already serving but feel God is calling me “up and onward” – to more. I just don’t know what that is.
Question #3 really touched me. I would have to say that one of my places of holy discontent is the whole very unpopular issue of women in ministry leadership which I think certainly stems from the fall. I just hurt over it.
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janowen
9:54 am
@janowen, Question 3 is always the one that wrecks me as well. It’s tough one because it forces me to dwell in the midst of someones hurt and pain.
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Pete Wilson
10:31 am
I love how you broke that down. Sometimes people know what theyre called to do, but without looking at these imperative elements, they “miss the mark” over and over.
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Kelli
10:33 am
Good questions, Pete. I find that the answers change over time and have to be re-asked.
I wish someone would have made me answer these questions when I was a teenager and would have been there to mentor me with the answers. That is where I find myself right now… mentoring teenagers and getting them to ask these types of questions so that they will start with life in front of them instead of ending with life behind them.
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tonyyork
10:45 am
Pete – actually #3 is not so much a problem for me as #4. I have the heart, know the need and I think I know what I can do but it seems so small and simple. I would love to be able to do the big things that make a huge difference so I think that what I do doesn’t amount to much. I have always been in a career that centered on helping others in some capacity so that part is almost a given – keeping my heart right. But outside the job is where my heart really wants to do more and I feel like I’m not able to do that.
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E
10:49 am
Yeah, #4 is a big one for me. It is hard to focus and understand what “exactly” I am “supposed” to be doing and helping and serving. Especially on this side. I know that I have said that before but seriously our lives make so much more sense on the other side of the ocean and maybe that is because we are living in fulfillment of His purpose over there. Dang. It is time to go back…thank God we leave next week. My heart longs to get back to those kids I CAN’T wait!!!!
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kristiapplesauce
11:05 am
I feel like I’m at square 1. I’ve been trying to discover my “purpose” for some time. I’m already overflowing with the excitement, energy, drive to take it on but I have NO IDEA what it is. What a glorious day it will be when the Lord finally reveals it to me (or perhaps he has and I will just finally tune in). I hope that breaking it down the way you have this week will help get me closer to fulfilling my ultimate purpose in life.
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Megan
11:11 am
@tonyyork, You’re right. We need to be asking these questions at least once a year.
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Pete Wilson
11:44 am
Great stuff, Pete! 1/2 the battle in this life is finding the RIGHT questions to ask. These are SUPERB questions. We should be asking them of ourselves AND the people in our spheres of influence. These are the kinds of questions that actually lead people toward living the Jesus life. Thanks for challenging all of us!
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kc
11:55 am
When I read this post I scanned the main sentence of each question and thought of the answers in my head. Then I went back and read the paragraphs below them and thought, “Dig deeper.” It’s way too easy to skim by these questions and skim by the deeper purpose and meaning our every day lives hold. These are great questions to really sit with and look at with intention. Thanks.
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sara
12:37 pm
Drew and I are working on this right now. Working on life after seminary… We’re realizing that we both have an insatiable desire to use this country’s resources to impact global Christianity.
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mandythompson
12:43 pm
I am to speak for those who cannot and point all who hear to my healer, Jesus.
I am called to come alongside the hurting and point them to my comforter, Jesus.
I am exhort and motivate others to live out this life with purpose. More than just going through the motions. Rather focusing on what matters most. God. Relationships.
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Tiffany Stuart
1:13 pm
Pete, if we could somehow grab a hold of the reality of these truths, we’d be less judgmental of others. The reason so many Christians are polarized over these elections is simply the fact that each one thinks there own ’cause’ is the only one worth dying for and therefore must be the most valued thing on God’s heart. But you said it well when you suggest that we must each find what drives our passion. Point 4 resonates deep within my heart. If the whole Body were an eye…
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Joseph
1:24 pm
My response got long so I made it a blog post (if you want more detail and it probably doesn’t make much sense… lol.)
The short answers are:
1) New Believers
2) The City
3) Persecuted Church, theological education and combating false teachers, human trafficking
4) I dunno yet.
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Jonnelle
2:06 pm
@Joseph, So true!
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Pete Wilson
2:24 pm
I agree with tonyyork that the answers to these questions change throughout our lives. Right now I’m in a very similar situation as julia. I’ve been praying for several years now that God would show me what I’m suppose to be doing with my life right now. I’m really frustrated that I don’t have the slightest idea. But I’ll continue to pray and wait.
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Brenda
4:32 pm
Interesting, I have taken on a project that I am starting so to answer the first question.
…the forgotten elderly
…to meet them where they are at….literally
…their burden..or to help lighten it
…to do the feetwork, to pray for others to fill a huge need to pass this on to other churches to have the desire to fill this huge need. To remember who is in control and for God to show us the people that need
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bustersdaughter
4:42 pm
To echo what others have said, I *love* the variety of populations that everyone has been called to serve and the causes people feel passionate about. It makes me so happy and humbled to serve along side fellow believers being the hands and feet of Jesus in different ways.
Salt and light are needed everywhere.
It is sad (and I am guilty of it!) when we feel that our cause is the *only* important cause and get upset when others don’t share the same zeal of it. I guess what I need to learn is that others can still care about what I am passionate about and support it (either monetarily, with prayer, or advice since they see it from a different perspective) but not be all WHOO-HOO best thing ever! about it. I/we can get hurt, angry and defensive.
And what I can learn when I don’t share someone else’s passion is to not rain on their parade.
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Jonnelle
5:26 pm
Love the questions Pete, although they scare me a little. Mike and I are listening to your message tonight. I can’t wait! Then I’ll get back to the questions…
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Robin
5:38 pm
Pete – I tried to go listen to the sermon yesterday and it wasn’t up yet. I look forward to hearing it, and taking my own notes (can I download them from your site? I couldn’t find it) and moving through the series.
I’ve started the previous “baggage” series and am working my way through those.
Thanks
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Diana
8:14 pm
Brenda, I don’t know you personally, so if I may presume to be so bold and say, it’s difficult for me to think that you want an understanding of what God wants you to do with your life, more than the fact that He wants you to do something. You say you’ve been praying for years now that He would show you what He wants you to do, but sometimes it’s a lot simpler than we make it out to be. What are you passionate about? Often times, what He calls us to do may start out looking very different from what it will end up as. Whatever it starts out as though, it often entails something we are passionate about so that we give everything to it even when it’s hard. Judging from your writing, it’s difficult for me to think that there’s nothing that you’re passionate about. My two cents!!
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Joseph
7:50 am
your posts always make me think. Lol. I honestly don’t know how I would answer these questions or even if I could answer them.
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amy
2:54 pm
Hey Pete,
You always have such great, true, “right-where-I’m-at” messages. Is there a way to download CP sermons? I visited the Baggage one recently, but wasn’t able to sit and listen at my computer. Do you have podcasts or downloads?
Thanks!
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danielle
9:51 pm
@Danielle, I believe you can listen to all the messages via our website. I also know we’re getting ready to launch our new website where the messages will be available via podcast.
Thanks for your kind words!
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Pete Wilson
10:38 pm
Pete,
Thank you for being on spot in the Spirit and for encouraing and influencing people much outside the boundaries of “your” church onto godliness, holiness and purpose.
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danielle
10:28 am
Joseph, I agree with you. However, there are far too many days when the things I am passionate about are really not Kingdom things. For example, spreading the “gospel” of the usage of turn signals on Nashville highways!! That and not tailgating; turning on one’s headlights on overcast, cloudy, rainy, or snowy days; and not waiting till the last minute to merge (as the lane you’re in peters out).
Or the overusage of where (it is NOT the universal subjunctive conjunction, people!!!). How many of you have heard “It’s a situation where…” Ahem, a situation is not a location (a “where”). would be the proper phrase.
And use a comma, for heaven’s sake, when addressing a person:
Pete Wilson, though you are not my pastor, you are my best friend’s pastor. And she thinks you are faboo. And I think she is faboo. Therefore, you MUST truly be faboo.
See? =)
Hmm… I think I’m still stuck at the first question. I know I feel very passionate about some issues (as you have now read), but I’m not sure how to zero in on a particular population demographic. I mean, I’m not sure which set of people I am consistently concerned about. Or… what is the common thread that runs among people whose plights most quickly tug at my heart-strings. (Esp. to the degree that I care enough to actually do something and not merely feel an emotion for them and yet do nothing.)
*sigh*
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Elena
2:59 pm
Oops… found a typo in my own comment. (Ugh.)
would be the proper phrase.
should read:
In which would be the proper phrase.
OK, back to your regularly scheduled blog. =)
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Elena
3:01 pm