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Life Challenges

What Is My Purpose?

Your life is precious. People are unlike anything else we find in creation. The Bible says this is because God made us in his image. Not only are we created with value and dignity, but we are also created for a purpose. There is meaning behind all our love, laughter, and longing. We matter. We exist for a reason. In the Bible, we discover why.

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Short Content

What's My Purpose?
An Open Letter to a Friend

Dear Chris,

You honestly shared your thoughts, and I am so eager to respond. It was impressed upon my heart just how precious you are. You have a face, a name, a beating heart, and a soul full of wonderings—You have more value and dignity as a person than you may be aware of. And there are answers to the aches you explained you feel inside.

You’re searching for your purpose. “You know, we all have that hole in our heart,” you said, “and people fill it with whatever they think will make them happy.”

You haven’t found what to fill your heart with. You’re convinced that the romance of life is real and there’s more to us than flesh and bone returning to dust—but where does all the meaning come from?

Your soul is hardwired for the answers to your questions. But where can we find the answer? Who can tell you your purpose?

The one who made you can. Yes, someone made you—and he made the sea for you to surf in, the Japanese food you eat with friends, and everything good that you enjoy. He made you to be happy; happy in his world, but most of all, happy in him.

We are told we will find our purpose when we find ourselves, but it’s someone else that we’ve lost and need to find—our Maker.

by Bibles.net

OPEN YOUR BIBLE

Our God-Given Purpose and What Went Wrong

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
(Genesis 1:27 ESV)

Read Genesis 1-3

The Preciousness of Each Individual Life

…In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
(Psalm 139:16 ESV)

Read Psalm 139

God’s Plan to Restore Us to Our Purpose

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 ESV)

Read Ephesians 1 and 2

Is Life Meaningless?

The author the book of Ecclesiastes felt like life was meaningless and wondered: What’s the purpose in it all? But he resolved not to despair; instead, he sought answers. God preserved this man’s reflection in his Word for us, knowing we would have the same questions.

Read Ecclesiastes

Theme Verse

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

EPHESIANS 2:10 NIV

What Is the Meaning of Life?

Article: 20 Min

Can Life Have Meaning Without God?

by James N. Anderson at The Gospel Coalition

Video: 6 Min

"Who Am I?"
Spoken Word Poem

Who am I? What am I doing here?
What is my identity? What is my purpose?
You won’t discover the answer by looking
inside of yourself, and here’s why.

by David Bowden at Spoken Gospel

70’s | 80’s | 90’s

Place in This World

by Michael W. Smith

Folk | Indie

Don't You Want to Thank Someone

by Andrew Peterson

Messages: 35 Min

The Reason for Living

by Tim Keller

Verse

Revelation 4:11 NIV

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Quote

We must recognize
that God is
at the heart of things
and that we exist
for his glory,
that is to say,
we exist for him,
not he for us.

Video: 2 Min

What Is the
Meaning
of Life?

by Greg Laurie at his YouTube Channel

Contemporary

Only Jesus

by Casting Crowns

70’s | 80’s | 90’s

More To This Life

by Steven Curtis Chapman

Article: 2 Min

Does Life Have Any Purpose?

by Billy Graham at BGEA

Quote

Man’s chief end
is to glorify God
and to enjoy him
forever.

Westminster Shorter
Catechism, Q #1

Verse

1 Corinthians 8:6 NLT

But for us,
There is one God, the Father,
    by whom all things were created,
    and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    through whom all things were created,
    and through whom we live.

How to Find My Purpose?

Article: 7 Min

How to Find and Achieve Your Purpose in Life

by Logan Murphy at Open the Bible

Messages: 15 Min

The Soul Felt Its Worth

by David Sunday

Infographic

What Art Thou Doing, Christian?

Discover this motivating poem about serving the Lord, written by Eva Travers Poole. Feel free to save it to your phone or share it on social media!

Video: 4 Min

What Does it
mean that
we are Made
in God's Image?

by Got Questions Ministries

Video: 2 Min

Why You Should
Believe in Jesus

by Thomas Terry at The Gospel Coalition

Contemporary

Who Am I

by Casting Crowns

Folk | Indie

Made for Jesus

by John Mark Pantana feat. Olivia Dyer

Article: 10 Min

What God Thinks About You

by John Rinehart at Desiring God

Quote

I must learn that
the purpose of my life
belongs to God,
not me.
God is using me from
his great personal
perspective,
and all he asks
of me is that
I trust him.

Oswald Chambers

70’s | 80’s | 90’s

If You Love The Lord

by Keith Green

Contemporary

Dream for You

by Casting Crowns

Messages: 54 Min

What Does
the Bible Say

About Work?

by Britt Merrick

Article: 7 Min

What Does It Mean to Be Called?

by Luke Bolton at Faith Driven Entrepreneur

Video: 41 Min

"Purpose" Official Film

Featuring footage, testimonies, and
Scripture shared by 33 athletes from the
surf, skate, wake, and snow industries,
sharing how to live out your purpose.

by The Ride Nature Organization

The Great Commission

Jesus helps us discover the purpose of our lives. But Jesus also gave all his followers a mission to carry out for the rest of their lives. We find our mission in Matthew 28:18-20.

Verse

2 Timothy 1:9-10 NIV

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Quote

Let God have your life;
he can do more with it
than you can.

Quote

Ask God for New Life and Purpose

Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept your will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to you, to be yours forever. Fill me and seal me with your Holy Spirit. Use me as you will. Send me where you will, and work out your whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever.

A Prayer by Betty Stam | Source

Rap

Don't Waste Your Life

by Lecrae feat. Dwayne Tryumf

Ask Pastor John

What’s the Point of My Life?

by John Piper, 11 Min

Quote

Finding Your Purpose in Jesus

If Christ has been born in me he wants to live in me, he wants to talk in me, he wants to walk in me, he wants to work through me… He says, “I have come that ye may have life and that ye might have life more abundantly” (John 10:10 KJV).

And even in the days of his flesh Jesus complained, “ye will not come to me that ye might have life” (John 5:40 KJV). Now do you remember his great statement? “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 KJV).

I am the way—without that there’s no going.
I am the truth—without that there’s no knowing.
I am the life—without that there’s no growing.

I am the way—that’s external.
I am the truth—that’s internal.
I am the life—that’s eternal.

by Leonard Ravenhill | Source

Quote

What God calls us to
cannot be
definitely stated,
because his call
is simply to be
his friend
to accomplish his own purposes.

Oswald Chambers

Verse

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Messages: 36 Min

What Is My Purpose

by Os Guinness

Video: 8 Min

Using Your Creativity
to Serve God and Others

by Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick Brothers

Contemporary

My Desire

by Jeremy Camp

Video: 3 Min

How to Find
God's Will
for Your Life

by David Platt at Radical

Infographic

"Take My Life" Hymn

This hymn is a prayer of surrender and devotion to God. Feel free to save this beautiful hymn as your screensaver or share it with a friend!

THE DAILY GRACE PODCAST

How the Good News About Jesus Shapes Our Dreams

by Dianne Jago, 35 Min

Contemporary

So I Can Love

by Shane & Shane

Video: 4 Min

Spoken Word Poem:
"Holy Sweat"

This spoken word poem urges us to
respond to God’s gracious forgiveness
and salvation by spending our lives in
pursuit of him and his kingdom.

by Benjamin Holmes at Speak Life

Verse

2 Timothy 2:19-21 NIV

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Books

Read Introduction

the book of

Ecclesiastes

Genre: Wisdom Literature

The author of this book of the Bible felt like life was meaningless and wondered: What's the purpose in it all? But he resolved not to despair; instead, he sought answers. God preserved this man’s reflection in his Word for us, knowing we would have the same questions.

Featured Film

Overcomer

by The Kendrick Brother | 1 Hour 59 Minutes | PG

“If I asked you who you are, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?” asks a key character in Overcomer. The Kendrick Brothers produced an excellent movie to illustrate the biblical answer to this question. As the characters in the movie discover their identity, we hope you will discover yours too.

Books

Defined: Who God Says You Are

Defined: Who God Says You Are

by Alex and Stephen Kendrick | Christian Living

Difficulty: Easy

Living the Life God Has Planned

Living the Life God Has Planned

by Bill Thrasher | Christian Living

Difficulty: Easy

So whether you
eat or drink
or whatever
you do,

do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV