Day 40: Living with Purpose

I finished the 4th week review. It's here (if you're too lazy to scroll down the page haha).

And speaking of finishing. . . TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!! Wow. I know that this book's impact on my life will go far beyond the past 40 days. I didn't mention it at the beginning, but I was adamant with myself that I would commit 40 days, no matter the cost. 40 days shows up all over the place in the Bible- Noah, Moses (Mt. Sinai), David and Goliath (Goliath gave a 40 day challenge), Elijah, Nineveh, and even Jesus went through 40 days that changed life forever (PS not my idea; the book mentions all that in the introduction, but that was all the more reason to do it this way).

So here we are: Day 40!

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I don't know that there's a lot to discuss/reflect on this chapter, because it's basically a summation and a sending off of the whole experience. Either way, there is some good stuff. It challenges us to come up with a "Life Purpose Statement," which does the following:
-Summarizes God's purposes for your life
-Points the direction of your life
-Defines "success" for you
-Clarifies your roles
-Expresses your shape (or SHAPE)

Basically, it's our committment to God, and what it means specifically for our life situation. It also gives five questions to consider as we go to prepare this statement.

First, we have to think about what will be the center of our lives? This is the issue of worship. What are we building our whole lives around? Is it money, our family, our career, partying? None of those things are stable. You know what? They all involve a human element. There are great people on earth, but none of them are perfect. None of them come through with everything 100% of the time. And when God is in the center, our lives have peace, even if we can't make sense of it. The Bible says so .

Second, we must ask what the character of our lives will be. Also know as discipleship, we have to decide who we are going to be. As mentioned many times, it DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU DO, as long as (it doesn't go against His will and) you are doing it for God. There are many different lists of character qualities in the Bible, but the one that comes to my mind is this one. And remember, character is what we do when no one is watching AND when everyone is watching.

Third, what is the contribution of our lives? What service/ministry are we giving to edify the Body of Christ? We can't meet everyone's needs, but everyone meets somebody's needs. Related is the question of our life's communication. How are we sharing our testimony with non-believers? Are we accomplishing our mission not just in our community, but in the world?

Finally, what community will be present in our lives? Who are we considering family, and are we treating them as such? Do we spend time with other believers, or are we too busy riding a high horse? Do we share, grow, and encourage other parts of the Body?

And of course, all of these questions are interconnected.

The last thing it says is to make a shorter statement that we can remember and is inspiring (essentially an abstract of the Life Purpose Statement). So without further ado, here goes mine (for now- it will change when I have more time and think a little more deeply I'm sure):

My purpose is to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind; to love all others as I love myself; to be more like Christ each day and do everything to the best of my abilities; to serve my brothers and sisters; and to reach out to those who are not my brothers and sisters in hopes that they too will choose to be part of the everlasting family of Christ.

Point to Ponder: Living with Purpose is the only way to really live.
I'm finding this out, little by little, and man is it exciting!

Verse to Remember: Acts 13:36- "For David. . . served the purpose of God in his own generation." New American Standard
Whenever I feel like I can't be good enough to be used by God, I remember David.

Question to Consider: When will I take the time to write down my answers to life's five great questions? When will I put my purpose on paper?
I'm going to spend some time this weekend doing that, but I don't know that I have a specific timeline in mind. . . because that is pretty much what I've been thinking about the past couple months. I'm sure I'll synthesize at least a first draft before the next school year. I don't know about putting it on paper, but it'll definitely go into a digital form.



. . . so. . . what's next? Well, I'm going to take a couple days off (actually blogging every night has been enjoyable, but at the same time I have a lot of other things to think about and do). I'll do some kind up wrap-up about PDL this weekend, and then onto the next book: He Chose the Nails.

If you haven't read this book, I strongly encourage that you do, whether you are a non-believer, on the edge, new to the faith, or an old-timer. If you live in or near DeLand, I'll be glad to lend you my book. I guarentee it will challenge you.