What You Were Made For
We started this series by examining the simple but profound fact that you can only find true peace when you’ve made peace with God, so it only makes sense that we’re ending it by answering the question, “What was I made for?”
The reason this question is the natural conclusion is because your purpose–the reason you were created–revolves around God.
Your purpose is to know God and to make Him known.
Knowing God Leads to Making Him Known.
Earlier in this series when we talked about 5 things you may be doing that are robbing you of your peace, number five on the list was “not living in the will of God for your life.”
Ultimately, what your Creator wants from you–the reason He made you–is a relationship with Him. We see this not only in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned when they spent their days walking and talking with God the Father, but also in the extreme measure God took to reconcile our relationship with Him through Jesus, the Son’s, death and resurrection.
The natural result of intimacy with the Father is ministry: peace with God is the foundation of inner peace, because the more we know His character the more confidence we have in His sovereignty and faithfulness. Peace within, motivated by peace with God, empowers us to seek out peace with those around us.
When you truly know God’s awesome character, you can’t help but speak of His awesome character.
Nowhere is this more clear than in the story and person of John the Baptist.
Scripture tells us John lived an unusual life even by the standards of his time and culture. He lived out in the wilderness. The gospel of Mark tells us he “wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” (Mark 1:6) But scriptures also tell us he was filled with the Holy Spirit, heard directly from God, and everywhere He went, he preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” and told of the Messiah who was to come. (Luke 3:2)
John the Baptist’s highest concern in his life was this mission of preparing people for Jesus–a purpose that had been predicted of him before he was born by the Angel Gabriel, was acknowledged and encouraged by his father Zechariah who in obedience to God prophesied it over him at his circumcision (Luke 1:76-79), and guided by the Holy Spirit through his intimacy with the Father.
How to Live Out Your Purpose
We can’t experience true peace until we, like John the Baptist, embrace and live out our purpose. Here’s how you can do this in your own life:
- Spend time with God through prayer and the reading of His Word.
- Starting with the mission field where He has planted you right now, prayerfully consider who around you needs a relationship with Him and how you might be able to share Him with them.
- Step out in faith, leaning into the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and start a gospel conversation with this person.
- Trust God to work through that conversation.
- Repeat. Oftentimes people don’t make the decision to follow Jesus after the first time they hear about Him, but the more they hear about Him, see how He’s changed your life, and experience the love you have for them (which is a reflection of the love God has for them), the more the Holy Spirit will work in their heart to receive the gospel.
Live in peace by living out your purpose.
This post is inspired by the final message of our sermon series on Peace, entitled “Peace in Purpose” delivered by Pastor Gaylyn Kelly. You can watch the full message here. You can also subscribe to download the complete study guide to go along with this series here.