Living On Purpose, In Purpose

Sometimes I think we forget that salvation is not the end of our Christian journey. While it is certainly a huge piece of God’s plan of redemption, it does not stop there. We were never intended to simply pray a prayer and then continue living as we were; God calls us to so much more! His transformative love should become the center around which our lifestyle, our outlook, and our entire existence revolves. But practically, what does that look like?

We are called not only to justification – the forgiveness of our sin and the being made righteous in God’s eyes – but to sanctification – the process of becoming more like Christ, of living a holy life empowered by the Spirit. 1 Peter 2:11 tells us to “abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul”, to act like strangers to sin. And this we can do in Christ; the sin that used to rule our lives can do so no longer! This does not mean that we will be perfect, but that by desiring righteousness and surrendering ourselves in obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit, we can more often resist temptation and walk in integrity.

And yet, that is still not all that we are saved for.

Being transformed spiritually does not apply only to avoiding sin, but also to living with renewed purpose as we grow in our relationship with the Lord. While every believer has a unique design and calling, there is a general guiding purpose for all of us to follow. We are called to be above reproach, to forgive readily and freely, to put the welfare of others above our own, to continually grow and move in obedience even outside of our comfort zones, and to seek and worship God in all we do. And we are to boldly speak of what God has done for us – evangelism should not come just from pastors and missionaries, but from everyone whose story has been changed by God. All this we can be inspired and motivated to do by the knowledge that we are so deeply loved, forgiven, and empowered by the grace of God.

Ultimately, we must seek to view earthly events through a heavenly lens, deliberately choosing to look at both the positive and negative circumstances of our lives as opportunities to be obedient in bringing glory to God. In doing so we can live actively, on-purpose, to fulfill what He desires. We are commanded to rejoice and to praise God in every situation, to stand firm against temptation (and grow as a result of it), to bring encouragement to fellow believers while holding one another accountable, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a broken world. So, let’s not sit idly by while we wait to meet Jesus in heaven. Let’s live intentionally now, seeking Him and pursuing this God-given purpose of believers.

Related Scripture

2 Corinthians 10:5

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

1 Peter 2:9-12, 16

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation…Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God”.

1 Thessalonians 4:7

“For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.”

Psalm 56:13

“For You have delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”

2 Peter 1:5-8

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”