Do you long to live an authentic life of purpose? You want more than just what society or culture says is right; there must be something better for yourself and others too! However, starting on this journey can feel daunting with all the unknowns surrounding us (where do we find our direction?). Read on if you genuinely want to live a life of purpose but don’t know where to begin.
What is a life of purpose?
A life of purpose is a life fully lived. It’s a life that has meaning and significance. A life lived for something bigger than yourself.
The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” and Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” If Romans says “Do what it says,” and Ephesians says we are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works,” then our life has Kingdom purpose.
When you live your life for more than just yourself, you’ll find life is more fulfilling than you could have imagined.
Living for more is about using your time on earth to make an impact in someone else’s world—whether that may be through volunteering or giving to your local church or charity or by using your talents to help others with their work. You can live your life entirely for more. Here are a few ways to help you live a life of purpose.
Seek God’s direction for your life
The first step to living a life of purpose is asking God for his guidance.
You might be surprised by his answer. It could be something you never thought about before – or something you knew deep down but didn’t dare to pursue because of fear of failure. If you ask God, he’ll reveal the next steps for your journey to living a life of purpose!
But remember, this isn’t a one-time, and your done prayer. Once God reveals what’s on his heart for your life, take those next steps that he shows you. Continue to seek God’s wisdom and counsel as you pursue following him with every part of your being.
Cultivate a sense of community
One of the best ways to live a life of purpose is by cultivating a sense of community.
What is your community? Is it your neighborhood, your church, or maybe it’s some particular group? Yours might not even be an in-person group. It may be an online community like Facebook groups or subreddits. Perhaps for you, it’s all of the above. Whichever it may be, you want to take time to help others and invest in them.
It’s not hard to start building community, but it does take time.
Some easy ways to start building a stronger community are:
– Meet up as a group for coffee. If you can’t, try to support one another through prayer or texts during the week.
– Do service projects together. You could help rebuild a home after a natural disaster or even start with something closer to home, like picking up litter around your neighborhood.
– Choose a night once a month where everyone can bring something for dinner and share conversation.
– Be vulnerable and transparent, and you’ll be surprised how others will be as well.
It can be easy to start this process, but it takes time.
Serve others
If you want to live for more than yourself, learn to serve others. Serving people is one of the ways we show our love for God (Matthew 25:40).
When life gets busy, it’s easy to only think about what we need and focus on our own needs before those of other people. However, when we support others by sharing their burdens, we are living out the Word of God (Galatians 6:2).
As followers of Jesus, we should prioritize other people’s lives over our own. When we serve others, we let them know that they are loved. Isn’t this the life of purpose that he modeled for us?
It’s easy to get so caught up in our own lives that we forget about the impact we can have on other people. Proverbs 27:17 tells us we sharpen one another. When you love, serve, and help others, it leaves a lasting effect on both parties.
Share your faith.
If you want to live for more than just yourself, one of the best ways to do so is by sharing your faith. Show the world that your life isn’t all about you. Share what brings you joy and peace, and let God use it for His glory.
God gives us all talents, gifts, and abilities. Some people are good at writing. Others are great at speaking. Still, others can paint or sing or do math well. If you know what your talents are, share them with others! You never know what someone might need or how God will work through that talent to reach them with his love.
Take one step today, and you will be on your way to living a life of purpose.
