A Journey with Purpose
This is a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey to discover the answer to life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for? Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took 40 days — Noah, Moses, the disciples with the risen Christ. That transformation comes from being rooted in what lasts:
A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.
Proverbs 11:28
Day 1 — It All Starts with God
We typically begin the search for purpose at the wrong starting point — ourselves. But you didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for. Only the creator or the owner’s manual can reveal its purpose. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God — and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Every other path leads to a dead end. You could reach all your personal goals, become a raving success by the world’s standard, and still miss the purposes for which God created you.
For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
Colossians 1:16
Day 2 — You Are Not an Accident
Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. It is not fate, chance, luck, or coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment. God says, “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” He saw you before you were born and scheduled each day of your life. The parents you had were the ones God chose. Whatever trauma you faced, it was allowed to shape your heart so that into his likeness you would grow. You are who you are, beloved, because there is a God.
Day 3 — What Drives Your Life?
Guilt-driven people allow their past to control their future. But we are products of our past, not prisoners of it. Resentment-driven people rehearse their pain instead of releasing it through forgiveness — resentment always hurts you more than it hurts the person you resent. Fear-driven people miss opportunities. Materialism provides only temporary happiness. The need for approval causes those who follow the crowd to get lost in it.
Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason. The greatest tragedy is not death but life without purpose. Knowing your purpose gives meaning — when life has meaning, you can bear almost anything. It simplifies decisions, focuses energy like a laser, and prepares you for eternity. Paul almost single-handedly spread Christianity through the Roman Empire. His secret: “I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” One day God will ask two crucial questions: “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?” and “What did you do with what I gave you?” The first determines where you spend eternity. The second determines what you do in eternity.
Day 4 — Made to Last Forever
Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production. Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity. The Bible calls your earthly body a “tent,” but refers to your future body as a “house” — a home God himself has made, which will last forever. When you live in light of eternity, your values change. You use time and money more wisely. You place a higher premium on relationships and character instead of fame or wealth. Only a fool would go through life unprepared for what we all know will eventually happen.
Day 5 — Seeing Life from God’s View
The Bible offers three metaphors that form the foundation of purpose-driven living: life is a test, life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment. God continually tests character, faith, obedience, love, and loyalty — words like trials, temptations, and testing occur more than two hundred times in the Bible. Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is one — nothing is insignificant, all tests have eternal implications. Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God entrusted to our care. We are stewards of whatever God gives us. Money is both a test and a trust: “If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”
Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God.
Romans 12:2
Day 6 — Life Is a Temporary Assignment
Repeatedly the Bible compares life on earth to temporarily living in a foreign country — you’re just passing through. A fish would never be happy living on land, because it was made for water. You will never feel completely satisfied on earth, because you were made for more. You will not be in heaven two seconds before you cry out: “Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary?”
LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.
Psalm 39:4
Day 7 — The Reason for Everything
God says, “I created them to bring me glory,” so bringing God glory ought to be the supreme goal of our lives. We bring God glory by worshiping him — not just praising and singing but a lifestyle of enjoying God and giving ourselves to be used for his purposes. As John Piper notes, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” We also bring God glory by loving other believers, by becoming like Christ, by serving others with our uniquely designed gifts, and by telling others about him. God doesn’t want his love and purposes kept a secret.
Purpose One — You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure
Day 8 — Planned for God’s Pleasure
One of the greatest gifts God has given you is the ability to enjoy pleasure. He wired you with five senses and emotions so you can experience it. Worship is not for your benefit — when we worship, our goal is to bring pleasure to God, not ourselves. If you have ever said, “I didn’t get anything out of worship today,” you worshiped for the wrong reason. Worship is not a part of your life; it is your life. Taking your everyday, ordinary life and placing it before God as an offering — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — transforms every activity into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God.
You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.
Revelation 4:11
Day 9 — What Makes God Smile?
Because Noah brought pleasure to God, you and I are alive today. God smiles when we love him supremely — the most astounding truth in the universe is that our Creator wants to fellowship with us. He says, “I don’t want your sacrifices — I want your love; I want you to know me.” Jesus called it the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” God smiles when we trust him completely — Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land and acted on what he was told. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t — instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. Partial obedience is disobedience. When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from “How much pleasure am I getting out of life?” to “How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?”
May the LORD smile on you. Smile on me, your servant; teach me the right way to live.
Numbers 6:25; Psalm 119:135
Day 10 — The Heart of Worship
After eleven chapters of Romans explaining God’s incredible grace, Paul urges us to fully surrender: “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God. This is the true worship that you should offer.” God wants your life — all of it. Ninety-five percent is not enough. Three barriers block total surrender: fear (love casts out all fear), pride (the desire for complete control is the oldest temptation — A. W. Tozer said, “Many are still troubled because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves”), and confusion about what surrender means. Surrendering to God is not passive resignation — it may mean sacrificing your life to change what needs to be changed. Victory comes through surrender. William Booth said, “The greatness of a man’s power is in the measure of his surrender.” Surrendering is never a one-time event — you may have to resurrender your life fifty times a day.
Day 11 — Becoming Best Friends with God
The most shocking truth is this: Almighty God yearns to be your Friend. In Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed an intimate friendship with God — no rituals, no religion, just a simple loving relationship. Through Christ, we can now approach God anytime. Jesus said, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Friendship with God is built by sharing all your life experiences with him. Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century cook in a French monastery, turned even the most commonplace tasks into acts of praise and communion with God. The key: not changing what you do but changing your attitude toward what you do — doing for God what you normally do for yourself, using short “breath prayers” throughout the day: “You are with me.” “I receive your grace.” “I belong to you.” Prayer lets you speak to God; meditation on his Word lets God speak to you. Both are essential.
Day 12 — Developing Your Friendship with God
In the Bible, the friends of God were honest about their feelings — complaining, second-guessing, and arguing with their Creator. God encouraged it. He allowed Abraham to negotiate over Sodom. He defended Job for being honest while rebuking Job’s friends for being inauthentic. Expressing doubt is sometimes the first step toward the next level of intimacy with God. You are as close to God as you choose to be. Intimate friendship is a choice, not an accident. Pain often drives you there — C. S. Lewis said, “Pain is God’s megaphone.” Your problems are not punishment; they are wake-up calls from a loving God.
Day 13 — Worship That Pleases God
God doesn’t want a part of your life. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The kind of worship that pleases God is accurate (worshiping God as he is truly revealed in the Bible), authentic (heartless praise is not praise at all), thoughtful (your biggest distraction is yourself), and sacrificial — real worship costs something. David said, “I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.” When you praise God even when you don’t feel like it, or help others when you are worn out, you are offering a sacrifice of worship. That pleases him. God has wired you in a particular way — through nature, through the senses, through ritual, through solitude, through confronting injustice, through caregiving, through celebration, through adoration, or through study — and the style of worship that connects you to him most deeply is not an accident.
Day 14 — When God Seems Distant
The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain and loving him when he seems distant. God has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” But he has not promised “you will always feel my presence.” This feeling of abandonment is often a test of faith — will you continue to love, trust, and worship God even when you have no sense of his presence? When Job’s life fell apart and God was silent, Job still praised God: for his goodness, his power, his control, his plan, and his faithfulness to save. This is the worship that reaches deepest — not the worship of favorable circumstances, but the worship of a soul that has learned to trust when it cannot see.
Purpose Two — You Were Formed for God’s Family
Day 15 — Formed for God’s Family
Because God is love, he treasures relationships. His very nature is relational, and he identifies himself in family terms: Father, Son, and Spirit. God planned for you to be part of his family from before creation. One day, if you are in Christ, you will be with God forever, completely changed to be like Christ, freed from all pain and death, and invited to share in Christ’s glory. Your eternal inheritance is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected. Baptism symbolizes this second purpose: it declares your faith, symbolizes your death to your old life, and announces your new life in Christ. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.
Day 16 — What Matters Most
Paul was blunt: “No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” Learning to love unselfishly runs counter to our self-centered nature — that is why we are given a lifetime to learn it. “Let love be your greatest aim.” Relationships must have priority above everything else. Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. When life is ending, people don’t surround themselves with objects — they surround themselves with people they love. One of the ways God measures spiritual maturity is by the quality of your relationships. In heaven God won’t ask about your career; he will review how you treated other people. All you’re taking into eternity is your character. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.
Day 17 — A Place to Belong
We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family. While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private. “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” The church is a body, not a building. The first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship and other gatherings. Today’s culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans — people who hop from church to church without identity, accountability, or commitment. You are not the Body of Christ on your own. Together, not separated, we are his Body.
Over fifty times in the New Testament, the phrase “one another” or “each other” appears — we are commanded to love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, serve each other, teach each other, bear each other’s burdens, forgive each other, and be devoted to each other. The difference between a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are consumers; members are contributors. God wants you to love real people, not ideal people.
Day 18 — Experiencing Life Together
Real fellowship involves authenticity — not superficial chitchat but genuine, heart-to-heart sharing. It happens when people get honest about who they are — sharing their hurts, confessing their failures, disclosing their doubts, admitting their fears, and asking for prayer. Real fellowship also requires sympathy — entering in and sharing the pain of others, not giving quick advice. The deepest level of fellowship is the fellowship of suffering, where we carry each other’s burdens and have faith in God for each other when one of us can’t hold on. You can’t have fellowship without forgiveness. Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time.
Day 19 — Cultivating Community
Many fellowships remain superficial because they are afraid of conflict. Real community requires honesty — speaking the truth in love. Every group includes at least one difficult person. Rather than writing them off, God calls us to be interested in their lives, not only our own. Community also takes frequency — you must have regular, consistent contact. The first Christians met every day, worshiping and sharing meals. The marks of genuine community include shared authenticity, mutual encouragement, active sympathy, a culture of forgiveness, honest speech in love, practiced humility, the discipline of confidentiality, and the priority of frequency.
Day 20 — Restoring Broken Fellowship
The first step to resolving conflict is to talk to God before talking to the person — many conflicts are caused by prayerlessness. Always take the initiative — it doesn’t matter whether you are the offender or the offended. Begin by admitting your own mistakes first. Use only helpful words that build up. Finally, emphasize reconciliation, not resolution — we can reestablish a relationship even when we cannot resolve all our differences. God expects unity, not uniformity. We can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.
Day 21 — Protecting Your Church
Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church. Concentrate on what we have in common, not our differences. The sooner we give up the illusion that a church must be perfect in order to love it, the sooner we admit we all need grace — and that is the beginning of real community. Spreading gossip is wrong, but so is listening to it. When a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him privately first. The instinct to complain to a third party rather than speak the truth in love to the person you’re upset with makes every conflict worse.
Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14
Purpose Three — You Were Created to Become Like Christ
Day 22 — Created to Become Like Christ
From the very beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son. God doesn’t want you to become a god; he wants you to become godly — taking on his values, his attitudes, his character. God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. What he wants to transform is the way you love, the way you respond to pain, the way you treat people who can do nothing for you. The Holy Spirit produces Christlike character in you — this process is called sanctification. But you must cooperate. The Holy Spirit releases his power the moment you take a step of faith. Paul lays out three responsibilities: let go of old ways, change the way you think, and develop new, godly habits. Your character is essentially the sum of your habits. God uses three things to mold you: his Word provides the truth, his people provide the support, and circumstances provide the environment in which you practice.
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.
Romans 8:29
Day 23 — How We Grow
Spiritual growth is not automatic — it takes an intentional commitment. “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.” “Work out” is your responsibility; “work in” is God’s role. To change your life, you must change the way you think. Willpower produces short-term change but eventually you revert to old patterns. The better way: change your autopilot. Change always starts first in your mind. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act.
Day 24 — Transformed by Truth
Many troubles come from basing choices on unreliable authorities: culture, tradition, reason, or emotion — all four are flawed by the Fall. Only God’s Word provides a perfect standard. There are five ways to fill your mind with it: receive it, read it, research it, remember it, and reflect on it. Studying involves asking questions of the text — who? what? when? where? why? how? Memorizing Scripture helps you resist temptation, make wise decisions, and reduce stress. Meditation is focused thinking — you select a verse and turn it over in your mind, letting it sink below the surface. “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
Day 25 — Transformed by Trouble
Life is a series of problems. God uses them to draw you closer to himself — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” Because God is sovereignly in control, accidents are just incidents in his good plan. The Bible compares trials to a refiner’s fire. A silversmith was asked, “How do you know when the silver is pure?” He replied, “When I see my reflection in it.” When you have been refined by trials, people can see Jesus’ reflection in you. Problems don’t automatically produce what God intends — many people become bitter rather than better. Joseph told his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” The secret of endurance: your pain is temporary but your reward will be eternal. Pray fewer “Comfort me” prayers and more “Conform me” prayers.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2 Corinthians 4:17
Day 26 — Growing through Temptation
While temptation is Satan’s primary weapon to destroy you, God wants to use it to develop you. Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the character of Christ. Integrity is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when you refuse pride; endurance develops every time you reject the urge to give up. Temptation follows four steps: Satan identifies a desire, suggests giving in, introduces doubt (“Did God really say?”), and offers deception. It is not a sin to be tempted — Jesus was tempted, yet he never sinned. Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” Recognize your pattern and prepare for it — wise planning reduces temptation.
Happy is the man who doesn’t give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him.
James 1:12
Day 27 — Defeating Temptation
Nowhere in the Bible are you told to resist temptation. You are told to resist the devil — that is very different. Resisting a thought only intensifies the focus on the wrong thing. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better. “Fix your thoughts on Jesus.” “Fill your minds with things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” Reveal your struggle to a godly friend — “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Problems grow in the dark; when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. After humbling yourself and submitting to God, defy the devil. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he quoted Scripture from memory, every time. If you have no Bible verses memorized, you have no bullets in your gun.
Day 28 — It Takes Time
We are obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness. Real maturity is never the result of a single experience. Growth is gradual. Most problems and bad habits didn’t develop overnight, so it’s unrealistic to expect them to vanish immediately. Be patient with God and with yourself — it took eighty years to prepare Moses. God answered Habakkuk’s impatience: “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day.” A delay is not a denial. Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. God is not finished with you yet.
Purpose Four — You Were Shaped for Serving God
Day 29 — Accepting Your Assignment
You weren’t created just to consume resources. God designed you to make a difference. “God has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.” You’re not saved by service, but you are saved for service. Jesus was unmistakable: “I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life.” Maturity is for ministry — we grow up in order to give out. Consider Abraham’s age, Jacob’s insecurity, Moses’ stutter, Gideon’s poverty, David’s failures, Elijah’s depression, Thomas’s doubts, and Timothy’s timidity. God used every one of them. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.
It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.
Ephesians 2:10
Day 30 — Shaped for Serving God
Whenever God gives an assignment, he always equips the person to accomplish it. This custom combination of capabilities is called your SHAPE: Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experience. You can’t earn your spiritual gifts — they were not given for your own benefit but for the benefit of others. When the church forgets this, two problems appear: gift-envy (growing resentful of how God uses others) and gift-projection (expecting everyone to have your gifts). The first sign you are serving from your heart is enthusiasm; the second is effectiveness — passion drives perfection. Don’t settle for just “the good life.” Aim for the better life: serving God in a way that expresses your heart.
Day 31 — Understanding Your Shape
No one has the exact same mix of factors that make you unique. That means no one else on earth will ever be able to play the role God planned for you. One of the most common excuses for not serving is “I just don’t have any abilities.” This is not humility — it’s inaccuracy. And God never wastes a hurt. Your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt — the experiences you most wanted to hide are the ones God wants to use to help others. People are more encouraged when you share how God’s grace helped you in weakness than when you brag about your strengths. Don’t waste your pain. Use it.
Day 32 — Using What God Gave You
The best way to discover your gifts is to start serving and experiment. Until you’re actually involved, you won’t know what you’re good at. When something doesn’t work, call it an experiment, not a failure. Your shape was sovereignly determined by God for his purpose, so don’t resent it — celebrate the shape God gave only to you. And use it: the servant who failed to use his one talent had it taken and given to the servant who had ten. Use what you’ve got and God will increase it.
Day 33 — How Real Servants Act
Jesus flipped the whole conversation: “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.” Real servants make themselves available to God. They pay attention to needs — you can begin by looking for small tasks no one else wants to do. God will never exempt you from the mundane — it is a vital part of your character curriculum. Real servants do their work without calling attention to it. Jesus hated the Pharisees’ performance of helping others: “When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off.” Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix. Real servants live for an audience of One.
Day 34 — Thinking Like a Servant
The condition of the heart is everything. Servants think like stewards, not owners. Real servants don’t complain of unfairness or resent those who aren’t serving. If you serve like Jesus, expect to be criticized — one of the most beautiful acts of love shown to Jesus was criticized by the disciples. Because servants remember they are loved and accepted by grace, they don’t have to prove their worth. The most profound example is Jesus washing his disciples’ feet — the equivalent of a shoeshine job, devoid of status. But Jesus knew who he was, so the task didn’t threaten his self-image. A secure identity is the foundation of genuine humility. You don’t need the position because you already know who you are.
Day 35 — God’s Power in Your Weakness
Everyone has weaknesses. Usually we deny them, defend them, or hide them — and every one of those responses prevents God from using them. Your weaknesses are not an accident. God deliberately allowed them for the purpose of demonstrating his power through you. He is drawn to people who are weak and admit it. “We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.” Paul said, “I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.” Our strengths create competition; our weaknesses create community. When Jacob wrestled with God, God touched his thigh muscle — his greatest strength — and turned it into a weakness. From that day Jacob walked with a limp. If you want God to bless you greatly, you must be willing to walk with a limp the rest of your life.
I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Purpose Five — You Were Made for a Mission
Day 36 — Made for a Mission
Jesus prayed the night before he died: “In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.” At age twelve he said, “I must be about my Father’s business,” and twenty-one years later, dying on the cross, he said, “It is finished.” Our mission is the same as Jesus’ — introducing people to God. “Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also.” Telling others how they can have eternal life is the greatest thing you can do for them. Near the end of his life, Warren’s father kept trying to get out of his hospital bed. When asked what he was trying to do, he said again and again, “Got to save one more for Jesus.” That is the theme of a purpose-driven life. One day, if you have lived this way, you will be able to stand before God and say: “Mission accomplished.”
Day 37 — Sharing Your Life Message
Your Life Message has four parts: your testimony (the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus), your life lessons (the most important things God has taught you), your godly passions (the issues God shaped you to care about most), and the Good News. Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses,” not “You will be my attorneys.” Your testimony is unique; only you can share it. It bypasses intellectual defenses — many people who won’t accept the authority of the Bible will listen to a humble, personal story. That is why Paul used his testimony six different times instead of quoting Scripture. Different situations call for different testimonies; match yours to the person in front of you.
Day 38 — Becoming a World-Class Christian
Jesus said plainly: “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.” The shift from self-focused to others-focused is what makes the difference between a good Christian and a world-class one. Prayer is the first way to participate — praying for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak, and for the spread of the message. But if you have the opportunity, go — a short-term mission trip will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion, and fill you with a kind of joy you have never experienced.
Day 39 — Balancing Your Life
Your life is a pentathlon of five purposes that must be kept in balance: worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship. We grow best in community — “as iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other.” Regularly check the five vital signs of worship, fellowship, growth in character, ministry, and mission. Keep a spiritual journal. Pass on what you know — “the one who blesses others is abundantly blessed.” The night before his crucifixion, Jesus told his Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” He had prepared his disciples in all five purposes. That was the work that brought glory to God.
Day 40 — Living with Purpose
Most people struggle with three questions: “Who am I?” (identity), “Do I matter?” (importance), and “What is my place in life?” (impact). The answers to all three are found in God’s five purposes. To keep living by them, develop a personal purpose statement and review it regularly. Some examples:
- “My life purpose is to worship Christ with my heart, serve him with my shape, fellowship with his family, grow like him in character, and fulfill his mission in the world so he receives glory."
- "My life purpose is to make a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission."
- "My goal is Christlikeness; my family is the church; my ministry is ___; my mission is ___; my motive is the glory of God.”
When God is at the center, you worship. When he’s not, you worry. The goal of this forty-day journey is to be able to say what Jesus said, what Warren’s father said on his deathbed, what every purpose-driven life moves toward: Mission accomplished.
Day 41 — The Envy Trap
There is nothing wrong with noticing how others look, act, and live. It only becomes a problem when you resent how God made others, reject how he made you, and start envying what they have. Envy is a trap — in a world where technology allows you to see how everyone else is living every hour of every day, envy may be the most common reason people miss God’s unique plan for their lives. Every time you wish you were someone else, you are saying: God, you made a mistake with me. This is why God outlawed envy in the Ten Commandments — “You shall not covet” — and why James 3:16 identifies it as the root of “every evil practice.” If you want to increase the happiness you experience in life, learn to enjoy the successes and joys of others. Five facts when you’re tempted to resent God’s apparent unfairness: everything I have is an undeserved gift. I don’t know what God knows, so I should trust him. Life is unfair because of sin, not because of God. God sent Jesus to right all wrongs on judgment day. It was not fair for Jesus to die in my place — but he did. God’s generosity toward someone else is never a subtraction from you.
Day 42 — The People-Pleaser Trap
There is nothing wrong with the desire to be accepted and approved. But the desire for approval can become an obsession that dominates life and a fear that destroys the soul. Fear of being criticized or rejected is the most common reason people get detoured from the path God planned for them. Once you know what you were created to do, Satan whispers: But what will other people think? Whoever’s opinion matters most to you is, functionally, your god — you have given that person power that belongs only to God. This is why people-pleasing generates so much insecurity: it is a kind of idolatry, and idols always disappoint. When God’s approval matters most, it sets you free, because he will never reject you.
Scripture is full of people who did wrong because they gave in to peer pressure: Reuben sold Joseph. Aaron built a golden idol. Samson broke his vow. Peter denied Jesus. Pilate allowed the crucifixion because he feared the crowd. “Bad company corrupts good character.” The way out is to change the way you think. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Cultural lies conform us; eternal truths transform us. Jesus himself said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” If everyone approves of you, you are almost certainly not living for God. The question at the end of every purpose-driven life is not whether other people approved, but whether God does.