1st week of 40 days of purpose (from the purpose-driven life)

What on earth am i here for? - is the question of the 1st week of this 40 day of purpose journey that my church is taking together. More than 900 members and new friends from 4 to 90 years of age are taking part.

As we read the book this first week, we learn that God created us purposefully for a purpose and we are supposed to discover this purpose. Well, it's not going to take only 40 days... this is just the beginning. It's gonna be an exciting and adventurous life-long journey of discovery as we learn about the "five purposes" (these are the general purposes the author raises in the book) that should guide our lives.

What am I driven by? The book suggests that many are driven by anger, fears, need for approval, resentment, guilt, even materialism. But these are fleeting and temporal.

I heard this quotation in a sermon a couple of years back, and wrote it on the title page of my bible.

"There is but one motive that will sustain you in testing and trial - the love of Christ". ~ Hudson Taylor

The love of Christ compels me to do what i do in my life. I took a step out of the work of teaching i knew and loved (most of my job anyway) for 9 years, and went to bible school in obedience to the call i had on my life. "To love Him is to obey His Word" (my paraphrase of John 14:23).

God prepares ahead of time good work for us to do (Eph 2:10 - please see amplified version on the right of the blog page) and when He prepares, He prepares well. No details are left out. And everything is at the right place at the right time. (and we all know how difficult that is when we are dealing with people of all kinds! :D Well, nothing is too difficult for Him. In fact, nothing is impossible for Him! Haha... i'm laughing cos it's so true.) God not only prepares the work, He prepares us to do the work. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we are empowered and enabled, having been made a new creation in Him, to do what has been prepared for us.

He has revealed to me some of the plans He has for my life, and they thrill and fulfill me.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has ever conceived the things He has prepared for those who love Him but God has revealed Him to us through His Spirit for the Spirit searches all things, yes the deep things of God." (1 Cor 2:9-10)

I'm pressing in for more of His purpose and plan for my life to be revealed to me as i live this purpose-driven life in Him.