What’s My Purpose?
Are you questioning what your purpose on earth is? What is your identity and why did God give you this life? It’s hard not to compare ourselves to others when thinking through these questions. Keep reading to learn who you are in Christ’s eyes.
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Joshua 11:23
So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.Joshua 13:1
When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.Joshua 18:1-3
1 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control, 2 but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
What's my purpose? Who am I? What's my identity? How do I relate to others, the world, and God?
These are questions that we all face in our life. They are as inescapable as death and taxes. But we must know why God put us here and who we are.
There is so much identity confusion in our society that it grieves the heart of God. And I believe it should grieve us too. People do not know who God says they are. I would even go a step further, and say that it's not only people that have identity confusion. I believe the church is suffering from an identity crisis too. As the people of God, we've forgotten who we are and His Word.
The world needs to be reminded that we are made in the image of God. He tells us who we are in His Word, and we've been made for God's purposes.
That doesn't mean we won't ever struggle. But it means that you can walk through that struggle knowing that you are a child of God. Find it in God's Word if you care to know who you are. He will lead you through the confusion and speak clarity to your heart and mind.
So how do you know your assignment and possess it?
God Gives Each Of Us A Unique Gift.
Today’s scripture is nearing the end of Joshua’s story. At this point in his story, he has conquered all the major cities and forces of Canaan. He's about to distribute the land to the tribes of Israel. This land is their inheritance, and God didn't leave anyone out. But their assignments were individual. Some were assigned mountain ranges and others desserts. Some were in the north and some in the south. Some were given large parcels of land and others tiny portions.
However, the tribe of Levi, the Levites, weren't given any land at all. God didn't want them to focus on property concerns because He wanted them to lead His people in worship. God was their inheritance.
Have you ever felt like the Levites? Where's my gift? Why can't I be like that? What about me? That's the way we think, isn't it? We're always looking at what God gives to somebody else.
Remember, regardless of what lot you get in life, there is still a relationship with God for you. Through Christ, you receive the promise of heaven, the eternal and abundant life. Everyone gets a gift that's paired with an assignment.
1 Corinthians 12:7 says each person is given something that reveals God's glory. Our assignments are tailor-made, just as we are tailor-made. We are unique and different. So likewise, your gifts, ministries, and callings that God gives us are unique. Each one of you is one of a kind.
When someone is confused about who they are, they will look to the world. They'll ask their friends, and they'll go on soul-searching expeditions. They'll go about their search as if they're trying flavors at the ice cream shop. But, there's no reason to be confused, and the answer is a much simpler solution. Find it in God's Word if you care to know who you are. He will lead you through the confusion and speak clarity to your heart and mind.
How to Find Your Identity in God
1) Ask God All The Questions
Are you asking God what is relevant to give your life to Him? Who am I, God? There's not a person in the world that doesn't ask, who am I? What am I here for? What is my purpose in life?
Those are good questions that God has put in us, and He will give us the answer to them. But if we attempt to measure the value of our lives, we have to thirst to know who we are. Then, when God reveals our assignment, we have to live out what God has put us on the earth to do.
By comparison, when we contrast our lives to others, we belittle our gifts. Our ungratefulness dishonors God. When we wish that we were someone else, lived somewhere different, or had a different family, it dishonors God. That says we're not grateful for the unique expression of God that we are.
This is not just about improving ourselves so that we don't need God. Our goal should be to understand that we're called to be dependent on God. The world thinks if I've got what I need, I don't need God. You'll never have everything because you need God.
2) Find Your Place
Years after Joshua distributed the land amongst the tribes, many had not moved to take what was theirs. It was their responsibility to conquer the remaining small towns and tribes, but many had not taken the courage to do so yet. Joshua even asked them, "How long are you going to wait before you begin to possess the land that God has given you?"
Many of us struggle to find our place in life. There have been seasons of my life that I've struggled with that. We struggle not only to find our place in life but to cherish our place in life too. Because we live in a world of comparison and competition, our ears and eyes are too much on others.
We must remember that God has already ordained life for us with Him. When we accept who and where we are, we are glorifying God. Your story and placement are entirely intentional, and you accept that you have begun to live your assignment.
3) Claim Your Gifts
We live in the tension that comes with imperfections and deficiencies. "God, if you're so good, why don't you make us perfect?"
Being fearfully and wonderfully made doesn't mean that you're perfect. Folks, we live in a fallen world. Bad things happen to wonderful people and good things to people who aren't so wonderful. It's part of life. So being fearfully and wonderfully made means that God has put something of Himself in you.
God wants you to claim your gifts. When you accept your uniqueness and give yourself entirely to God, He can use you like nobody else. You can show others who He is, especially the parts of yourself that you're not happy with. Regardless of your struggle or how imperfect you think you are, you can show the world that God's grace is always greater than your limitations and weaknesses.
4) Be Satisfied With You
Part of the pressure of today's society is a constant stream of voices that say who you should and shouldn't be. Don't wish that you were someplace else. Be where you are because that's where God is. Don't wish you were someone else. Be who you are. He lives in you and wants to live through you if you've accepted God. Oscar Wilde tells us, “Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.”
Let every interaction be for God. Once you've claimed your gifts and are living your assignment, allow God to use you to clarify someone else's life by encouraging them. Our assignment is not to tear people down, criticize or judge them. It is not to tell them who they ought to be but to help them see who they are and that Christ loves them.
TL;DR
There is an endemic of identity crisis in our world.
We need to be reminded that we’ve made in God’s image.
God has given each of us unique gifts to glorify Him.
When we question our identity or reject His gifts we don’t glorify Him.
How to Find Your Identity In God
Ask God all the questions.
Find your place.
Claim your gifts.
Be satisfied with you.
Be an encourager.
Related Reading
Freedom in Submission by Bro. Chris Carter
How to Remember Your Blessings by Bro. Chris Carter
Feeling Stuck in a Rut?by Bro. Chris Carter
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services
