Chapter 40 - Living with purpose is really the only way to live
Verse - For David…. Served the purpose of God in his own generation. Acts 13:36
Question - When will I take the time to write down my answers to life's five great questions? When will I put my purpose on paper?
What is a Life Purpose Statement?
A statement that:
points the direction of your life
defines success for you
clarifies your roles
expresses your shape
Life's Five greatest questions:
What will be the center of my life?
The center of my life will be for me and my house to serve the Lord. To be doers of the word and not mere spectators in the game of life. In order to keep the Lord at the center of our lives I have to keep myself from being distracted by the things of this world. The things of this world bring temporary pleasure and happiness but no lasting peace or purpose.
What will be the character of my life?
The following is my perception of the character attributes in my life as I understand myself.
Love - to truly love others we must be willing to serve them above ourselves. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. In the same way we should show love one to another through service. I sometimes love myself more than others because I can be selfish.
Joy - (cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness)- I struggle with joy during times of trouble. I am not always glad about trials or tribulation. I sometimes worry about things that I have no control over.
Peace- (quietness, rest) - Externally I appear to have it together or under control. Sometimes I struggle with the unfairness of my circumstances which causes me to have inner turmoil. Ultimately I find peace when I release it to God.
Patience- (forbearance or fortitude, longsuffering)- I have been learning patience the hard way. My nature is to be spontaneous and make gut feeling decisions on the fly. Through the consequences of these decisions I have made some mistakes and through those mistakes I am learning patience.
Kindness- this is not my strongest character attribute. I struggle with compassion and mercy and kindness
Goodness- (virtue or beneficence, benign, soft winning, tender either in temper or behavior) this one does not come easy to me either. It is easier for me to be critical and harsh than to be soft or tender. Maybe this is reflected in the struggles I have with having a relationship with my children.
Faithfulness- (credence, moral conviction, reliance upon Christ for salvation) on many occasions I have thought that being a Christian was more difficult than I could handle. I have wanted to take the road of least resistance. God has given me the grace to be an over comer.
Gentleness- (usefulness, moral excellence in character or demeanor, good or kind) I am as gentle as an 800 lb gorilla by nature. I have to work at this attribute.
Self Control - (temperance, not only abstinence from harmful drinks or food but control of the temper, the tongue, the desires, the passions for money or power)
Through Gods grace I am able to engage this most of the time.
What will be the contribution of my life?
I have been blessed to have been allowed to do the following in service for the kingdom.
Street ministry
Children church pastor
Evangelism Team
Royal Ambassador leader
Mens Fellowship Director
Sunday School teacher
Lay Minister preacher
Audio/video/sound
Internet Ministry
Freelance writing - Christ and family oriented
What will be the communication of my life?
Street ministry
Peaceful demonstrator at Abortion clinic
Working with homeless people
Preaching and teaching God's word
What will be the community of my life?
I find myself being the one to pursue others and engage them in relationships that are beyond superficial day to day chit chat. I have been accused of getting too close to people to quickly. I am supposedly too up front and personal in my approach with others. How else can I get to know people other than to discover who they are beyond the surface? I believe that my life should be transparent and an open book so that Christ in me can be glorified. That also means letting people see the good and the ugly. That means that I need to be open, honest and vulnerable. Most people do not return that level of fellowship. Most people do not trust others where they are willing to be vulnerable.
The following statements will be a part of my life purpose statement.
To serve God with all my mind heart and soul
To love my neighbor as myself
To allow the Lord to be MY LORD
To study Gods word and be a workman that needs not be ashamed and allow His word to change me from the inside out
To be an exemplary husband to Katy
To be a father who does not invoke wrath in my children
To be a father to my son and daughter who lives Jesus in front of them so that they can learn the character of God
To bring up my children in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ
To serve the community God has placed me in and point them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ
To define and exercise my SHAPE for ministry every day
My life purpose is to glorify Jesus Christ in my thoughts, actions and motivations. I will be successful in God's eyes when I place my life in his hands and allow him to mold me and shape me into his image. My role is to serve God , church and family before myself. My goal is to exercise the spiritual gifts and talents God has given me both in personal ministry and my mission to the world.
James Moffitt
http://www.jesus-connect.net/jcmoffitt
moffittj@bellsouth.net
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment