It's Not About You

The opening line in Rick Warren’s best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, says, “It’s not about you.” Meanwhile, our culture tells us that it is all about us – what we want, our happiness and fulfillment. As Christians, however, our purpose is not about us. It’s living to please God, to honor Jesus and to make him happy.
I’m impressed with the emphasis that the Bible puts on purpose. In the first chapter of the New Testament we learn that Joseph’s purpose was to marry Mary and serve as Jesus’ father. Mary’s purpose was to be the mother of the Son of God. Jesus’ purpose was to “save his people from their sins.”
If our purpose is to please God and live for him, we need to examine all areas of our lives against this purpose: our marriage, job, budget, friends and how we spend our time. We need to devise a plan to fulfill our life’s purpose and then follow it. We also need to regularly ask ourselves, “How am I doing at fulfilling my purpose?”
The amazing thing about our lives as Christians is that God has established a purpose and plan for us as well. Listen to this supernatural promise, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”
God is working to make everything come together for good in our lives, even our mistakes. His plan is to make us like Jesus.

Related Scripture: Matthew 1:21 & Romans 8:28-29

© 2007 Leith Anderson