I have spent a considerable amount of time during the past week contemplating purpose. As a believer, what is my purpose? How does my mission look? After thinking of several selfish or self-centered, self-exalting “mission statements”, I realized that my purpose is simply to follow Jesus with my whole heart – to care about what He cares about and to despise the things He can’t stand, to love people, to serve, and to point to Him in everything. Finally realizing that as a Christian my purpose is 100% Christ-centered, this is the mission/purpose statement for my life:
There is no mission greater than obedience to the Lord and developing a heart like His. As a follower of Christ, I want to share in His passions and ache over what breaks His heart. Jesus’ purpose was “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10) and to offer a new kind of life. My mission, my purpose is to pursue the heart of Christ, and to take part in what He says is important – having a heart to see others cross from death to life.
I am eager to become smaller and smaller while allowing Christ to grow bigger in me. I want to be less of me and more of who He created me to be. I’m ready to view others through His eyes and then love and serve out of the overflow of what I’ve been given. After experiencing His grace and mercy daily, I want to exalt Him in everything because He is so overwhelmingly worthy in the brightest moments and in the darkest hours. In the good times and in the bad times, I want to lift Him up. I have been found by Jesus – the Lover of my soul, my Savior, my Redeemer, the King of kings, the Lamb of God – and His heart desperately aches to be known by the lost. I have tasted the Living Water and I know where the Bread of Life can be found. There is nothing more important than pointing others in the way of life. As a follower of Jesus, my only mission is to continue in His mission – inviting others to taste and see how great He truly is, and to introduce them to a love that is wide and long and high and deep – a love that surpasses knowledge, that they may experience freedom, grace, joy, and ultimately life in abundance.
