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How to Find Purpose in Life

If you are feeling like your life doesn’t have meaning or purpose, then the focus of your life is out of harmony with God. To find your true purpose in life you need to seek God’s guidance to help you determine your gifts and abilities and how to use them to serve God by fulfilling the needs of others.

How to Find Your Purpose in Life

Introduction

Understanding God’s Purpose for Us

In order to understand where we fit into God’s creation, it is helpful to first understand why God created us in the first place. God made us in his image so that he could commune and interact with us. We are his children and He is our Father who loves us deeply. He wishes to share the kingdom that he has built with us. To that end our purpose in life should become clearer. We should all have a common goal and purpose in life. That purpose is to expand God’s kingdom and bring glory to him through our praise, worship, and service.

Identifying Our Talents & Gifts

Before we can determine what role God has selected for us in His kingdom, we must first determine what gifts and talents God has given us. Each of us has the responsibility to determine which gifts of the spirit we possess and then to use them in accordance with the will of God. How do we discover our gifts and talents? First and foremost, we should always begin with these 3 steps:

Give our will over to God’s will in prayer. Ask God to take complete control of our lives and all the things we do. You do this through prayer each day by praying the following prayer:

“Lord Jesus Christ, I give my will to you, not my will but your will be done in all things. Amen!”
We must ask for the Holy Spirit to grant us discernment, guidance, and direction in our lives.
We must start listening to what the Holy Spirit is directing us to do. Watch for the promptings of the Spirit. If we are truly being led by the Spirit then everything we are guided to do will be in our best interests, and for the benefit of others, and always in accordance with the will of God.

Once we have God directing our lives it becomes much easier for us to recognize the gifts and talents that he has bestowed upon us. We should make a list of our greatest strengths, gifts, and talents. If you still have difficulty identifying these traits you might find it useful to consult with other close friends and family members. Often times the people around us have an easier time seeing our gifts and talents than we do. Ask someone you know what they think your greatest attributes are. You might even be surprised by what they have to say. Sometimes our greatest gifts are things we never considered.

We should also make an effort to identify our passions. What are the things that bring you the greatest enjoyment and sense of fulfillment in your life? God will often give us a passion for something related to the role he wants us to fulfill in His kingdom.

Finding Our Role in God’s Kingdom

Finding our role in God’s kingdom, which is to say our purpose in life, is done by identifying what part of the Body of Christ God intends for us to be.

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." — Romans 12:4–8

All parts of the body of Christ have a great purpose and significance in God’s ultimate plan for his kingdom. The most important gift you can give in service to God is to show love to each other. Actions speak louder than words, so show others that you care. There are many opportunities to serve in your church, local communities or in the world. God has given each of us special gifts in order to serve Him. Here are some tips to help you discover your true role in God’s kingdom:

Pray for God to reveal your role in His kingdom to you.
Look for ways to combine our passions with our gifts and talents in service to God.
Don’t be afraid to try various different kinds of service. Sometimes it is necessary to dabble in different areas before we can recognize the area that we are meant to serve in.
Bear in mind that sometimes God chooses a role for us that we don’t feel well suited for or comfortable doing on our own. Sometimes this is necessary so that we remain humble and dependent upon God. It’s when we depend entirely upon God to fulfill our needs that we are the most productive and bring the greatest glory to His kingdom.