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The Purpose Driven Life By L Johnson Sooner or later just about everyone wonders, “What is God’s purpose for my life? ” The Purpose Driven Life is a powerful book that you must read. It contains valuable advice to help you understand why you are alive and God’s amazing plan for you while you are here on earth and what is in store for you during eternity. This course has taught me that It all begins with God, my Creator, and it has taught me the reasons God created me.
I learned that I was created to be loved by God; that I was created to love God; that I was created to love my neighbor; that I was created to worship God; that I was created to have fellowship with God; that I was created to be one of God’s special people; and that I was created to have eternal life in the presence of God. To begin with, I learned that I was created to be loved by God. God knew and loved me even before He created the world. God loved me then, and God loves me now. God is Love, and His love is very different from human love.
God’s love is unconditional, and it’s not based on feelings or emotions. The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3. God created me to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son (who also willingly died for me) to restore that relationship. In addition to knowing that God loves me, I learned that I was created to love God. I was created to spend time with Him, listen to Him, talk to Him, and quietly delight in His presence.
Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ” Matthew 22:37. We must love God unconditionally even when we face uncertainty. After that I learned that I was created to love my neighbor. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:39b; For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another 1 John 3:11. I must love unselfishly and always remember that relationships are what life is all about. Love is what I will be evaluated on in eternity.
God will look at how I treated other people, especially in their time of need. God tells me that the way to Love him is to love his family and care for their practical needs. I learned that the greatest gift I can give someone is my time. I learned to sacrifice my time is the best way for me to express my love for other people. Meanwhile I learned I was created to worship God. Some people think “worshipping God” simply means to go to church, sing hymns, and give long fancy prayers. That is Not so! God speaks of my relationship to Him as being like the relationship of a bride to her husband.
A bride shares physical intimacy with her husband, so “worship” is spiritual intimacy with God. Simply meaning worship is when (in spirit and truth) I intimately hug God’s neck and softly whisper my praise, love, joy and desire in His ear. God tells us how to praise and worship him in His Word. Romans 12:1-2 states, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will. ” Subsequent to learning I was created to worship God, I learned that I was created to have fellowship with God. God wants me to be close to Him. I learned that I need to spend time with Him, listen to Him, talk to Him, relax with Him, and enjoy His presence. After that, I learned I was created to be one of God’s special people. I bear God’s name for God’s glory! “Christ” is a name of God. As a Christian I bear God’s name; CHRIST-ian.
Since I bear Christ’s name, it is God’s purpose that my lifestyle will reflect His glory unto mankind. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. ” Matthew 5:16. After learning that I was created to be one of God’s special people, I learned that I was created to have eternal life in the presence of God. Eternity is where I will spend the rest of my life after the return of Jesus. This is decided by whether or not I accept the gift of salvation offered by Jesus.
If I do, then I am privileged to spend eternity – forever – in the presence of God in Heaven. If I do not, then I am forever apart from God, in Hell. Earth is not my eternal home; I learned I was created for my heavenly home. God is happy with me if I treat this earthly home as a temporary assignment. He expects me to serve faithfully as I strive to receive the promised reward in eternity. Jesus said, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. John 10:28. Jesus also said, “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14. 3b. In Conclusion, this course has taught me that It all begins with God, my Creator, and it has taught me the reasons God has created me. I learned that I was created to be loved by God; that I was created to love God; that I was created to love my neighbor; that I was created to worship God; that I was created to have fellowship with God; that I was created to be one of God’s special people; and that I was created to have eternal life in the presence of God. I learned that I must let my light shine before men that they may see my good works then I can glorify my Father in heaven.