To live a full and satisfying life we need to know what our God-given purpose is. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”
After getting out of the Marines and going to university to study petroleum engineering, I had great plans to travel the world in search of oil. The summer after my freshman year I was converted to Christ. I began to get excited about serving the Lord Jesus. I made His cause my cause and His purpose my purpose. I learned that God had a specific plan for my life and realized that no one else could do my job that God had called me to do. For 56 years I have endeavored to fulfill His purpose for my life.
Once you come face to face with the purpose of God for your life in light of eternity, you will never be the same again. A poem written by Helen Steiner Rice stirred by heart and has been special to me over the years. Let me share it with you:
“Life without purpose is barren indeed
There can be no harvest unless you plant a seed,
There can’t be attainment unless there is a goal,
And a man’s but a robot unless there is a soul …
If we send no ships out, no ships will come in,
And unless there’s a contest nobody can win …
And prayers can’t be answered unless they are prayed …
So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You’ll find a solutions if you kneel down and pray.
If you know your purpose, follow and achieve it. Paul said at the end of his life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: hence forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not only to me, but unto all them also that love His appearing, (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
If you do not know it, then seek it with all your heart.
Dr. David Bouler of Global Faith Ministries, Chattanooga, Tennessee, contributed this column to the Journal Review. He can be reached by email at debouler@aol.com.
