FROM THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN® LIFE
AMI
on Earth
for?
WHAT
HERE
RICK WARREN
What on Earth Am I Here For?
Copyright © 2002, 2004 by Rick Warren
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN 0-310-26483-9
ISBN 0-310-25700-X
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—
electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for
brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the
publisher.
Illustrations by Michael Halbert,
Copyright © 2002 Michael Halbert
Printed in the United States of America
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /❖DP/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
AMI
on Earth
for?
WHAT
HERE
It All Starts with God
It’s not about you.
The purpose of your life is far greater than
your own personal fulfillment, your peace of
mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater
than your family, your career, or even your
wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to
know why you were placed on this planet, you
must begin with God. You were born by his
purpose and for his purpose.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled
people for thousands of years. That’s because
we typically begin at the wrong starting point—
ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like,
“What do I want to be? What should I do with
my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my
dreams for my future?”
But focusing on ourselves will never reveal
our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God
who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s
life is in his power.”1
Contrary to what many popular books,
movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover
your life’s meaning by looking within
yourself. You’ve probably tried that already.
You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way
you can tell yourself what you were created for!
If I handed you an invention you had never
seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose,
5
and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell
you either. Only the creator or the owner’s
manual could reveal its purpose.
I once got lost in the mountains. When I
stopped to ask for directions to the campsite,
I was told, “You can’t get there from here. You
must start from the other side of the mountain!”
In the same way, you cannot arrive at
your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on
yourself. You must begin with God, your
Creator. You exist only because God wills that
you exist. You were made by God and for
God—and until you understand that, life will
never make sense. It is only in God that we
discover our origin, our identity, our meaning,
our purpose, our significance, and our
destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.
Many people try to use God for their own
self-actualization. They want God to be a personal
“genie” who serves their self-centered
desires. But that is a reversal of nature and is
doomed to failure. You were made for God, not
vice versa, and life is about letting God use
you for his purposes, not your using him for
your own purposes. The Bible says, “Obsession
with self in these matters is a dead end; attention
to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious,
free life.”2
I’ve read many books that suggest ways to
discover the purpose of my life. All of them
could be classified as “self-help” books because
6
they approach the subject from a self-centered
viewpoint. Self-help books usually offer the
same predictable steps to finding your life’s
purpose: Consider your dreams. Figure out
what you are good at. Clarify your values. Set
some goals. Aim high. Believe you can achieve
it. Be disciplined. Never give up.
Of course, these recommendations are all
good and often lead to great success. You can
usually succeed in reaching a goal if you put
your mind to it. But being successful and
fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the
same issue! You could reach all your personal
goals, becoming a raving success by the world’s
standard, and still miss the purposes for which
God created you. You need more than self-help
advice. Jesus Christ once said, “Self-help is no
help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to
finding yourself, your true self.”3
This booklet is not about finding the right
career, achieving your dreams, or planning
your life. It is not about how to cram more
activities into an overloaded schedule. Actually,
knowing your purpose will allow you to do less
in life—by focusing on what matters most. It
is about becoming what God created you to be.
How, then, do you discover the purpose
you were created for? You have only two
options. Your first option is speculation. This
is where most people are. They just guess or
speculate or theorize about the purpose of life.
7
When someone says, “I’ve always thought the
purpose of life is . . . ,” they’re really saying,
“This is the best guess I can come up with.”
For thousands of years brilliant philosophers
have discussed and speculated about the meaning
of life. Philosophy is an important subject
and has its uses, but when it comes to determining
the purpose of life, even the wisest
philosophers are just guessing.
Dr. Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy professor
at Northeastern Illinois University, once wrote
to 250 of the best-known philosophers, scientists,
writers, and intellectuals in the world and
asked each person “What is the meaning of life?”
He then published their responses—which were
quite discouraging—in a book. Some of these
famous thinkers offered their best guesses, some
admitted that they just made up a purpose for
life, and others were honest enough to say they
were clueless. In fact, a number of these intellectuals
asked Professor Moorhead to write back
and tell them if he discovered the purpose of
life!4
Fortunately, there is a better alternative to
speculation about the meaning and purpose of
life. The easiest way to discover the purpose
of an invention is to ask the creator to explain
it. The same method works for discovering your
life’s purpose. You can find what God, your
creator, has revealed about life in his Word, the
Bible. Revelation beats speculation any day.
8
God has not left us in the dark to wonder
and guess. He has clearly revealed his five
purposes for our lives through the Bible. It is
our Owner’s Manual, explaining why we are
alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what
to expect in the future. It explains what no selfhelp
or philosophy book could know. “God’s
wisdom . . . goes deep into the interior of his
purposes. . . . It’s not the latest message, but more
like the oldest—what God determined as the way
to bring out his best in us.”5
God is not just the starting point of your life;
he is the source of it. To discover your purpose
in life you must turn to God’s Word, not the
world’s best guesses. You must build your life
on unchanging, eternal truths, not the everchanging
opinions of talk shows, pop psychology
fads, or success-motivation seminars. The
Bible says, “It’s in Christ that we find out who we
are and what we are living for. Long before we
first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had
his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,
part of the overall purpose he is working out in
everything and everyone.”6 This verse gives us
three insights into your purpose.
First, you discover your identity and
purpose through a relationship with
Jesus Christ. If you don’t have such a
relationship, I’ll explain later how you
can begin one.
9
Second, God was thinking of you long
before you ever thought about him.
His purpose for your life predates your
conception. He planned it before you existed,
without your input! You may
choose your career, your spouse, your
hobbies, and many other parts of your
life, but you don’t get to choose your
purpose.
Third, the purpose of your life fits
into a much larger, cosmic purpose
that God has designed for eternity.
That’s what this booklet is about.
Andrei Bitov, a Russian novelist, grew up
under a government that denied the existence
of God. But God got his attention one dreary
day. He recalls, “In my twenty-seventh year,
while riding the metro in Leningrad (now St.
Petersburg) I was overcome with a despair so
great that life seemed to stop at once,
preempting the future entirely, let alone any
meaning. Suddenly, all by itself, a phrase
appeared: Without God life makes no sense.
Repeating it in astonishment, I rode the
phrase up like a moving staircase, got out of
the metro and walked into God’s light.”7
You may have felt in the dark about your
purpose in life. Congratulations, you’re about
to walk into the light. Just keep reading.
10
Point to Ponder: If there were no
God, and everything was a result of
random chance, there would be no
purpose to your life. It all starts with
God.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Have you ever wondered about, or felt
confused about, the purpose of your
life?
What ways have you tried to discover
your life’s purpose that haven’t worked?
Why do you think people try to discover
their life’s purpose without turning to
God, their creator?
If you’d like to explore these questions,
visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.
11
12
You Are Not an Accident
You are not an accident.
Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and
your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may
not have planned you, but that doesn’t mean
God didn’t plan you. He works even through
human error and failings, and he was not
surprised by your birth; in fact, he expected it.
It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, nor
coincidence that you are breathing at this very
moment. You are alive because God wanted
to create you! The Bible says, “The LORD will
fulfill his purpose for me.” 8
God prescribed every single detail of your
body. He deliberately chose your race, the color
of your skin, your hair, and every other feature.
He custom-made your body just the way he
wanted it. He also determined the natural
talents you would possess and the uniqueness
of your personality. The Bible says, “You [God]
know me inside and out, you know every bone in
my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit
by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into
something.” 9
Because God made you for a reason, he also
decided when you would be born and how long
you would live. He planned the days of your
life in advance, choosing the exact time of your
birth and death. The Bible says, “You saw me
before I was born and scheduled each day of my
life before I began to breathe. Every day was
recorded in your Book!”10
God also planned where you’d be born and
where you’d live for his purpose. Your race and
nationality are no accident. God left no detail
to chance. He planned it all for his purpose.
The Bible says, “From one man he made every
nation . . . and he determined the times set for
them and the exact places where they should
live.”11 Nothing in your life is arbitrary. It’s all
for a purpose.
Most amazing, God decided how you would
be born. Regardless of the circumstances of
your birth or who your parents are, God had a
plan in creating you. It doesn’t matter whether
your parents were good, bad, or indifferent.
God knew that those two individuals possessed
exactly the right genetic makeup to create the
custom “you” he had in mind. They had the
DNA God wanted to make you. While there
are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate
children. Some children may be
unplanned by their parents, but they are not
unplanned by God.
God’s purposes take into account human
mistakes, even sin. This does not mean that God
causes or condones sin or evil—he does not—
but it does mean God is able to redeem any and
all situations and use them for his own good.
13
So regardless of the circumstances of your
birth, you can celebrate the fact that God
created you to be you. God never does anything
accidentally, and he never makes mistakes. He
has a reason for everything he creates. Every
plant and every animal was planned by God for
a purpose, and every person was designed with
a purpose in mind, too. God’s motive for
creating you is his love. The Bible says, “Long
before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us
in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.”12
God was thinking of you even before he
made the world. In fact, that’s why he created
it! God designed this planet’s environment just
so we could live in it. We are the focus of his
love and the most valuable of all his creation.
The Bible says, “God decided to give us life
through the word of truth so we might be the most
important of all the things he made.” 13 This is
how much God loves and values you!
God is not haphazard; he planned it all with
great precision. The more physicists, biologists,
and other scientists learn about the universe, the
better we understand how it is uniquely suited
for our existence, custom-made with the exact
specifications that make human life possible.
Dr. Michael Denton, senior research fellow
in human molecular genetics at the University
of Otago in New Zealand, has concluded, “All
the evidence available in the biological sciences
supports the core proposition . . . that the
14
cosmos is a specially designed whole, with life
and mankind as its fundamental goal and
purpose, a whole in which all facets of reality
have their meaning and explanation in this
central fact.”14 The Bible said the same thing
thousands of years earlier: “God formed the
earth. . . . He did not create it to be empty but
formed it to be inhabited.” 15
Why did God do all this? Why did he bother
to go to all the trouble of creating a universe for
us? Because he is a God of love. This kind of love
is difficult to fathom, but it’s fundamentally
reliable. You were created as a special object of
God’s love!16 God made you so he could love
you. This is a truth to build your life on.
The Bible tells us, “God is love.”17 It doesn’t
say God has love. He is love! Love is the essence
of God’s character. Now God is perfect and
complete in himself, so he didn’t need to create
you. He wasn’t lonely. But he wanted to make
you in order to express his love. God says, “I
have carried you since you were born; I have
taken care of you from your birth. Even when you
are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair
has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made
you and will take care of you.”18
If there were no God, we would all be
“accidents,” the result of astronomical random
chance in the universe. You could stop reading
this right now, because life would have no
purpose or significance. There would be no
15
right or wrong, no good or evil, and no hope
beyond your brief years on earth. Life would
be a meaningless existence, and death would
be the end.
But there is a God who made you for a
reason, and your life has profound meaning!
We discover that meaning and purpose only
when we make God the reference point of our
lives. “The only accurate way to understand
ourselves is by what God is and by what he does
for us.” 19
Point to Ponder: You are not an accident!
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What events or experiences in your life
have “hinted” or suggested that maybe
you were created for a specific purpose?
Have you ever really felt God’s deep
love for you personally?
How would your life change if you
began to live each day confident that
God loves you deeply and has a purpose
for your life?
If you’d like to explore these questions,
visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.
16
17
What Drives Your Life?
Everyone’s life is driven by something.
Most dictionaries define the verb drive as
“to guide, to control, or to direct.” Whether
you are driving a car, a nail, or a golf ball, you
are guiding, controlling, and directing it at that
moment. What is the driving force in your life?
Right now you may be driven by a problem,
a pressure, or a deadline. You may be driven by
a painful memory, a haunting fear, or an
unconscious belief. There are hundreds of circumstances,
values, and emotions that can
drive your life. Here are five common ones:
Many people are driven by guilt. They
spend their entire lives running from regrets
and hiding their shame. Guilt-driven people are
manipulated by memories. They allow their past
to control their future. They often unconsciously
punish themselves by sabotaging their
own success. In the Bible, when a man named
Cain killed his brother, his guilt disconnected
him from feeling God’s presence, and God said,
“You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 20
That describes most people today—wandering
through life without a purpose.
We are products of our past, but we don’t
have to be prisoners of it. God’s purpose is never
limited by your past. He turned a murderer
named Moses into a compassionate leader, and
a coward named Gideon into a courageous
hero, and he can do amazing things with the rest
of your life, too. God specializes in giving people
a fresh start. The Bible says, “What happiness for
those whose guilt has been forgiven. . . What relief
for those who have confessed their sins and God has
cleared their record.” 21
Many people are driven by resentment.
They hold on to their hurts and never get over
them. Instead of releasing their pain through
forgiveness, they rehearse it over and over in
their minds. Some resentment-driven people
“clam up” and internalize their anger while
others “blow up” and explode it onto others.
Both responses are unhealthy and unhelpful.
Resentment always hurts you more than it does
the person you resent. While your offender has
probably forgotten the offense and gone on
with life, you continue to stew in your past,
perpetuating the pain.
Listen: Those who have hurt you in the
past cannot continue to hurt you now
unless you hold on to the pain through
resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will
change it. You are only hurting yourself with
your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from
it, and then let it go. God’s Word says, “To
worry yourself to death with resentment would be
a foolish, senseless thing to do.”22
Many people are driven by fear. These fears
may be a result of a traumatic experience, an
18
unrealistic expectation, growing up in a highcontrol
home, or even genetic predisposition.
Regardless of the cause, fear-driven people often
miss great opportunities because they’re afraid to
venture out. Instead, they play it safe, avoiding
risks and trying to maintain the status quo.
Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep
you from becoming what God intends for you
to be. The only way to defeat fear is to move
against it with the spiritual weapons of faith
and love. The Bible says, “Well-formed love
banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful
life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not
yet fully formed in love.”23
Many people are driven by materialism.
Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goal
of their lives. This drive to always get more is
based on the misconception that having more
will make me more happy, more important, and
more secure—but all three ideas are untrue.
Possessions only provide temporary happiness.
Because things do not change, we eventually
become bored with them and then want a
newer, bigger, better version.
It’s also a myth that if I get more, I will be
more important. Self-worth and net worth
are not the same. Your value is not determined
by your valuables. God says the most valuable
things in life are not things!
The most common myth about money is
that having more will make me more secure. It
19
won’t. Wealth can be lost instantly through a
variety of uncontrollable factors. Real security
can only be found in that which can never be
taken from you—your relationship to God.
Many people are driven by the need for
approval. They allow the expectations of parents
or spouses or children or teachers or
friends to control their lives. Many adults are
still trying to earn the approval of unpleasable
parents. Others are driven by peer pressure,
always worried by what others might think.
Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd
usually get lost in it. I don’t know all the keys
to success, but one key to failure is to try to
please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions
of other is a guaranteed way to miss God’s
purposes for your life. Jesus said, “No one can
serve two masters.”24
There are other forces that can drive your
life, but they all lead to the same dead end:
unused potential, unnecessary stress, and an
unfulfilled life.
That’s why nothing matters more than
knowing God’s purpose for your life, and
nothing can compensate for not knowing it—
not success, wealth, fame, or pleasure. Without
a purpose, life is motion without meaning,
activity without direction, and events without
reason. Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty,
and pointless.
This booklet will introduce you to the five
20
purposes you were created for, but first let’s
look at some of the practical benefits of living
a purpose-driven life:
Knowing your purpose gives meaning to
your life. We were made to have meaning.
This is why people try dubious methods, like
astrology or psychics, to discover it. When life
has meaning, you can bear almost anything;
without meaning, nothing is bearable.
Without God, life has no purpose, and
without purpose, life has no meaning. Without
meaning, life has no significance or hope. In the
Bible, many different people expressed this
hopelessness. Isaiah complained, “I have
labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in
vain and for nothing.”25 Job said, “My life drags
by—day after hopeless day” 26 and “I give up; I
am tired of living. Leave me alone. My life makes
no sense.” 27 The greatest tragedy is not death,
but life without purpose.
A young man in his twenties wrote, “I feel
like a failure because I’m struggling to become
something, and I don’t even know what it is.
All I know how to do is to get by. Someday, if
I discover my purpose, I’ll feel I’m beginning
to live.”
Hope is as essential to your life as air and
water. You need hope to cope. Dr. Bernie
Siegel found he could predict which of his
cancer patients would go into remission by
asking, “Do you want to live to be one
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hundred?” Those with a deep sense of life
purpose answered yes and were the ones most
likely to survive. Hope comes from having a
purpose.
If you have felt hopeless, hold on! Wonderful
changes are going to happen in your life as you
begin to live it on purpose. God says, “I know
what I am planning for you. . . . I have good plans
for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope
and a good future.’” 28 You may feel you are
facing an impossible situation, but the Bible
says, “God . . . is able to do far more than we
would ever dare to ask or even dream of—
infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires,
thoughts, or hopes.” 29
Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.
It defines what you do and what you don’t do.
Your purpose becomes the standard you use to
evaluate which activities are essential and which
aren’t. You simply ask, “Does this activity help
me fulfill one of God’s purposes for my life?”
Without a clear purpose you have no foundation
on which to base decisions, allocate
your time, and use your resources. You will
tend to make choices based on circumstances,
pressures, and your mood at that moment.
People who don’t know their purpose try to do
too much—and that causes stress, fatigue, and
conflict.
It is impossible to do everything people
want you to do. You have just enough time to
22
do God’s will. If you can’t get it all done, it
means you’re trying to do more than God
intended for you to do, or, possibly, that you’re
wasting your time in some way. Purpose-driven
living leads to a simpler lifestyle and a saner
schedule. The Bible says, “A pretentious, showy
life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a
full life.” 30 It also leads to peace of mind: “You,
Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their
purpose firm and put their trust in you.”31
Knowing your purpose focuses your life.
It concentrates your effort and energy on
what’s important. You become effective by
being selective.
It’s human nature to get distracted by minor
issues. We play Trivial Pursuit with our lives.
Henry David Thoreau observed that people
live lives of “quiet desperation,” but today a
better description is aimless distraction. Many
people are like gyroscopes, spinning around at
a frantic pace but never going anywhere.
Without a clear purpose you will keep changing
directions, jobs, relationships, churches, or
other externals—hoping each change will settle
the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart.
You think, Maybe this time it will be different,
but it doesn’t solve your real problem—a lack
of focus and purpose. The Bible says, “Don’t
live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand
what the Master wants.”32
The power of focusing can be seen in light.
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Diffused light has little power or impact, but
you can concentrate its energy by focusing it.
With a magnifying glass, the rays of the sun can
be focused to set grass or paper on fire. When
light is focused even more as a laser beam, it
can cut through steel.
There is nothing quite as potent as a focused
life, one lived on purpose. The men and women
who have made the greatest difference in history
were the most focused. One of the most effective
leaders in the Bible, St. Paul, said, “I am
focusing all my energies on this one thing:
Forgetting the past and looking forward to what
lies ahead.” 33 Have you done that?
If you want your life to have impact, focus it!
Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less.
Prune away even good activities and do only
what matters most. Never confuse activity with
productivity. You can be busy without a
purpose, but what’s the point? “Let’s keep
focused on that goal, those of us who want
everything God has for us.” 34
Knowing your purpose energizes your
life. Purpose always produces passion. Nothing
motivates like a clear purpose. On the other
hand, passion dissipates when you lack a
purpose. Just getting out of bed becomes a
major chore. It is usually meaningless work,
not overwork, that wears us down, saps our
strength, and robs our joy.
24
George Bernard Shaw wrote, “This is the
true joy of life: the being used up for a purpose
recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a
force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little
clot of ailments and grievances, complaining
that the world will not devote itself to making
you happy.”
Knowing your purpose prepares you for
eternity. Many people spend their lives trying
to create a lasting legacy on earth. They want to
be remembered when they’re gone. Yet, what
ultimately matters will not be what others say
about your life but what God says. What people
fail to realize is that all achievements are eventually
surpassed: records are broken, reputations
fade, and tributes are forgotten. I once read of
a college student whose only goal was to
become the school’s tennis champion. He felt
proud when his trophy was prominently placed
in the school’s trophy cabinet. Years later,
someone mailed him that trophy. They had
found it in a trashcan when the school was
remodeled! That man said, “Given enough time,
all your trophies will be trashed by someone else!”
He was right.
Living to create an earthly legacy is a shortsighted
goal. A wiser use of time is to build an
eternal legacy. You weren’t put on earth to be
remembered. You were put here to prepare
for eternity.
25
One day you will stand before God, and he
will do an audit of your life, a final exam,
before you enter eternity. The Bible says,
“Remember, each of us will stand personally
before the judgment seat of God. . . . Yes, each of
us will have to give a personal account to God.”35
Fortunately, God wants us to pass this test, so
he has given us the questions in advance. From
the Bible we can surmise that God will ask us
two crucial questions:
First, “What did you do with my Son,
Jesus Christ?” God won’t ask about your
religious background or your doctrinal views.
The only thing that will matter is, did you
accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn
to love and trust him? Jesus said, “I am the way
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.”36 God wants you to
get to know, love, and trust his Son, Jesus,
whom he sent to earth to show us what God is
like and to forgive and save us.
Second, “What did you do with your
life?” What did you do with all that God gave
you—all your gifts, talents, opportunities,
energy, relationships, and resources? Did you
spend them on yourself, or did you use them
to fulfill God’s purposes for your life?
Preparing you for these two questions is the
goal of this booklet. The first question will
determine where you spend eternity—with
God or separated from God. The second
26
question will determine what you do in
eternity—your responsibilities and rewards in
heaven. By the end of this booklet you will be
ready to answer both questions.
Point to Ponder: What drives your life?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
If you asked your family and friends to
describe what drives your life, what driving
force or motivations would they
mention?
Why do you think most people are not
driven and guided by the purpose of
their lives?
What habits, or hurts, or hang-ups, or
fears might keep you from beginning to
live out and enjoy God’s purpose for
your life?
If you’d like to explore these questions,
visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.
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Made to Last Forever
This life is not all there is.
Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal
before the real production. You will spend far
more time on the other side of death—in
eternity—than you will here. Earth is the
staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your
life in eternity. It is the practice workout before
the actual game; the warm-up lap before the
race begins. This life is preparation for the
next.
At most, you will live a hundred years on
earth, but you will spend forever in eternity.
Your time on earth is, as Sir Thomas Browne
said, “but a small parenthesis in eternity.” You
were made to last forever.
The Bible says, “God has planted eternity in
the human heart.” 37You have an inborn instinct
that longs for immortality. This is because God
designed you, in his image, to live for eternity.
Even though we know everyone eventually
dies, death always seems unnatural and unfair.
The reason we feel we should live forever is that
God wired our brains with that desire!
One day your heart will stop beating. That
will be the end of your body and your time on
earth, but it will not be the end of you. Your
earthly body is just a temporary residence for
your spirit. God’s Word calls your earthly body
“a tent,” but refers to your future body in
heaven as “a house.” The Bible says, “When
this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is
torn down, God will have a house in heaven for
us to live in, a home he himself has made, which
will last forever.”38
While life on earth offers many choices,
eternity offers only two choices: heaven or hell.
Your relationship to God on earth will
determine your relationship to him in
eternity. If you learn to love and trust God’s
Son, Jesus, you will be invited to spend the rest
of eternity with him. On the other hand, if you
reject his love, forgiveness, and salvation, you
will spend eternity apart from God.
The brilliant Oxford professor and author
C. S. Lewis said, “There are two kinds of
people: those who say to God ‘Thy will be done’
and those to whom God says, ‘All right then,
have it your way.’” Tragically, many people will
have to endure eternity without God because
they chose to live without him here on earth.
When you fully comprehend that there is
more to life than just here and now, and you
realize that life is just preparation for eternity,
you will begin to live differently on a daily basis.
You will start living in light of eternity, and that
will color how you handle every relationship,
every task, and every circumstance. Suddenly
many activities, goals, and even problems that
seemed so important will appear trivial, petty,
29
and unworthy of your attention. The closer you
live to God, the smaller everything else appears.
When you live in light of eternity, your values
change. You use your time and money more
wisely. You place a higher premium on relationships
and character instead of fame or wealth
or achievements or even fun. Your priorities are
reordered. Keeping up with trends, fashions,
and popular values just doesn’t matter as much
anymore. St. Paul said, “I once thought all these
things were so very important, but now I consider
them worthless because of what Christ has done.”39
If your time on earth were all there is to your
life, I would suggest you start living it up
immediately. You could forget being good and
ethical, and you wouldn’t have to worry about
any consequences of your actions. You could
indulge yourself in total self-centeredness
because your actions would have no long-term
repercussions. But—and this makes all the
difference—death is not the end of you! Death
is not your termination, but your transition into
eternity, so there are eternal consequences to
everything you do on earth. Every act of our
lives strikes some chord that will vibrate in
eternity.
The most damaging aspect of contemporary
living is short-term thinking. To
make the most of your life, you must keep the
vision of eternity continually in your mind and
the value of it in your heart. There’s far more
30
to life than just here and now! Today is the
visible tip of the iceberg. Eternity is all the rest
you don’t see underneath the surface.
What is it going to be like in eternity with
God? Frankly, the capacity of our brains cannot
handle the wonder and greatness of heaven. It
would be like trying to describe the Internet to
an ant. It’s futile. Words have not been invented
that could possibly convey the experience of
eternity. The Bible says, “No mere man has ever
seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful
things God has ready for those who love the Lord.”40
However, God has given us glimpses of
eternity in his Word. We know that right now
God is preparing an eternal home for us. In
heaven we will be reunited with loved ones who
are believers, released from all pain and suffering,
rewarded for our faithfulness on earth,
and reassigned to do work that we will enjoy
doing. We won’t lie around on clouds with halos
playing harps! We will enjoy unbroken fellowship
with God, and he will enjoy us for an
unlimited, endless forever. One day Jesus will
say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world.” 41
C. S. Lewis captured the concept of eternity
on the last page of the Chronicles of Narnia,
his seven-book children’s fiction series: “For us
this is the end of all the stories. . . . But for them
it was only the beginning of the real story. All
31
their life in this world . . . had only been the
cover and the title page: now at last they were
beginning Chapter One of the Great Story,
which no one on earth has read, which goes on
for ever, and in which every chapter is better
than the one before.”42
God has a purpose for your life on earth, but
it doesn’t end here. His plan involves far more
than the few decades you will spend on this
planet. It’s more than “the opportunity of a
lifetime”; God offers you an opportunity
beyond your lifetime. The Bible says, “[God’s]
plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally.”43
The only time most people think about eternity
is at funerals, and then it’s often shallow,
sentimental thinking, based on ignorance. You
may feel it’s morbid to think about death, but
actually it’s unhealthy to live in denial of death
and not consider what is inevitable.44 Only a fool
would go through life unprepared for what we
all know will eventually happen. You need to
think more about eternity, not less.
Just as the nine months you spent in your
mother’s womb were not an end in themselves
but preparation for life, so this life is preparation
for the next. If you have a relationship with God
through Jesus, you don’t need to fear death. It
is the door to eternity. It will be the last hour of
your time on earth, but it won’t be the last of
you. Rather than being the end of your life, it
will be your birthday into eternal life. The Bible
32
says, “This world is not our home; we are looking
forward to our everlasting home in heaven.”45
Measured against eternity, your time on earth
is just a blink of an eye, but the consequences of
it will last forever. The deeds of this life are the
destiny of the next. We should be “realizing that
every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is
time spent away from our eternal home in heaven
with Jesus.”46
Years ago a popular slogan encouraged
people to live each day as “the first day of the
rest of your life.” Actually, it would be wiser to
live each day as if it were the last day of your
life. It ought to be the business of every day to
prepare for our final day.
Point to Ponder: This life is not all there is.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Why do you think God made us to last
forever?
Why do we spend more time worrying
about what won’t last and so little time
preparing for eternity, which will last
forever?
What are you doing right now to prepare
for eternity?
If you’d like to explore these questions,
visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.
33
34
Seeing Life from God’s View
The way you see your life shapes your life.
How you define life determines your
destiny. Your perspective will influence how
you invest your time, spend your money, use
your talents, and value your relationships.
One of the best ways to understand other
people is to ask them, “How do you see your
life?” You will discover that there are as many
different answers to that question as there are
people. I’ve been told that life is a circus, a
minefield, a roller coaster, a puzzle, a symphony,
a journey, and a dance. People have said, “Life
is a carousel: Sometimes you’re up, sometimes
you’re down, and sometimes you just go round
and round” or “Life is a ten-speed bicycle with
gears we never use” or “Life is a game of cards:
You have to play the hand you are dealt.”
If I asked how you picture life, what image
would come to your mind? That image is your
life metaphor. It’s the view of life that you hold,
consciously or unconsciously, in your mind. It’s
your description of how life works and what
you expect from it. People often express their
life metaphors through clothes, jewelry, cars,
hairstyles, bumper stickers, or even tattoos.
Your unspoken life metaphor influences your
life more than you realize. It determines your
expectations, your values, your relationships,
35
your goals, and your priorities. For instance, if
you view life as a party, your primary value in
life will be having fun. If you see life as a race,
you’ll value speed and will probably be in a
hurry much of the time. If you view life as a
marathon, you’ll value endurance. If you see life
as a battle or a game, winning will be very
important to you. What is your view of life?
Have you ever paused to consider that you
may be basing your life on a faulty metaphor?
You may have picked it up from a parent, from
your friends, from the movies you watch or
magazines you read, or from some other
fallible source. But to fulfill the purposes God
made you for, you’ll have to challenge conventional
wisdom and replace it with God’s
metaphors of life. The Bible says, “Do not
conform yourselves to the standards of this world,
but let God transform you inwardly by a
complete change of your mind. Then you will be
able to know the will of God.”47
The Bible offers three metaphors that teach
us God’s view of life: Life is a test, life is a trust,
and life is a temporary assignment. These ideas
are the foundation of purpose-driven living.
We’ll look at the first two in this chapter and
the third one in the next.
Life on earth is a Test. This life metaphor
is found in stories throughout the Bible. God
continually tests people’s character, faith, obe-
36
dience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Words like
trials, temptations, refining, and testing occur
more than 200 times in God’s Word. God
tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son
Isaac. God tested Jacob when he had to work
extra years to earn Rachel as his wife.
Adam and Eve failed their test in the Garden
of Eden, and King David failed tests from God
on several occasions. But the Bible also gives us
many examples of people who passed personal
tests of their character, such as Joseph, Ruth,
Esther, and Daniel.
Character is both developed and revealed by
tests, and all of life is a test. You are always
being tested. God constantly watches your
response to people, problems, success, conflict,
illness, disappointment, and even the weather!
He even watches the simplest actions such as
when you open a door for others, when you
pick up a piece of trash, or when you’re polite
toward a clerk or waitress.
We don’t know all the tests God will give you,
but we can predict some of them, based on the
Bible. You will be tested by major changes, by
delayed promises, by impossible problems, by
unanswered prayers, by undeserved criticism,
and even by senseless tragedies. In my own life
I’ve noticed that God tests my faith through
problems, tests my hope by how I handle
possessions, and tests my love through people.
37
A very important test is how you act when you
can’t feel God’s presence in your life. Sometimes
God intentionally draws back, and we don’t
sense his closeness. A king named Hezekiah
experienced this test. The Bible says, “God
withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and
to see what was really in his heart.”48 Hezekiah
had enjoyed a close fellowship with God, but at
a crucial point in his life God left him alone to
test his character, to reveal a weakness, and to
prepare him for more responsibility.
When you understand that life is a test,
you realize that nothing is insignificant in
your life. Even the smallest incident has significance
for your character development.
Every day is an important day, and every
second is a growth opportunity to deepen your
character, to develop your love, or to depend
on God. Some tests seem overwhelming while
others you don’t even notice. But all of them
have eternal implications.
The good news is that God wants you to pass
the tests of life, so he never allows them to be
greater than the grace he gives you to handle
them. The Bible says, “God keeps his promise,
and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your
power to remain firm; at the time you are put to
the test, he will give you the strength to endure it,
and so provide you with a way out.”49
Every time you pass a test, God notices and
makes plans to reward you in eternity. The
38
Bible says, “Blessed are those who endure when
they are tested. When they pass the test, they will
receive the crown of life that God has promised to
those who love him.”50
Life on earth is a Trust. This is the second
metaphor of life we find in the Bible. Our time,
energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships,
and resources are all gifts that God has entrusted
to our care and management. We are stewards,
or managers, of whatever God gives us. This
concept of stewardship begins with the recognition
that God is the owner of everything and
everyone on earth. The Bible says, “The world
and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth
and all who live on it are his.”51
We never really own anything during our
brief stay on earth. God just loans it to us while
we’re here. It was God’s property before you
arrived, and God will loan it to someone else
after you die. You just get to enjoy it for a while.
When God created Adam and Eve, he entrusted
the care of his creation to them and
appointed them trustees of his property. The
Bible says, “God blessed them, and said, ‘Have
many children, so that your descendants will live
all over the earth and bring it under their
control. I am putting you in charge.’”52
The first job God gave humans was to
manage and take care of his “stuff” on earth.
This role has never been rescinded. It is a part
of our purpose today. Everything we enjoy is to
39
be treated as a trust that God has placed in our
hands. The Bible says, “What do you have that
God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from
God, why boast as though you have accomplished
something on your own?”53
Years ago, a couple let my wife and me use
their beautiful, beachfront home in Hawaii for
a vacation. It was an experience we could never
have afforded, and we enjoyed it immensely.
We were told, “Use it just like it’s yours,” so
we did! We swam in the pool, ate the food in
the refrigerator, used the bath towels and
dishes, and even jumped on the beds in fun!
But we knew all along that it wasn’t really ours,
so we took special care of everything. We
enjoyed the benefits of using the home without
owning it.
Our human nature says, “If I don’t own it, I
don’t have to take care of it.” But God expects
us to live by a higher standard: “Because God
owns it, I must take the best care of it that I
possibly can.” The Bible says, “Those who are
trusted with something valuable must show they
are worthy of that trust.”54 Jesus often referred to
life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate
our responsibility toward God. In the story of
the talents,55 a businessman entrusts his wealth to
the care of his servants while he’s away. When he
returns, he evaluates each servant’s responsibility
and rewards them accordingly. The owner says,
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
40
been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your
master’s happiness.”56
At the end of your life on earth you will be
evaluated and then rewarded according to how
well you handled what God entrusted to you.
That means everything you do, even simple
daily chores, has eternal implications. If you
treat everything as a trust, God promises three
rewards in eternity. First, you’ll receive God’s
affirmation: He’ll say, “Good job! Well done!”
Next, you will receive a promotion and be
given greater responsibility in eternity: “I will
put you in charge of many things.” Then you
will be honored with a celebration: “Come
and share your Master’s happiness.”
Most people fail to realize that money is both
a test and a trust from God. God uses finances
to teach us to trust him, and for many people,
money is the greatest test of all. God watches
how we use money to test how trustworthy we
are. Jesus said, “If you are untrustworthy about
worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true
riches of heaven?”57
This is a very important spiritual truth that
most people are completely unaware of. God
says there is a direct relationship between how
I use my money and the quality of my spiritual
life! How I manage my money (“worldly
wealth”) determines how much God can trust
me with spiritual blessings (“true riches”). Let
41
me ask you: Is the way you manage your money
preventing God from doing more in your life?
Can God trust you with spiritual riches?
Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given
much, much will be demanded; and from the one
who has been entrusted with much, much more
will be asked.” 58 Life is a test and a trust, and
the more God gives you, the more responsible
he expects you to be.
Point to Ponder: Life is a test and a
trust.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What has been your life metaphor up to
this point? How have you described life?
Can you think of a past experience
where you can now see that God was
testing you?
If you were to start living the truth that
everything you “own” is really on loan
from God, how would that change the
way you feel about your possessions?
If you’d like to explore these questions,
visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.
42
Life Is a Temporary Assignment
Life on earth is a temporary assignment.
The Bible is full of metaphors that teach the
brief, temporary, transient nature of life on
earth. Life is described as a mist, a fast runner,
a breath, and a wisp of smoke. The Bible says,
“For we were born but yesterday. . . . Our days on
earth are as transient as a shadow.”59
To make the best use of your life, you must
never forget two truths: First, compared with
eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is
only a temporary residence. You won’t be here
long, so don’t get too attached. Ask God to
help you see life on earth as he sees it. David
prayed, “Lord, help me to realize how brief my
time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am
here for but a moment more.”60
Repeatedly God’s Word compares life on
earth to temporarily living in a foreign country.
This is not your permanent home or final destination.
You’re just passing through, just
visiting earth. The Bible uses terms like alien,
pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler
to describe our brief stay on earth. David said,
“I am but a foreigner here on earth,”61 and St.
Peter explained, “If you call God your Father, live
your time as temporary residents on earth.”62
In California, where I live, many people have
moved from other parts of the world to work
43
here, but they keep their citizenship with their
home country. They are required to carry a
visitor registration card (called a “green card”),
which allows them to work here even though
they aren’t citizens. Actually, we all should carry
spiritual green cards to remind us that our
citizenship is in heaven. God says that his
children are to think differently about life from
the way unbelievers do. “All they think about is
this life here on earth. But we are citizens of
heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.”63 Real
believers realize that there will be far more to
life than just the few years we live on this planet.
Your identity is in eternity, and your
homeland is heaven. Once you fully grasp this
truth, you will stop worrying about “having it
all” on earth. God is very blunt about the
danger of living for here and now and adopting
the values, priorities, and lifestyles of the world
around us. When we flirt with the temptations
of our culture, God calls it spiritual adultery.
The Bible says, “You’re cheating on God. If all
you want is your own way, flirting with the
world every chance you get, you end up enemies
of God and his way.”64
Imagine if you were asked by your country to
be an ambassador to an enemy nation. You
would probably have to learn a new language
and adapt to some customs and cultural
differences in order to be polite and accomplish
your mission. As an ambassador you would not
44
be able to isolate yourself from the enemy. To
fulfill your mission, you would have to have
contact and relate to them.
But suppose you became so comfortable
with this foreign country that you fell in love
with it, preferring it to your homeland. Your
loyalty and commitment would change. Your
role as an ambassador would be compromised.
Instead of representing your home country,
you would start acting like the enemy. You’d
be a traitor.
The Bible says, “We are Christ’s ambassadors.”
65 Sadly, even many people who think of
themselves as followers of Jesus Christ often
forget this spiritual truth. They have foolishly
concluded that because they live on earth right
now, it’s their permanent home. It is not. St.
Peter said, “Friends, this world is not your home,
so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge
your ego at the expense of your soul.”66
God warns us to not get too attached to
what’s around us, because it is all temporary.
We’re told, “Those in frequent contact with the
things of the world should make good use of them
without becoming attached to them, for this
world and all it contains will pass away.”67
Compared with other centuries, life has
never been easier for much of the world. We are
constantly entertained, amused, and catered to.
With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing
media, and enjoyable experiences available
45
today, it’s easy to forget that the pursuit of
happiness is not what life is about! Only as we
realize that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary
assignment in preparation for eternity will the
appeal of these good, but secondary things lose
their grip on our lives. We are preparing for
something even better! “The things we see now
are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we
can’t see now will last forever.”68
The fact that earth is not our ultimate home
explains why we experience difficulty, sorrow,
and rejection in this world.69 It also explains
why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled,
some prayers seem unanswered, and some
circumstances seem unfair. This is not the end
of the story.
In order to keep us from becoming too
attached to earth, God allows us to feel a
significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction
in life—longings that will never
be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We’re not
completely happy here because we’re not
supposed to be! It’s not our final home; we
were created for something much more
wonderful.
A fish would never be happy living on land
because it was made for water. An eagle could
never feel satisfied if it wasn’t allowed to fly.
You will never feel completely satisfied on earth
because you were made for more than just here
and now. You will have many happy moments
46
on earth, but it’s nothing compared with what
God has planned for you.
Realizing that life on earth is just a temporary
assignment should radically alter your
values. Eternal values, not temporal ones,
should become the deciding factors for your
decisions. As C. S. Lewis observed, “All that is
not eternal is eternally useless.” The Bible says,
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what
is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what
is unseen is eternal.” 70
It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s
goal for your life is material prosperity or
popular success, as the world defines it. The
abundant life has nothing to do with material
abundance, and faithfulness to God does not
guarantee success. God is far more interested in
your character than your comfort. He’s more
interested in what you are becoming than in
making this life easy for you. Remember, life is
a test.71
St. Paul was faithful to God, yet he ended
up in prison. John the Baptist was faithful to
God, and he was beheaded for it! Millions of
faithful people have been martyred, have lost
everything, or have come to the end of life
with nothing to show for it in the world’s eyes.
But the end of life is not the end!
In God’s eyes, the greatest heroes are not
those who achieve prosperity, success, and
power in this life, but those who treat this life
47
as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully,
expecting their promised reward in eternity. The
Bible says this about God’s Hall of Fame: “All
these great people died in faith. They did not get
the things that God promised his people, but they
saw them coming far in the future and were glad.
They said they were like visitors and strangers on
earth. . . . they were looking forward to a better
home in heaven. That’s why God wasn’t ashamed
for them to call him their God. He even built a
city for them.”72 Your time on earth is not the
complete story of your life. You must wait
until heaven for the rest of the chapters.
An old story is told of a retiring missionary
coming home to America on the same boat as
the president of the United States. Cheering
crowds, a military band, a red carpet, banners,
and the media welcomed the president home,
but the missionary slipped off the ship unnoticed.
Feeling self-pity and resentment, he
began complaining to God. Then God gently
reminded him, “But my child, you’re not home
yet.”
You will not be in heaven two seconds before
you cry out, “Why did I place so much
importance on things that were so temporary?
What was I thinking? Why did I waste so much
time, energy, and concern on that which wasn’t
going to last?”
When life gets tough, when you’re overwhelmed
with doubt, or when you wonder if
48
living God’s way is worth the effort, remember
that you are not home yet! At death you won’t
leave home—you’ll go home.
Point to Ponder: Life is a temporary
assignment.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
If the only thing that is going to last for
eternity is your relationship to God,
what are the implications for your
values, your priorities, your possessions,
and your schedule?
Since God is more interested in your
character than your comfort, how does
that truth change the way you should
view and respond to your problems?
Do you know anyone who has already
gone on to heaven? Based on what you
have just read, what do you imagine
they would like to say to you if they
could?
If you’d like to explore these questions,
visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.
49
The Reason for Everything
It’s all for God.
Not only were you created by God; you were
created for him, too. The ultimate goal of the
universe is to show the glory of God. It is the
reason for everything that exists, including
you. God made it all for his glory. Without
God’s glory, there would be nothing.
What is the glory of God? It is who God is.
It is his nature, his character, and his power.
Where is the glory of God? Just look around.
Everything created by God reflects his glory in
some way. We see it everywhere, from the most
microscopic form of life to the vast Milky Way,
from sunsets and stars to storms and seasons.
Creation reveals our Creator’s glory. You can
learn a lot about God’s character just by
looking around. Through nature we learn that
God is powerful, that he enjoys variety, loves
beauty, is organized, and is wise and creative.
The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of
God.”73
How can you know what God is really
like? Throughout history, God has revealed his
glory to people in different settings. But God’s
clearest picture of what he is really like is seen
in his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “In the
past God spoke through the prophets many times
and in many different ways. But now . . . has
50
spoken to us through his Son. . . . The Son reflects
the glory of God and shows exactly what God is
like.”74
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”75
Because of Jesus, we are no longer in the dark
about what God is really like. The Bible says,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory.”76 There
are many insights about God that we would
never know unless Jesus had come to earth.
Jesus came so we could fully understand God’s
glory. The Bible says, “The Word became
human and lived among us and we saw his glory
. . . a glory full of grace and truth.”77
As humans created by God we are commanded
to recognize God’s glory, honor his
glory, praise his glory, reflect his glory, and live
for his glory.78 Why? Because God deserves it!
We owe him every honor we can possibly give.
Since God made all things, he deserves all the
glory. The Bible says, “You are worthy, O Lord
our God, to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created everything.”79
In the entire universe, only two of God’s
creations fail to bring glory to him: fallen
angels (demons) and us (people). Not giving
God his due glory is called “sin.” All sin, at its
root, is failing to give God the glory he deserves.
It is loving anything else more than
God. Refusing to bring glory to God is prideful
rebellion, and it is the sin that caused Satan’s
fall—and ours, too. In different ways we have
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all lived for our own glory, not God’s. The
Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.”80
None of us have given God the full glory he
deserves from our lives. This is the worst sin
and the biggest mistake we can commit. On
the other hand, living for God’s glory is the
greatest achievement we can accomplish with
our lives. God says, “They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory,” 81 so
bringing glory to God ought to be the number
one goal of your life.
Jesus told God in heaven, “I brought glory to
you here on earth by doing everything you told me
to do.” 82 He honored God by fulfilling his purpose
on earth. We honor God the same way.
When anything in creation fulfills its purpose,
it brings glory to God. Birds bring glory
to God by flying, chirping, nesting, and doing
other birdlike activities that God intended. Even
the lowly ant brings glory to God when it fulfills
its purpose. God made ants to be ants, and he
made you to be you. St. Irenaeus said, “The
glory of God is a human being fully alive!”
The book The Purpose-Driven Life explains
in detail how to fulfill God’s five purposes for
your life. I hope you will obtain a copy and
read it. But here is a summarized overview of
those five purposes:
1. You bring God glory by getting to
know and love him. This first purpose of your
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life is called worship. It is your number one
responsibility on earth. “Some people have
missed the most important thing in life—they
don’t know God.” 83 You may know a lot about
a lot of things, but if you don’t know God
personally, you’re missing the first reason you
were created.
Worship is far more than going to a church
service. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God,
loving him, and giving ourselves to be used for
his purposes. We worship God by enjoying him!
C. S. Lewis said, “In commanding us to glorify
him, God is inviting us to enjoy him.” God
wants our worship to be motivated by love,
thanksgiving, and delight, not duty. When you
use your life for God’s glory, everything you do
can become an act of worship. The Bible says,
“Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right
for the glory of God.”84 Until you begin fulfilling
this first purpose, you won’t be able to fulfill the
other four.
2. You bring God glory by learning to
love other people in God’s family. This
second purpose is called fellowship, and it is
preparation for eternity where those who have
accepted God’s Son, Jesus, will fellowship
together forever.
When you commit your life to Jesus Christ,
you become a part of God’s family. The life
God intends for you to enjoy is more than just
believing; it also includes belonging. Why?
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Because learning to love is one of the great
lessons God wants you to learn on earth before
taking you into eternity. St. John wrote, “Our
love for each other proves that we have gone from
death to life,”85 and St. Paul said, “Accept each
other just as Christ has accepted you; then God
will be glorified.”86
Your second great responsibility is to learn
to love as God does, because God is love and
he wants you to be like him. That’s why getting
connected to a local church as your
spiritual family is essential. You cannot fulfill
God’s second purpose for your life on your
own. He made us to need each other. Jesus
said it is the proof that we really know him: “As
I have loved you, so you must love one another. By
this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.”87
3. You bring God glory by becoming like
Christ. Once we are spiritually born into God’s
family through a commitment to Christ, God
wants us to grow to spiritual maturity. What does
that look like? Spiritual maturity is becoming like
Jesus in the way we think, feel, and act. The more
you develop Christlike character, the more you’ll
bring glory to God. The Bible says, “As the Spirit
of the Lord works within us, we become more and
more like him and reflect his glory even more.”88
God gives you a new life and a new nature
when you accept Jesus Christ to be the manager
(or “Lord”) of your life. Then, for the rest of
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your life on earth, he wants to continue the
process of changing your character. The Bible
says, “Be filled with the fruit of your salvation—
those good things that are produced in your life by
Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and
praise to God.”89 God uses a variety of tools—
like other people, the Bible, circumstances, and
time—to develop you spiritually and prepare
you for eternity.
4. You bring God glory by serving others.
Again, this is practice for eternity. In heaven we
are going to enjoy serving God, so one of the
five reasons he put you on earth was to give you
time to get good at it! Of course, the only way
to serve God (whom you can’t see) is by serving
others (who you can see!). That’s why God has
given you certain talents.
You were custom-designed by God with
talents, gifts, skills, and abilities in order to
serve God by serving others. The Bible calls
this fourth purpose of serving others your
“ministry.” Contrary to popular opinion, God
wired everyone to have a ministry, or serving
niche. The way you’re “wired’ is not an accident.
God didn’t give you your abilities for selfish
purposes. They were given to benefit other
people just as others were given abilities for
your benefit. The Bible says, “God has given
gifts to each of you from his great variety of
spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s
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generosity can flow through you. . . . Are you
called to help others? Do it with all the strength
and energy that God supplies. Then God will be
given glory.” 90
5. You bring God glory by telling others
about him. God doesn’t want his love and
purposes kept a secret. Once we know the
truth, he expects us to share it with others.
This is a great privilege—introducing others to
Jesus, helping them discover their purpose, and
preparing them for their eternal destiny. The
Bible says, “As God’s grace brings more and
more people to Christ . . . , God will receive more
and more glory.” 91
Living the rest of your life for the glory of
God will require a change in your priorities,
your schedule, your relationships, and everything
else. It will sometimes mean choosing a
difficult path instead of the easy one. Even Jesus
struggled with this. Knowing he was about to
be crucified, he cried out, “My soul has become
troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me
from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this
hour. Father, glorify Thy name.” 92
Jesus stood at a fork in the road. Would he
fulfill his purpose and bring glory to God, or
would he shrink back and live a comfortable,
self-centered life? You face the same choice.
Will you live for your own goals, comfort, and
pleasure, or will you live the rest of your life for
God’s glory, knowing that he has promised
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eternal rewards? The Bible says, “Anyone who
holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But
if you let it go . . . you’ll have it forever, real and
eternal.” 93
It’s time to settle this issue. Who are you
going to live for—yourself or God? You may
hesitate, wondering whether you will have the
strength to live for God. Don’t worry! God
will give you what you need if you will just
make the choice to live for him. The Bible says,
“Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God
has been miraculously given to us by getting to
know, personally and intimately, the One who
invited us to God.”94
Also, don’t feel that you must have all of
your questions answered before you commit.
You will always have questions for the rest of
your life. I have been a follower of Christ for
over forty years, and I still have questions and
doubts about some things I read in the Bible.
But those questions have not prevented me
from enjoying a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I don’t have to understand how internal
combustion works in order to benefit from a
car. I don’t have to understand the chemistry
of digestion in order to enjoy a steak. Likewise,
I wish someone had told me that I could
accept Christ into my life even with all my
doubts and questions. You can accept him, too.
Right now God is inviting you to live for
his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made
you for. It’s really the only way to live. Everything
else is just existing. Real life begins by
committing yourself completely to Jesus
Christ. If you are not sure you have done this,
all you need to do is receive and believe. The
Bible promises, “To all who received him, to
those who believed in his name, he gave the right
to become children of God.”95 Will you accept
God’s offer?
First, believe. Believe God loves you and
made you for his purposes. Believe you’re
not an accident. Believe you were made to last
forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a
relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross
for you. Believe that no matter what you’ve
done, God wants to forgive you. Ask him to
forgive you and help you change—and he will!
Second, receive. Receive Jesus Christ into
your life by allowing him to become your
Lord (manager, boss, the one in control)
and Savior (who died to pay the penalty for
everything you’ve ever done wrong). Receive
his forgiveness for your sins. Receive his
purpose and peace. Receive his power to help
you fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says,
“Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on
everything, life complete and forever!” 96
Right now, regardless of where you are
reading this, I invite you to bow your head and
quietly whisper the prayer that will change your
eternity: “Jesus, I believe in you and I receive
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you. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for
all my sins. As much as I know how, I ask you to
come into my life and help me learn to know you,
trust you, and love you.” Go ahead.
If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations!
Welcome to the family of
God! You are now ready to discover and
start living God’s purpose for your life. I
urge you to tell someone about it. You’re
going to need support. If you will visit the
website www.purposedrivenlife.com, or
email info@purposedrivenlife.com, you
can tell me of your decision, and I’ll send
you some free material to get you started
on your new spiritual journey.
Point to Ponder: Who are you going to
live for—yourself or God?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Did you pray the prayer above?
If you haven’t yet opened your life to
Christ, what are you waiting on?
Who could you tell about your decision
to follow Christ and begin living a
purpose-driven life? Write down some
names and tell someone today.
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If you’d like information on how to
continue this spiritual journey, visit
www.purposedrivenlife.com.
You will also want to read the global
bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life, available
in bookstores or online.
59
We want to hear from you. Please send your comments about
this booklet to us in care of zreview@zondervan.com.
Thank you.
60
Notes
1. Job 12:10 Today’s English Version (TEV).
2. Romans 8:6 The Message (Msg).
3. Matthew 16:25 (Msg).
4. Hugh S. Moorhead, comp., The Meaning of Life
According to Our Century’s Greatest Writers and Thinkers
(Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1988).
5. 1 Corinthians 2:7 (Msg).
6. Ephesians 1:11 (Msg).
7. David Friend, ed., The Meaning of Life (Boston:
Little, Brown, 1991), 194.
8. Psalm 138:8 New International Version (NIV).
9. Psalm 139:15 (Msg).
10. Psalm 139:16 Living Bible (LB).
11. Acts 17:26 (NIV).
12. Ephesians 1:4 (Msg).
13. James 1:18 New Century Version (NCV).
14. Michael Denton, Nature’s Destiny: How the Laws of
Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe (New York: Free
Press, 1998), 389.
15. Isaiah 45:18 God’s Word Translation (GWT).
16. 1 John 3:2 (Msg).
17. 1 John 4:8.
18. Isaiah 46:3–4 (NCV).
19. Romans 12:3 (Msg).
20. Genesis 4:12 (NIV).
21. Psalm 32:1 (LB).
22. Job 5:2 (TEV).
23. 1 John 4:18 (Msg).
24. Matthew 6:24 New Living Translation (NLT).
25. Isaiah 49:4 (NIV).
26. Job 7:6 (LB).
27. Job 7:16 (TEV).
28. Jeremiah 29:11 (NCV).
29. Ephesians 3:20 (LB).
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30. Proverbs 13:7 (Msg).
31. Isaiah 26:3 (TEV).
32. Ephesians 5:17 (Msg).
33. Philippians 3:13 (NLT).
34. Philippians 3:15 (Msg).
35. Romans 14:10b, 12 (NLT).
36. John 14:6 (NIV).
37. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT).
38. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (TEV).
39. Philippians 3:7 (NLT).
40. 1 Corinthians 2:9 (LB).
41. Matthew 25:34 (NIV).
42. C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle (New York: Collier
Books, 1970), 184.
43. Psalm 33:11 (TEV).
44. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Contemporary English Version
(CEV).
45. Hebrews 13:14 (LB).
46. 2 Corinthians 5:6 (LB).
47. Romans 12:2 (TEV).
48. 2 Chronicles 32:31 (NLT).
49. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (TEV).
50. James 1:12 (GWT).
51. Psalm 24:1 (TEV).
52. Genesis 1:28 (TEV).
53. 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT).
54. 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NCV).
55. Matthew 25:14–29.
56. Matthew 25:21 (NIV).
57. Luke 16:11 (NLT).
58. Luke 12:48 (NIV).
59. Job 8:9 (NLT).
60. Psalm 39:4 (LB).
61. Psalm 119:19 (NLT).
62. 1 Peter 1:17 (GWT).
63. Philippians. 3:19–20 (NLT).
64. James 4:4 (Msg).
65. 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT).
66. 1 Peter 2:11 (Msg).
67. 1 Corinthians 7:31 (NLT).
68. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (Msg).
69. John 16:33; 16:20; 15:18–19.
70. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV).
71. 1 Peter 2:11 (GWT).
72. Hebrews 11:13, 16 (NCV).
73. Psalm 19:1 (NIV).
74. Hebrews 1:1-3 (NCV).
75. John 8:12 (NIV).
76. Hebrews 1:3 (NIV); also 2 Corinthians 4:6 (LB).
77. John 1:14 (GWT).
78. 1 Chronicles 16:24; Psalm 29:1; 66:2; 96:7;
2 Corinthians 3:18.
79. Revelation 4:11 (NLT).
80. Romans 3:23 (NIV).
81. Isaiah 43:7 (TEV).
82. John 17:4 (NLT).
83. 1 Tim. 6:21 (LB).
84. Romans 6:13 (NLT).
85. 1 John 3:14 (CEV).
86. Romans 15:7 (NLT).
87. John 13:34–35 (NIV).
88. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT).
89. Philippians 1:11 (NLT); see also John 15:8 (GWT).
90. 1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT); see also 2 Corinthians 8:19
(NCV).
91. 2 Corinthians 4:15 (NLT).
92. John 12:27–28 New American Standard Bible
(NASB).
93. John 12:25 (Msg).
94. 2 Peter 1:3 (Msg).
95. John 1:12 (NIV).
96. John 3:36 (Msg).
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I have intentionally varied the Bible translations used
for two important reasons. First, no matter how wonderful
a translation is, it has limitations. Second, and even more
important, is the fact that we often miss the full impact of
familiar Bible verses, not because of poor translating, but
simply because they have become so familiar! We think we
know what a verse says because we have read it or heard
it so many times. Then when we find it quoted in a book,
we skim over it and miss the full meaning. Therefore I
have deliberately used paraphrases in order to help you see
God’s truth in new, fresh ways.
Also, since the verse divisions and number were not
included in the Bible until 1560 A.D., I haven’t always
quoted the entire verse, but rather focused on the phrase
that was appropriate. My model for this is Jesus and how
he and the apostles quoted the Old Testament. They often
just quoted a phrase to make a point.
CEV Contemporary English Version, New York:
American Bible Society (1995)
GWT God’s Word Translation, Grand Rapids: World
Publishing, Inc. (1995)
LB Living Bible, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House
Publishers (1979)
Msg The Message, Colorado Springs: Navpress (1993)
NASB New American Standard Bible, Anaheim, CA:
Foundation Press (1973)
NCV New Century Version, Dallas: Word Bibles (1991)
NIV New International Version, Colorado Springs:
International Bible Society (1978, 1984)
NLT New Living Translation, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale
House Publishers (1996)
TEV Today’s English Version, New York: American
Bible Society (1992)
(Also called Good News Translation)
