Living a Life of Purpose

God’s master plan for everyone is that we should live a purposeful life. A purposeful life is a life of impact, a life of fulfilment, a life of immortality.

When you live a life of purpose, you can never die, for even when you die, the life you lived and your great deeds will continue to live, at least, in the hearts of men. Your works will continue to speak for you long after you have gone to the great beyond.

Recently, I was going to Lokoja High Court and on my way, I saw a long white car bearing the inscription, “Asanlaye.” The car is used as an ambulance. Behind the car were several shiny and expensive coffins. Both the car and the expensive coffins were packed in front of the coffin maker’s workshop. 

The word, “Asanlaye” is obviously not an English word. It is a Yoruba word. And because of my sojourn in Yoruba land, I come to know that “asanlaye” means life is vanity. What this implies is that death puts an end to everything we are doing. 

Of course, no one is permitted to live on earth forever. Be that as it may, God did not create us for nothing. God is a purposeful God and He created us for a purpose. He created us so that we should worship Him and be a shining light to the world.

When you live the kind of life that God wants you to live, you will not see life as vanity, for though you die, yet you live – you live in the hearts of men. You depart this earth fulfilled. Coming generations will come to remember you for the purposeful life you lived.

The main issue now is not that we will all die; the main issue is how we live our life on earth. The important question, then, is: are we living the kind of life God wants us to live? Are we living a purposeful life?

We need to take a cue from our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a purposeful life. He knew the call of God in His life. He knew what God called Him to accomplish and He fulfilled it. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

For three and a half years, Jesus engaged in a dramatic public ministry of teaching, preaching, healing and deliverance. He went about doing good. He was a positive force who went about overcoming negative forces. That was over two thousand years ago. Many generations have come and gone, but he continues to impact lives positively. Jesus has and is still influencing lives the way no other person can.

Life of Purpose is Life with God

The number one reason God created us is so that we should worship Him and do His will. We are to worship Him in spirit and in truth, for that is the kind of worship that God accept.

Life without God is a purposeless life. Often, we live our life as if we will not depart this world one day. Many of us don’t even think of death until we lose a relation or our loved ones.

To live a purposeful life, we must constantly remind ourselves that it is appointed unto us that we MUST die and after that, there is judgment.

The life we live is not ours. At the end of our sojourn here on earth, we are expected to give account of how we live our life. It now behoves us to repent of our evil deeds and amend our ways. We should also rely on Jesus’ redemption work at Calvary, as that is God’s plan of salvation for mankind. 

When you do this, you will be on the right standing with God. And that is when God will pronounce His verdict of “Not guilty” on you. Life with God is a personal issue. Nobody compels you to amend your ways. God does not compel you either. But like loving parents, God’s plan for us is good and not evil (provided we do His will).

Life with God is what counts. When you choose to worship God and do His will, you are living a purposeful life. When you live a purposeful life, life will no longer be vanity because you are living the kind of life God wants you to live.

May we live the kind of life that will earn us accolades at the end of our sojourn here on earth. May God say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Life of Purpose is Life of Relevance

Life is not about accumulation. King Solomon is perhaps the richest man on earth. After acquiring everything his heart desired, he thought about life under the sun and concluded that “Vanity upon vanity all is vanity.”

But dear reader, life needs not be vanity when you live a purposeful life. If you realise that God created you for a purpose, and you resolve to live the purposeful life that God created you to live, then life will no longer be vanity.

How long you live here on earth is not even important. Jesus spent only thirty-three and one half years on earth and out of these years, he spent three and one half years to accomplish the purpose for which God sent Him to the world. Jesus has impacted and is still impacting so many lives today.

The reverse is, however, the case with Methuselah. Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years on earth, yet there was no single record that showed the meaningful contribution he made to his world.

A life of purpose is a life of relevance. And a life of relevance is a life of positive contribution. Life is all about positive contribution. A life of purpose goes beyond accumulation. It is not the amount of wealth that matters. What matters is what you do with your wealth to make life meaningful to mankind.

God did not create you for nothing. He created you to live a purposeful life. The way to live this purposeful life is to be relevant to your world. This generation and indeed future generation should remember you for the positive contribution you make in people’s lives.

The Late Chief M.K.O. Abiola once said, “I count my riches in the amount of smiles I put on people’s faces.” M.K.O., as he is fondly called, is remembered today for his great philanthropic work. 

The important question we need ask ourselves is, “What do I want to be remembered for? What can I do for my family, community, country and the world that I will be remembered? When you can find answers to those questions, you will be on the path to living a life of purpose.

Life will remain vanity until we discover our life purpose. Your life purpose cannot be exactly similar to those of others. Don’t spend your life living other people’s purpose.  Don’t waste your precious time trying to copy others. Discover your own life purpose.

God gives unto every person a mission, a purpose or a dream which, if discovered and pursued to a logical conclusion, will establish you as one of the legends of the ages.

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE, BE RELEVANT TO YOUR WORLD. TO BE RELEVANT TO YOUR WORLD, YOU MUST MAKE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE BETTERMENT OF YOUR WORLD.

Remember also that a life of purpose entails life with God. The main reason you are alive is so that you should worship and serve God. When you are in tune with God, you automatically become a shining example to the dark world. You are created to function as light; and anywhere you appear, darkness should disappear. Your light should shine and give glory to God. 

You don’t need to start going around announcing that you are light to your world. People don’t normally pay too much attention to what you say about yourself. But they are more influenced by the lifestyle you live. You just need to allow your light to shine by living the dignified lifestyle of a true worshipper. A true worshipper is easily identified by the kind of life he lives.

If you are a true worshiper, you will never see life as vanity because by virtue of your true worship, you are living a life of purpose.

Life with God and life of relevance are what count. Life will remain vanity in the absence of them. But when you key into them, you will discover that “In all these things,” you are more than a conqueror. 

Go and be victorious always!