Purpose vs. Calling: Why Your Relationship with God Comes First

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to the podcast. Today, I want to start a conversation with you about your purpose and your calling in life, and how to know the difference between the two. This is what we're gonna do.

In episode one, we're gonna talk about your purpose. In episode two, we're gonna talk about your calling. And you're not gonna wanna miss either one of these.

Both of these episodes are so important. This pursuit of purpose and calling, it's really caused me a ton of confusion over the years. But because I've journeyed through this, because I've walked through this, this idea of my life having some kind of purpose or there being some kind of calling for me, because of that journey that I've been on, I want to share with you some of the things I've learned along the way, in hopes that my story might help you along your journey, along the road that you're currently walking on, the seasons that you're trying to navigate.

You know, understanding the difference between your purpose in life and your calling in life can mean the difference between you living a life of peace and fulfillment, or potentially living a life of frustration and settling, settling for way less than what you could accomplish in the plans of God for your life. My hope is that this conversation today, that it's going to encourage you, encourage you to view your life with more clarity than you have in the past, maybe. This conversation might set in motion a new way of thinking for you that could help lead you into the greater things of God for your life.

And I want that. I want that for you, your purpose and your calling. Knowing the difference between your purpose and your calling, it can help you embrace the different seasons of life.

Have you realized that life has seasons? Things change? Things don't always stay the same?

Being clear about what your purpose is and what your calling is, it will help you navigate the ups and downs along your journey. And ultimately, it will help you advance towards your promised land, towards the fullness of life that God's got planned for you. So today, let's just start having a discussion about your life's purpose.

Do you believe that there's a reason for you being alive? We hear this word purpose thrown around all the time, don't we? By everyone from self-help and self-improvement teachers to motivational speakers and preachers and leadership gurus, this word purpose, what does that even mean?

What would you say the word purpose means?

Let me give you the definition in case you don't know. The word purpose means the reason something was created or made. Not too complicated.

The word purpose means the reason something was created or the reason it was made. Do you believe that you were created or made for a reason? Do you know for sure what that reason is?

Or do you struggle with it like I have? Let me ask you this question. Have you ever been tormented in your mind or just frustrated, fed up trying to discover what your purpose is in life?

Maybe you've laid in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, or you sit at the office at work, and you've gotten so irritated because you're just not clear on why you're here. Maybe that's you today. Maybe you're currently trying to figure out what your purpose in life is, and it's just wearing you out.

You're fed up with it. You're tired of looking. You're tired of searching.

You're tired of asking. You're tired of trying. And I can tell you, I've been there.

Realistically, the odds are, you're either currently trying to figure out what your purpose is, or there have been seasons in your life that you've had to walk through this journey, this soul-searching journey of finding and fulfilling your purpose. Let me just tell you a reason why I believe the odds are at least favorable that you could be dealing with this. In 2002, Rick Warren published a book titled The Purpose Driven Life.

You guys know about this book? You heard about it? Have you read this?

It's sold millions of copies. This book is all about you and I finding our purpose. And it's one of the best-selling books of all time.

Well, people don't buy books about purpose unless they're searching for it, right? I mean, I don't go buy a cookbook if I never intend to cook anything. If I'm reading about something, it's because I'm looking for some direction.

I'm looking for some help. I need some information of some kind. You don't go buy a book on how to be a gardener if you don't ever intend to grow something.

You don't go out and buy a book on how to play golf if you don't intend to play.

Why did so many people read a book about purpose? Because they're looking for it. That's why.

“I read it early in my walk. Why did I read it? Because I was desperate.

I was a train wreck and needed some purpose in my life. I needed some guidance, some hope. And I read that book, Purpose.

The reason something was created, the reason something was made. And if you really think about it, everything has a purpose, doesn't it? I mean, really, everything that's made is made for a reason.

Let's talk about that. Let's look at some, let's talk some practical examples. A chair is made for a purpose.

What's its purpose? Well, it's for you to sit in. A blanket is made for a purpose, to keep you warm, to cover you up.

Shoes have a purpose. Yeah, they're a fashion accessory, but their purpose is to protect your feet, and to help your feet be comfortable. What about eyeglasses?

Let's talk about eyeglasses. So, I'm 45 young this year, and I don't know, maybe two years ago, I started noticing that, especially like road signs from a distance, were starting to look a little funky. It was like they were kind of blurry is the best way I could explain it.

And so, I went to an eye doctor this year, and had them do an exam on me, and she said, you know, your eyes are pretty good for 45. They're pretty healthy. You got this slight little stigmatism, and it's honestly just enough to be annoying.

But it's an easy correct. We can fix it with just some low prescription eyeglasses. And so I got me these swanky little Oakley Transition glasses.

And they are sweet. These aren't like the more Coke bottle glasses or back in the old days when they'd just tape a magnifying glass to the side of your head. These things, they turn to sunglasses when you're on the golf course.

They clear up when you walk inside. Swanky. But they were made for a very specific purpose.

The reason they were made is to help my vision. An oven. Let's talk about an oven.

I like to eat a lot. My wife's a good cook, and she uses that oven. An oven's purpose, the reason an oven was made, is to cook food.

Everything has a purpose. Everything has a reason for being made. And if everything that's made's made for a purpose, why would you not be?

Why would you even consider that there's no purpose for your life? How could you be less important than a chair, or an appliance, or a pair of shoes? Come on, man.

Don't you think you're more important than a blanket?

Look at how wonderfully you're made and put together. Look at how much it takes for you to take a breath, for your heart to keep beating. Look at how wonderfully you're put together.

You were made in the very image of God, and He's created you and given you life for a purpose. From this day forward, don't ever question that again. Never question that again.

You must start believing that you're here for a reason. But here's the thing. Just knowing that you were created for a purpose, that won't give you clarity about what your purpose is.

You need some more information than that. You need some more details if you're going to start to thrive in your life. Just knowing that an oven's purpose is to cook some food, that's not going to make you a world-class chef, right? “It's not going to make you effective in using that oven properly, just knowing that it cooks food. You're not going to get the most out of it and what it's created to do just in general terms, general knowledge. You got to have some details.

My wife and I, Tara, we just recently got a new oven, like a couple months ago. Nice one. Real nice one.

And the truth is, I don't have any clue how to work that thing. I would need to gather a lot more information than I currently have in order to go in there and cook a Thanksgiving dinner up to get the most out of what that oven can do. Now, I'm fully convinced that this new oven can cook.

It can do what it was made to do, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to go in there and operate it. The same is true where your purpose is concerned. You can be fully convinced that God has a purpose for your life, and never really embrace that purpose.

“Just no one's not enough. Without clarity, you'll just stay confused, and fulfilling your purpose, it'll be a challenge. So, let's get some details.

Let's talk some details about your purpose. Let's get real specific. In fact, let me just tell you what your purpose is.

Here it is. You ready for this? Your purpose in life is to have and grow in your relationship with God.

That's it. Let me say it again. Your purpose, the reason you were created, is to have a relationship with God, and then to grow in that relationship.

That's it. This is true for every single person listening. This applies to every single one of you.

It doesn't matter your age, your gender, your race. It doesn't matter what city you live in, or what you do for a living, how much money you got in the bank, or don't have in the bank. None of those things are your purpose.

This is your purpose. The reason you were made is to have a personal relationship with God. Now, that's going to come through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

And then, once you're born again, and you have this relationship established, we're going to start being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you're going to start to grow in that relationship. This is the reason you were created by your Creator. This is why you have breath in your lungs right now.

This is why you're still alive. This is why the Lord has kept you and protected you and been patient with you to get you to this point where you're at right now, hearing this message.

I know there have been times in my life that if I was sitting in your seat right now, and I'm listening to this, and I was trying to figure out my purpose in life, and you told me what I just told you, I'd be tempted to stop listening. I would. I'd be tempted to stop listening.

I'd be tempted to click off of this thing. And the reason why I would have been tempted to stop listening is because back then, when I thought about my purpose, I'd be thinking about things like what job I should be doing. That's what I wanted you to talk to me about.

Or where should we live? What house should we buy? Should I open this business up or not?

You know, what church should I be going to? What should I even be doing in the church? Should I be a pastor?

Is that my purpose? Or an usher? Or should I be in children's ministry?

Those are the things that I believed would define my purpose and what it was. And that's what I wanted to know. And nobody was telling me that.

Nobody. Nobody seemed to be able to give me definite answers for those types of questions. Is my purpose coaching youth sports or being a teacher?

Am I supposed to be a business owner or an employee? If my purpose is to be a barber, I don't want to try to be a preacher. If my purpose is to be a preacher, I don't want to try to make my purpose being a barber.

Can you hear the torment and the confusion even just talking about it like this? It's heavy, man. It's heavy.

It's weighty trying to figure this out. I lived like this for years, and this is not how it should be. It doesn't have to be this hard.

And I can guarantee you, that there are millions of people on the planet who are in the same boat I've been in. How many of you would say you believe the same way? You've been searching for a career, or a spouse, or a town, or a church, or a friend group, and somehow you've been convinced that these are the things that would give your life purpose.

Maybe you listen to this today because you're searching for your purpose, and you want me to tell you what job you should be doing, or what town you should be living in. And you think, you think that will define your purpose for your life. But it won't.

We are going to talk about being at the right job, and being in the right church. We'll address how to know what town you should be living in, and where to serve, and the importance of right relationships, all that stuff. They're so important.

All that stuff is important. All that stuff gives meaning to our life. I'm not saying that's unimportant, or doesn't matter.

It matters a ton. But first, we have to embrace our purpose. Our relationship with God, the reason we're here.

Then we can start to experience God's best in all those others arenas, all those other arenas of life. Once you renew your mind to this truth about why you're here, then you can start getting free from being tormented about not fulfilling your purpose. Because the enemy would love to convince you that you're not doing what you were created to do.

“He would love to do that, to paralyze you. But now that you know your purpose, you don't have to listen to his lies that he tries to sell you. It's time.

It's time for you to get clear and be unwavering in your purpose. You were created to have a relationship with your heavenly father. And if you're making that relationship a priority, then you are living on purpose.

Now, that doesn't mean you're perfect. That doesn't mean you're hitting a home run every day. Living on purpose means that you've decided to make your relationship with God a priority.

It's important to you. You value it. So, where are you at with this?

Are you living a life on purpose? Now, I'm not talking about where you were five years ago or 20 years ago. I'm talking about today.

I'm talking about right now. Are you living a life of purpose? If you have a relationship with God and you're growing in that relationship, then you are living a life of purpose.

You are living on purpose, and you should start to acknowledge that and embrace it. Take ownership of that, and don't let anybody talk you out of it. But you may be listening, and you aren't currently living on purpose.

You may have never made a relationship with God important to you. May have never even known you were supposed to. This may be the first time you've ever heard anything like that.

Or maybe you were living a life on purpose at one time, but you've turned your back on that relationship with God. Well, you can make a decision to start living on purpose right now. How do you do that?

The word tells us that faith comes from hearing. It starts by hearing something. And if you've listened to this podcast today, you've heard something.

You've heard that God has created you. He's made you for a reason, for a purpose. And that's to have a relationship with him and to grow in that relationship with him.

And by hearing that, faith came. There's a stirring in you right now in your spirit. There's a pull for you to receive this and take a hold of it.

Faith comes from hearing, but then as faith starts to stir in you, faith will demand action. It'll lead to action. First, you hear, but then you're going to act.

And today, you can act. You can act right now. You know how you can act?

You can pray a prayer with me. Just a simple prayer. A simple prayer right now in faith can start you living a life of purpose.

And if you desire that, if you start, if you right now, you're starting to sense, this is for you, and you want to start living your life on purpose, I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer with me. Just repeat this. Just say, Father God, I thank you for being patient with me.

I thank you for loving me and paying the ultimate price for your relationship with me. Your son, Jesus, I receive that payment. I receive forgiveness for all my sins.

And today, I make a decision to start living on purpose. I will honor my relationship with you. Help me, help me do that from this moment forward.

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Hallelujah.

Amen. If you prayed that prayer with a sincere heart, it's called being born again. This is like at the start of a fresh new life for you, a life of purpose.

Now, on the next episode, we're going to start talking about your calling in life, and you are not going to want to miss this. We're going to start talking about these details that make our relationship with the Lord and with other people so much fun. Your calling, your callings in life.

Come back for it. I think it will be a blessing to you. I'll talk to you soon, but until then, be blessed.