The life that really matters is a Purpose Driven Life. It is a life driven, controlled or directed by God's purpose.

Ephesians 2:10, from the Good News Translation says, "God is our maker and in our union with Christ, He has created us for a life of good works which He has already prepared for us to do."

In simple terms Paul is saying, God has a purpose for your life. Everything God created has a purpose, but tragically many people go their entire lives never learning what their purpose is, never discovering their niche, and never knowing where they fit.

FACT: You will live your life on one of three levels.

The lowest level is the survival level. People living in the survival mode barely get by. They really don't live, they just exist. Their major goal is, "I just want the weekend to hurry up and get here." You may need that right now but if that's the number one goal for your life, then you're in the survival mode.

The next level is the success level. This is where most people in America are today. If you feel that by the world's standards…

• You've made it.
• You have a comfortable life style.
• You have possessions,
• You have a position, and
• You have pleasure.
• Life is pretty good. You've got problems, yes, but millions of people around the world would love to have your problems.
• You've hit the success level.

In our success-driven culture more and more people are asking the question, "If I'm so successful, why don't I feel more fulfilled?" Glance at list of recent best selling self-help books and you will find that many of them deal with the negative side of success: Titles like:

Ambitious Men: Their Drives, Their Dreams, and Their Delusions
The Price of Success: Is it Worth It?
Quiet Desperation: The Truth about Successful Men
Beyond Success, Coping With the Fast track Blues
Downshifting: Reinventing Success on a Slower Track;
If I'm So Successful, Why do I feel Like a Fake?;
The Success Trap: Rethinking Your Ambitions;
Upward Mobility: How to Succeed in Business without Losing your Soul;
Is it Success or is it Addiction?

What are these books saying? They declare that success by itself does not satisfy.

The third level is the level of significance. If we are to find fulfillment and satisfaction, then we must go beyond survival and success to the third level of living, which is significance. What you and I really long for is not survival or success, but significance. We want to know…

• That our life matters!
• That we count!
• That we're not just taking up space and using up resources.

Knowing and pursuing God's purpose for me imparts meaning and value to my life.

If you've discovered God's purpose for your life, then you are aware of how unique you are. God's will for you set you apart from the other 6 billion plus people living on this planet.

If you know God's plan and purpose for your life, and if you know what God put you here for, then you will experience the highest level of living, the level of significance.

Tragically, many successful people feel very insignificant, because they're living beneath God's purpose for their life.

When you consider people that have made the greatest impact on this world…

• they were not the brightest,
• they were not the wealthiest, and
• they were not the best educated.

The people that have made the biggest difference in life--for good or bad--were those who had the deepest convictions and the deepest commitments. Whether it was Jefferson or Jesus, Mao or Buddha, Marx or Stalin, they made an impact because their lives were purpose-driven.

• Karl Marx was driven by the purpose of Communism.
• Adolph Hitler was driven by the purpose of conquest.
• Abraham Lincoln was committed to the preservation of the Union.
• Jesus was committed to fulfilling His Father's will.

Knowing your purpose produces strong convictions and intense commitments.

To be all that you were meant to be, you need to discover God's purpose for your life and be committed to do it until it is completely done; until it is history--His Story.

Let me give you two examples of men who lived Purpose Driven lives. Both are found in the Bible.

The first example is David. Acts 13:36 says, "David served God's purpose in his generation. Then he died." How would you like to have that written on your tombstone: You served God's purpose in your generation? Your life counted. I don't know a better epitaph than that. Why was David a man after God's own heart? Because he lived his life in fulfillment of God's purpose.

People who fulfill God's purpose for their life will feel fulfilled in life.

The second example is Paul. He was a man who was driven by God's purpose for his life. He had a life mission from which he would not waver. In Acts 20:24 he explains, "I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me, in order that I may complete my mission and finish the work the Lord Jesus gave me to do." Circle the words "complete my mission" and "finish the work."

Can you say that about yourself? "I (insert your name) reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me, in order that I may complete my mission and finish the work the Lord Jesus gave me to do."

Like Paul's, your life mission is unique. God had a mission in mind for you when He made you and called you, and no one else can take your place.

Why not determine that you will know God's purpose for your life before winter ends.

Businessmen will spend days, even weeks, preparing a business plan but they don't spend any time at all thinking about a life plan. What's more important, your business plan or your life plan?

Housewives will make out a grocery list or a family budget, but they don't spend any time thinking about a life plan.

Please consider the following FIVE (5) BENEFITS OF LIVING A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE.

1. THE FIRST BENEFIT OF LIVING A PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE IS THAT IT WILL REDUCE FRUSTRATION.
We live in a world that affords us more choices than any previous generation, but this blessing tends to complicate decision making. It leads to indecisiveness and frustration. When you don't know your purpose decision making gets even more complicated. Living a purpose-driven life reduces frustration, because once you understand your purpose decision making is easier.

People without a purpose never know if they're on course or not. They spend a lot of time going but never getting anywhere, because they have nowhere to go. According to James 1:6-7, the double-minded man is unsteady in his course because he doesn't know what he's here for. He lives a live of vasilating uncertainty.

If you've discovered God's purpose for your life, then life is a matter of fulfilling that purpose. Decisions are made based on whether or not they will help you fulfill God's purpose for your life.

Yes, you will face mountains and pot holes and roadblocks in pursuit of God's purpose for your life. These may slow you down a bit, but they cannot stop the man who knows where he is going and is committed to getting there.

Trying to live your life without knowing God's purpose for you is like driving in a fog without a map or sense of direction. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." When people have no sense of direction, then they are vulnerable to anyone with a good idea.

Some of you may have felt like Isaiah when he said, "I've labored to no purpose. I've spent my strength in vain and for nothing" (Is. 49). In simple terms he's saying, "I don't know why I'm working, I spend my time, but what difference does it make, what's my purpose." Isaiah did learn his purpose and in Isaiah 26:3 he said, "You Lord give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm." Peace, inner serenity and calmness, comes from knowing, pursuing and staying fixed on God's purpose for my life.

Living a purpose-driven life not only reduces frustration, but it also increases motivation.

2. THE SECOND BENEFIT OF LIVING A PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE IS INCREASED MOTIVATION.

You will be amazed at the amount of energy that you have, when you discover, "What you are here for?"
" You'll have a reason to get out of bed while others are sleeping.
" You'll have a bounce in your step, because you're motivated to fulfill what God made you to be.

Many people never think beyond the next weekend? They live to get through one day at a time. They trudge through boring day after boring day. Life is a daily grind with weekend relief.

Even professing Christians feel like Job when he said, "My life drags by, day by day, day after hopeless day. I'm tired of living. My life makes no sense." Please circle the word "hopeless". Job had an emotional flat tire. He was, in the immediate, a man without purpose and without hope. People who have no purpose and no hope also lack motivation. God's secret to energy and enthusiasm is purpose. People who know God's purpose for their life tend to live life on purpose and with purpose.

Think about it. When you knew that you were going fishing with your dad for the first time, you went to bed excited and got up excited. No one had to wake you up four times on Christmas morning.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Please circle the words "future" and "hope". God says, "My purpose for you is good. My plan for your future is exciting. I want you to know this so that you will live each day of your life enthusiastically in expectant hope."

I'm not just talking about being a Christian. I'm talking about becoming a Spirit-filled Christian; a Christian who lives under the influence of and by the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Knowing and living in anticipation of God's purpose for your life builds enthusiasm. It enables you to live an inspired life.

God is saying to you and me: "Dream your biggest dream and I can tell you that My plan for you is bigger than that. Quit limiting yourself to what you can dream, and realize that I am not limited to what you think is possible. If you will trust Me and walk before Me in humility and integrity, I will fulfill my plan through you."

Living a purpose-driven life not only reduces frustration and increases motivation, but it also promotes focus.

3. THE THIRD BENEFIT OF LIVING A PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE IS GREATER FOCUS AND EFFECTIVENESS.
Fact: You don't have time for everything in life. Besides, not everything is worth your time.
The good news: God doesn't expect you to do everything.

If we're going to live a significant life, then we must determine what is worth our time and energy and what isn't. We must concentrate our energy on what God wants, not on what everybody else wants us to do.

Knowing God's purpose for your life…

• Defines what you do and what you don't do.
• It determines what's your business and what's none of you business.
• It enables you to wisely invest your time and energy in things that will have eternal worth.

In Philippians 3:13, Paul gives us an important rule for life. He says, "I'm bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing. Forgetting my past accomplishments and failures, I press forward to what lies ahead."

Knowing your life purpose enables you to focus all of your resources and energies on fulfilling that purpose. A focused life is a powerful life.

Diffused sunlight is good, but when that light is focused through a magnifying glass it can be used to start a fire or cut through steel.

In the same way, a scattered or diffused life lacks power, but a focused life has tremendous power and is very effective.

Many of us are far too busy. We work very hard, but accomplish very little. We do our best to be a good husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, student, employee, and to help with Church projects and participate in community events. It would be easier if the issues were just a matter of choosing between good things and bad things--should I spend time with my son or run drugs for the Mafia? It's not that easy. You don't have to commit sin to waste your life. You can exhaust yourself doing good things and still never accomplish God's purpose for your life.

It's also possible to be efficient without being effective.
   Efficiency is doing things right.
   Effectiveness is doing the right thing.

God wants you to be effective, not just efficient. He wants you to do the right thing, not merely do things right.

Properly rearranging all the deck chairs on the Titanic isn't bad and may demonstrate your efficiency, but it will not prevent the loss of life. The ship will look great and you will look busy, but the ship will still sink and 1500 people will die in the icy waters of the Atlantic.

Paul gives us wise counsel in Ephesians 5:15-17. He says, "Pay close attention to how you live. Make good use of every opportunity you get. Find out what the Lord wants you to do."

• Don't waste your life rearranging deck furniture.
• Know what's important.
• Pay close attention and maximize every opportunity.
• Do what the Lord wants you to do.

Far too many of us are guilty of playing Trivial Pursuit with our lives. We try to do everything and in all our doing we do nothing effectively. It's time that we quit rearranging deck chairs and focus on living thelife that fulfills God's purpose.

Living a purpose-driven life not only reduces frustration, increases motivation, and promotes focus, but it also attracts cooperation.

4. THE FOURTH BENEFIT OF LIVING A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE IS THAT IT WILL ATTRACT COOPERATION.

It's amazing, but when you know where you're going other people will want to go with you.

When Nanette and I came to Point some 26 years ago, we partnered together with 25 other people who wanted God to do something in their community. God's word to me was, "This is your purpose in life; invest your life in this church." Our response to God's directive was, "Okay!"

The following words have, for me, often made the difference between giving up and going on. I've shared them with you before, but I want to share them with you again.
"If I do what God has called me to do, God will send or raise up great people to help accomplish His purpose. They will come at the right time, in the right way, and with the right resources. People I don't know today will be directed by God to join us in accomplishing His will until it is history-His Story. Therefore, I refuse to give up because I don't have the help or the resources or because of adversity. Instead, I choose to trust God and to believe that He who began this good work will complete it."

God has the resources to help us; to help you. There are thousands of people with all sorts of talents, concerns, skills, and contacts that God can bring into your life in order to fulfill His plan. Open your eyes and look at the people around you. Open your ears to hear what they're saying. Today, tomorrow, next week at just the right time you will meet someone who has just what you need to help you take the next step in God's plan. Isn't that why you've come this far?

The best way to help other people is by being what God made you to be and by doing what God made you to do. Nothing is accomplished by…

• trying to be somebody we're not, or
• by living up to someone else's expectation, or
• by living for someone else's approval.

When you decide to be who God made you to be, God will honor you and others will join you in fulfilling God's purpose.

Living a purpose-driven life will not only reduce frustration, increase motivation, promote focus and attract cooperation, but it will also prepare us for God's evaluation.

5. The fifth benefit of living a purpose driven life is that IT WILL PREPARE YOU FOR DIVINE EVALUATION.
Fact: God made you for a purpose.
Fact: God has given you the gifts, talents and abilities essential to fulfilling His purpose.
Fact: God expects a return on His investment.

The Bible says, "We will all stand before God's judgement seat" and that "each of us will give an account of himself to God."

God will not be impressed with…
" how much money we had in the bank or
" how successful people thought we were or
" how many churches we built or
" how many TV stations we were on or
" how many devils we cast out.

No! The issue under evaluation will be did we fulfill God's purpose for our life?
" Did we use the money He gave us to finance His plan?
" Did we use the time He gave us to fulfill His purpose.
" Did we use the talents and abilities He gave us to advance His kingdom?

My goal is to encourage you to discover God's purpose for your life and to live His purpose on purpose, so that when you stand before Almighty God, you will hear Him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." You didn't waste your life. You invested it. You made it count. You found out what you were here for.

Jesus was the greatest example of a purpose driven life. Over and over again He said, "I was sent for this purpose," and He has a purpose, a unique purpose for each one of us. You are here for a purpose! You were saved for a purpose and God called you to serve His purpose.

God doesn't create things without a purpose. Proverbs 16:4 says, "The Lord has made everything for His purpose." That includes your life!

We are at our best, not when we live to fulfill the expectation of others, but when we live to fulfill the purpose of God. When we become on earth what God meant us to be, then we bring glory to God.

My challenge to you is to know God's purpose for your life and to live God's purpose on purpose.

Sources:

1. Pastor Larry's PDL Series