Do you long to fulfill a greater purpose in this life? Perhaps you’re tired of conforming to this world’s demands and would love to devote your life to following after what God has created you for.
While every person was created with a unique purpose, that purpose may not come easy. In fact, some may miss their calling because they didn’t prepare for it. As noble as following your God-given purpose sounds, it does not come without cost.
In the book of Luke (14:33), Jesus makes plain the cost of simply being a disciple:“…Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
Many of us are eager to jump head first into what we think God wants for our life, but the question to ask yourself first is, “Have I counted the cost?”
Question #1: What are you willing to sacrifice?
The truth is, being a follower of Christ takes sacrifice. And that includes living our life purpose. Your desire for purpose should be to fulfill the call that HE has on your life. And that will often mean sacrifice. What do you need to sacrifice? I don’t know, we’re all different. For some the sacrifice may be key relationships, for others it may be a high-paying job. For still others it may be a mindset that God needs to change. The question is ‘What are you willing to sacrifice to fulfill your calling?’
When God called me out of a profitable business into ministry, it took tremendous sacrifice to go back to school and make nothing, that’s right, zero dollars for well over three years before I saw any fruit from my labor.
Question #2: What am I willing to obey (regardless of the outcome)?
Purpose rarely comes with a clearly defined plan. Rather, it comes with twists and turns and some potholes that don’t make sense. Are you still willing to walk the purpose journey even when things don’t go the way you expect them to go? If not, you will likely turn around at the first crossroad of difficulty.
Question #3: What am I willing to endure?
Living a life of purpose is not for the faint of heart. Which is why so few follow that path. Yes, deep in their heart, they desire to find their purpose but when push comes to shove, very few are willing to endure what it takes to get there. There’s a misconception that once you find your passion, you will then fulfill your purpose. I even thought this at one point. While God does give us passions, often times we are led by our own selfish motives. Think of what Jesus had to endure just to get to the cross to fulfill his purpose.
You DO have a great calling on your life, and my prayer is that you will prepare yourself by answering these three questions honestly and then give your life to the Lord and watch what He does. After all, He does have an amazing plan for your life (Jer 29:11). Will you trust Him?
