The old Ed Sullivan Show used to have a guy come on who would spin plates on tall poles. The more plates he got spinning, the harder he had to work to keep them from falling. Pretty soon, all his time was spent juggling those plates. A lot of us have lives that resemble that plate spinner; we run ourselves ragged just trying to keep up.
The good news, however, is that life can be more than just running from activity to activity. God has a plan that will change us from plate-spinning, gotta-run-all-the-time people into men and women who live life intentionally and with a clear sense of purpose.
The question, of course, is “how do I get in touch with that plan?” Well, for the past several weeks we’ve been looking at three steps that need to be taken. I need first to clarify my values (determine what matters in life and what doesn’t). Then I need to get in touch with the way God uniquely shaped me (my abilities, personality, passions, etc.). Then I must take the step of commitment, because even great knowledge is worthless until it is committed to following God.
Which brings us to step 4: I need to prepare a mission statement that clearly expresses the values I have committed to.
A mission statement is a description of what I believe God wants me to do with my life. And I want to be careful not to confuse my mission with the various goals I set. Goals are incremental and are set in order to ultimately accomplish my mission, but goals are worthless unless I have an over-arching life mission that brings these goals into focus.
Understanding God’s purpose for my life has numerous benefits, not the least of which is the way it helps me clarify the various roles I have to play in life. Obviously these change over time (from child to parent to grandparent, student to teacher, etc.), but knowing God’s purpose for my life will guide me in fulfilling each role effectively.
That said, we still need to know how to discover what our life mission is. There are four questions we can ask to help us in determining what God wants us to do with our life. We’ll look at the first question today and finish them up next week.
Question No. 1: “What will be the center of my life? Who or what am I going to live for?” We have to start with this question. We need something at the center of life around which everything else is built.
There are, of course many options. You can build your life around your career, your family, making money, experiencing pleasure or a hundred other things. But the not-so-small problem with all of these is that they do not last. Wouldn’t it be wiser to center your life in something that is not only significant, but lasting?
My suggestion: center your life in knowing and loving God. Why? Because, as Proverbs 9:10 teaches us, “Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding.”
When you understand who God is, you’re going to begin to understand who you are. How often have you found yourself in the midst of your day-to-day life asking, “What should I do in this situation? How am I to respond to this?” You won’t get good answers to questions like these until you first understand who God is. Once you know who God is, you can figure out why He put you here, but until you know God, you’re just speculating .
The knowledge of God results in every other kind of understanding. Take a moment right now to read Philippians 3:8-15. Paul says the most important thing in his life is getting to know Jesus Christ. Not to know “about” Him (facts), but to know Him (we’re talking about a personal relationship here). Do you know God or do you just know about Him?
Henry Harris is lead pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, 330 Tres Pinos Rd. in Hollister. If you have questions or comments, please visit the church Web site at www.rollinghillsfamily.com, e-mail [email protected] or phone (831) 636-5353.
