The Joseph Calling E-Book

Os Hillman

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 340

Beschreibung

What is your God-sized assignment? God has an assignment for you—a God-sized destiny for you to fulfill. How can you know what it is, and what is the process to walk in that calling?   The Joseph Calling presents six unique stages that many people pass through to fulfill their destiny. Such was the case for Joseph in the Bible—he was a dreamer with a calling. After being the favored son, his brothers betrayed him, which led to a thirteen-year journey of hardship, humble circumstances, accusations, and pain. But God used Joseph's adversities to fulfill a larger story—to be a spiritual and physical provider for others. "Josephs" today are men and women, old and young, who are set apart by God for his divine purposes.   In The Joseph Calling Os Hillman will help you: - Embrace God's activity in your life. - Navigate through adversity. - Discover your calling. - Fulfill God's purpose for your life.God has a plan for you at every stage of life. He wants you to know his assignment for you—and only you—so you can live an intentional and purpose-filled life.

Leseprobe

ENDORSEMENTS

In his powerful new book The Joseph Calling, Os Hillman illustrates that we are not designed without a purpose, that we have a larger story. Our purpose is not just what we do. Calling and anointing go together. Adversity builds Christlikeness. What will others say when your life is over? Os beautifully and intentionally shows that God develops character in his messengers through waiting, testing, and failure. Humility is the most important characteristic. From light to darkness, abuse to praise, isolation to temptation, pain and betrayal, all can lead to maturity as we learn to respond as Jesus did by maximizing our leadership as his creation. I heartily endorse this book.

—TOM PHILLIPS, vice president,Billy Graham Evangelistic Association;executive director, Billy Graham Library

Os Hillman has a unique command of the revelation surrounding Joseph and his life. His mastery is the byproduct of a lifetime of research and personal experience combined with a special anointing to put it all together. Os can help you get accurate on fulfilling the call in your life. I love The Joseph Calling and heartily recommend it to you!

—DR. LANCE WALLNAU, Lance Learning Group

Os Hillman has produced another excellent book, The Joseph Calling. I found the practical tools and personal anecdotes so encouraging and faith-building. What could be more important than discovering the reason God put us on this earth and how he equips us to fulfill it? This is a must-read for anyone who desires to be an instrument of transformation!

—DR. ED SILVOSO, founder of Harvest Evangelismand author of Transform Our World

The Joseph Calling is a rare jewel amidst a mountain of books on leadership. Within these pages, Os Hillman gives us an in-depth look at leadership from an angle of Scripture like we’ve never seen before. Eye-opening and right on target, this book is a must-read for any leader who not only needs a reminder of their purpose within God’s bigger picture but also needs a map on how to get there.

—DAVID AND JASON BENHAM,authors, Whatever the Cost and Living Among Lions

The Joseph Calling takes so many amazing principles that Os has taught over the years and puts the six stages into a concise reading with stories and insights that readers will be able to relate to their personal lives. Thank you, Os. What an encouragement you are to the people in the Kingdom of God!

—FORD TAYLOR, founder and president,Transformational Leadership and FSH Consulting Group

Os Hillman has done it again with his informative new book The Joseph Calling. It is one of the most interesting and well written books I’ve been blessed to read in quite some time. He combines personal experience, which in some cases was devastating, Holy Scripture, the biblical history of mighty men and women called by God, and his own spiritual insight to help teach others about the significance of determining one’s purpose and answering the question of why we were born. He also explains in detail how trials and tribulation build character and prepare us for accomplishing the purpose for which God created us. I highly recommend this book and am confident you will learn from it and hopefully be transformed by it.

—BOB WILLIAMSON, founder, chairman,and CEO of the Jesus Alliance

I read in Os Hillman’s The Joseph Calling that the core reason God created him was “to articulate and shepherd foundational ideas that lead to transformation.” Well, Os has succeeded to do that here. Anyone desiring to live out the purpose God created you for and to understand how your disappointments, hurts, and pain fit into that purpose should read this book. It’s rich with foundational biblical truths that will lead to transformation!

—KAREN COVELL, producer and founding director,Hollywood Prayer Network

Os Hillman’s extraordinary book is a treasure that will be a catalyst to anyone who desires to live an intentional and purposeful life. The six stages brilliantly weave personal, biblical, and practical experiences around a life-changing process that will fuel your passion to fulfill your destiny.

—STEVE FEDYSKI, COO, Pure Flix Entertainment

Though leadership books abound in numbers, Os Hillman’s new book The Joseph Calling stands out with clarity. Os explains that the true leader is really God. And God takes people through stages that develop and transform them, not just for leadership, but for a life of deepest meaning.

—DR. DAVID BUTTS, president, Harvest Prayer Ministries

Os has once again found deep insight from Scripture on that seminal issue we each face: What is my purpose? What did God design me for when he brought me onto this earth? The closer we can take ourselves to this calling, the more vibrant and Spirit-led a life we will have. Join Os on that journey.

—PAT GELSINGER, CEO, VMware

In my journey, it seems to have always been life’s challenges that have been used to shape my life. Now Os Hillman brings light to our struggles and their purposes in his new book The Joseph Calling. You will be encouraged as you read of fellow biblical sufferers.

—JOHNNY HUNT, senior pastor,First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Georgia

The Joseph Calling offers a bright ray of hope for those in the midst of adversity as well as a biblical blueprint of what God may be doing in the midst of your difficulty.

—JIM LANGE, author of Calming the Storm Within:How to Find Peace in This Chaotic World

Os Hillman brings great insight, depth, and understanding to the stages of preparation that God takes individuals through in order to maximize their potential and fulfill their greater purpose. Examples from leaders in the Bible as well as modern-day leaders will help anyone who reads The Joseph Calling to trust God’s ways and processes, even through the dark times. A larger story is being written for each of us!

—NANCY ALCORN, founder and president,Mercy Multiplied

In The Joseph Calling, Os Hillman gives us a solid biblical understanding of our process with the Lord. The fact that God has to work in us before we can manifest his Kingdom and fruit is a manifestation of his wisdom and his mark of quality assurance. Read the book, be inspired, and be a part of God’s plan for restoration as a wonderful foretaste of a coming future.

—JAN STURESSON, international strategy advisorand chairman of International ChristianChamber of Commerce International Board

In today’s world, most of us aren’t worried about having food to eat or a place to sleep. But what we are seeking is a sense of purpose. We want to know why we are here on the earth. The Joseph Calling reminds us there is a ready guidebook that has shown story after story of how God uses real-life experiences to prepare us and to reveal to us our own Joseph calling. Recognizing these six stages in your own life will peal back the mystique and let you know with confidence why you were born.

—DAN MILLER, author and coach, 48Days.com

The writings of Os Hillman have been a source of encouragement, help, and blessing to hundreds of thousands of readers. His newest book, The Joseph Calling, will add to that list. I believe that many will be greatly helped by this book, including me.

—PAUL CEDAR, chairman and CEO,Mission America Coalition

The Joseph Calling is a book that will bring hope and encouragement. Os Hillman has uncovered a pattern in the way God works with his people to produce godly people who fulfill their destiny. It is an easy read, brimming with examples from the Bible, from the author’s own life, and from those around him. This book should be a reference for anyone who seeks to fulfill their purpose in life. I plan to teach it to my children and grandchildren.

—DAVE KAHLE, speaker, consultant,and author of The Good Book on Business

Simplifying the complexities of this life journey is a rare gift. The Joseph Calling is a tangible expression of that rare gift. Os Hillman is a twenty-first-century scribe who has been gifted to communicate in writing the practical application of the truths many of us grapple with day to day. Well done, Os!

—PAUL L. CUNY, Marketplace Leadership Internationaland author of Nehemiah People

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

THE JOSEPH CALLING:

6 STAGES TO DISCOVER, NAVIGATE, AND FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE

Copyright © 2017 Os Hillman

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5472-0 (softcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5473-7 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. International Bible Society. © Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations marked MEV are from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. Scripture quotations marked YLT are from Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked “NIV84” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

Cover design by Chris Garborg/garborgdesign.com

Interior design and typeset by Katherine Lloyd/theDESKonline.com

Printed in the United States of America

17 18 19 20 21 5 4 3 2 1

To my two spiritual fathers who continue to model the attributes of my heavenly Father:

J. GUNNAR OLSON

and

JIM MEZICK

I called on the LORD in distress;

The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

The LORD is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

(Psalm 118:5–6 NKJV)

CONTENTS

Foreword by J. Gunnar Olson

A God-Sized Assignment

Section One

DISCOVERING THE JOSEPH CALLING

1

“You Have a Joseph Calling on Your Life”

2

Discovering Your Purpose

3

Do You Know Why God Made You?

4

Discovering the Joseph Calling

5

The Purpose of the Joseph Process

6

Living Successfully through Your Joseph Calling

7

The Journey of a “Josephine”

Section Two

NAVIGATING THE SIX STAGES OF YOUR PURPOSE

8

Stage 1: Recruitment—God Often Recruits His Servants through a Crisis

9

Stage 2: Character Development—God Develops His Servants through a Series of Character Tests

10

Stage 3: Isolation—God Isolates His Leaders to Turn Messes into Messages

11

Stage 4: The Cross—Every Leader Must Experience the Cross through Betrayal

12

Stage 5: Problem Solving—You Are Called to Solve a Problem

13

Stage 6: Networks—God Works through Unified Networks to Build His Kingdom

Section Three

FULFILLING GOD’S CALL IN YOUR LIFE

14

Jacob: From Family Schemer to National Patriarch

15

Moses: From Orphan to World Changer

16

Paul: From Radical Religious Terrorist to Disciple of Jesus

17

Experiencing Your Larger Story

18

The Trumpet Call: Knowing Is Not Enough—Experience Required

Appendix 1: Identifying Your Six Stages of the Joseph Calling

Appendix 2: A Summary of Key Truths

Notes

About the Author

Other Books by Os Hillman

FOREWORD

This is an important book because it deals with the difference between the attributed righteousness, which we received by faith in Jesus Christ, and the righteousness that comes from walking in obedience to God. Os Hillman addresses spiritual issues that sometimes are viewed as difficult or even contrary to the joy, liberty, and freedom we experienced when we first came to the Lord. This book is a treasure that needs to be read, reread, and digested many times over.

The kingdom of God is not mentioned in these pages all that much, and yet this book speaks about life in the kingdom of God. In God’s plan of salvation, he purposed for the church to be an expression of the kingdom and to demonstrate the hope of the kingdom as it will come in its fullness. This involves the glorious experiences of the power of God. And it also involves the sharing of death to self in order for Christ to be revealed in us. As the Scripture says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27 NKJV). This process is often difficult and painful, but it is necessary and is a work of the Holy Spirit.

In The Joseph Calling: 6 Stages to Discover, Navigate, and Fulfill Your Purpose, Os Hillman has found a wonderful way of expressing these deeper things of the Lord. This book will cause many to mirror their own lives in the experiences he has shared and bring confirmation to their calling from God. This is of utmost importance as we all share in God’s primary purpose—the coming of his kingdom, and that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven—anything else would be to receive God’s grace for selfish purposes.

—J. GUNNAR OLSONFounder of ICCC,International Christian Chamber of Commerce

A GOD-SIZED ASSIGNMENT

God is looking for his sons and daughters to be revealed in the world today. In fact, God has a purpose and destiny for each and every one of us. He has a God-sized assignment for each of us to fulfill on planet earth. But how does one know what that is, and how does God draw us into the larger story of our lives? Perhaps you’ve even wondered, can I know these things? The answer to this question is a resounding yes!

For more than twenty-five years, I’ve studied the ways of God and the processes by which he invites people into relationship with himself. More specifically, I’ve studied how God moves people into their specific calling. This has involved my own personal journey, which led me from a career as an ad agency owner in Atlanta to founding an international workplace ministry (which was not my idea) that has taken me to more than twenty-six countries (also not my idea) and allowed me to write seventeen books. And adversity was one of the key catalysts for this outcome.

This hasn’t been simply an intellectual pursuit; it’s my journey and the journey of many others I have discovered in the Bible, and in modern life, who were called by God to do something that made a significant kingdom impact for God. More often than not, the people God used were simply responding to a crisis event in their lives rather than initiating a vision that came from their own hearts.

Such was the case for Joseph. He was betrayed by his brothers, which led him through a thirteen-year journey of hardship, humble circumstances, accusations, time spent in prison, and much pain that resulted from wrongful judgments every time he turned around. But God used his adversities to fulfill a larger story—or destiny, if you will—to be a spiritual and physical provider for the known world.

Most of us know God calls individuals into a specific assignment, but few of us know the processes by which he does it. The Joseph calling is a unique process that not all people will experience, but it is a verifiable process God takes people through to achieve a higher purpose for their lives. This process of discovery led me to discover six unique stages that Josephs must pass through in order to discover, navigate, and fulfill their destinies.

I have found that few people know their purpose and why God has put them on the earth in the first place. These are the issues I will address in this book—I want to help readers reconcile adversity and crisis with destiny and purpose. This book will reveal the six critical stages God’s modern-day Josephs, almost without exception, experience in their destination toward the larger story of their lives. I’ve been able to document these stages in the lives of almost every major character in the Bible and in those whom God has used greatly in his kingdom in modern society.

When we understand God’s processes, we’re more likely to embrace his truths, and subsequently desire a deeper relationship with him. Welcome to the journey. I am confident you won’t be the same person after you learn these six critical stages to fulfill your calling.

Ultimately, God is looking to make known his intention to use leaders to accomplish his plan on the earth today. Whether you’re young or old, there’s a plan of God for you at every stage of life. You will learn the signposts of his calling and how to respond to them. You will learn from the biblical stories and the modern-day case studies of those who have gone before us.

God wants to reveal to you your purpose, why he made you, and why he sent you into this world. He wants you to know his unique assignment for you—and only you—to fulfill on planet Earth. Are you ready to understand his process for fulfilling your larger story? Let’s begin!

Section One

DISCOVERING THE JOSEPH CALLING

1

“YOU HAVE A JOSEPH CALLING ON YOUR LIFE”

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.

—Edmund Burke, Speech on Mr. Fox’s East India Bill1

In 1994 I was married, had built a successful ad agency for twelve years in Atlanta, and had enough money in the bank to retire comfortably. I led Bible studies, gave away money to Christian causes, and thought I was a model Christian business leader. However, I was struggling in my marriage of fourteen years. We had been in counseling most of our married life, and there were issues I was constantly struggling with. Not only that, but I had a twelve-year-old daughter who did not feel loved due to the marital conflicts at home.

In the spring of 1994, my world began to fall apart. My wife wanted to separate. Within three months, several other things began to happen: One day my investment manager called and said, “It’s all gone!” A Bernie Madoff scammer had confiscated half a million dollars in investments and fled the country. Soon after, my largest ad client, who represented 80 percent of our business, refused to pay a $140,000 bill and fired us as their ad agency. And just a short time later, my vice-president came to me and said he was leaving the company. What he did not say was that he was taking my second largest account with him.

In three short months, my life shifted drastically—I would lose my family, my wealth, and my business. My wife divorced me and accused me of fabricating my losses to avoid a higher divorce settlement; I lost communication with my daughter for several months. Most psychologists say any one of those events is enough for the average person to commit suicide; I certainly felt as if life was over for me. The fact that I was a Christian only compounded the shame and guilt I felt from these failures.

I would struggle to make sense of my adversity for the next two years. Then one day a friend sent me an audiotape from a man named Gunnar Olson. On that tape, Gunnar talked about a “Joseph calling.” He suggested that there are many who were going through adversity in their business and personal lives because of a calling that comes only from God. I had never heard of the concept of a Joseph calling before, and so I wanted to meet this man in person.

Gunnar was from Sweden. He was founder of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce, which operated in seventy-five countries at the time. He agreed to meet with me when he came to Washington for their international conference, which would be two months away. And so two months later I flew to Washington to meet with him. He was so gracious; he invited me to his suite and listened to my story.

After listening, he and his board member began to chuckle. I was taken back by their response to my crisis, but Gunnar quickly responded by saying, “Os, we are not trying to be rude. It’s just that we have heard such similar stories from so many other marketplace leaders that it is uncanny to us. Os, you have a Joseph calling on your life.” He then went on to explain, “A Joseph calling is a marketplace call that a man or woman goes through in order to become a spiritual and physical provider to others. You become known, just like Joseph became known, by the adversity you have gone through.”

Gunnar then took out a napkin and drew a diagram. “This is where you are currently,” he said. “As you begin to press into Jesus with all your heart, he will guide you to this next destination (spiritually speaking). You have probably made some mistakes during your process, but what you need to remember is your call is greater than the mistakes you have made. You have a marketplace call upon your life.”

That day I walked into his hotel room as a shamed and defeated Christian businessman, but I walked out with an understanding that I was in the process of a call to the marketplace. That day Gunnar became my spiritual mentor and father. Now, twenty-five years later, I have spoken and ministered to men and women in the marketplace in twenty-six countries and written seventeen books, including a daily devotional that is read in more than a hundred nations (Today-GodIsFirst.com). God turned my Valley of Achor (trouble) into a door of hope for me and for many others (Hosea 2:15).

My crisis became my recruitment stage (stage one) that all Josephs go through. God would use the next seven years of my life as the character development phase of my journey. I would discover many things about the wounds of my past, generational strongholds that contributed to my marriage breakup, and character issues God was dealing with in order for me to become the man he wanted me to be.

During this time, God would send specific mentors to deal with particular issues he wanted to heal and correct in my life. At the end of the seven years, my character development stage, I was a different person—God had birthed a ministry. He healed my relationship with my daughter, and she joined me in our ministry. She has served with me almost eight years and has become a skilled writer and marketer (she has now pursued her own marketplace calling). God restored my finances—exactly seven years to the month of my crisis—and I became debt-free.

During those seven years, I also experienced stage three, which is the isolation stage. It was during that season where I began to write the daily devotional TGIF: Today God Is First. Each day for nine months, God would give me a Scripture verse and application for my adversity and marketplace calling. He showed me that many believers struggle to integrate their faith life into their work life. One particular verse that stayed with me during this time was Isaiah 45:3, which says: “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

God often puts us

through the experience

and discipline of darkness

to teach us

to hear and obey him.

God was turning my mess into messages and me into a messenger. God often puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey him. We can then become his messengers as he births a message through our oftentimes painful life experiences.

Stage four is the cross stage, in which a leader is betrayed. For me, this came in the form of four major betrayals. Over time, all but one of those have been reconciled. But I had to learn the lessons Jesus taught about forgiving my enemies and washing the feet of Judas. I realized that unforgiveness was like living in a jail cell; in reality, forgiveness is more for us than for the other person.

Stage five is the problem-solving stage, which resulted in my being able to address the issue of bringing faith life into my work life and helping people understand their Joseph calling and the role adversity plays in each of our lives. Additionally, God has allowed me to be an international spokesperson on faith and work so I can sound a trumpet to call the nation back to God.

Through stage six, which is the network stage, I have developed my TGIF subscribers in 104 nations, and those who are members of our Change Agent Network. Additionally, God has made it possible for me to form key leadership relationships throughout the body of Christ to build unity for the sake of cultural transformation. He has burdened me with a call to John 17 unity in which Jesus calls us to be one as he and the Father are one—this is so the world might believe in him.

In summary, I have clearly seen the following six stages in my own life, the life of Joseph, and in the lives of other leaders God has significantly used in the kingdom of God. Here is a brief overview of the six stages that every person must go through in order to discover, navigate, and fulfill his or her purpose in life:

1. The recruitment stage. A crisis in my business led me to meeting Gunnar Olson in 1996 and a call to an international work life ministry.

2. The character development stage. Seven years of adversity became my years of character development. I had to pay off many debts over that period of time. However, God restored my finances at the end of the seven years and birthed an international ministry.

3. The isolation stage. During those seven years, I began to write. My messes became messages, and I became a messenger through my writing.

4. The cross. I had four major betrayals during this time particular stage, pushing me to learn the hard realities of forgiveness.

5. The problem-solving stage. I have been able to work with others in navigating their own seasons of adversity, help the body of Christ understand the role of faith and work, and be a catalyst for nation transformation.

6. The networking stage. My network has become my TGIF: Today God Is First subscribers, the Change Agent Network, and other leadership networks I collaborate with.

All believers must go through these stages in order to fulfill the call of God on their life. But if you are in a season of adversity right now, it is helpful to first discover your purpose and know why God has made you. Without that foundational understanding, the adversity and suffering won’t be worth it. So let’s delve deeper into what it means to discover your purpose and why God made you for such a time as this.

2

DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

—Mark Twain1

I will never forget the first time a board member said to me, “Os, I think you know what your natural gifts and talents are, but I do not think you know why God made you.” The truth is, I was taken back by that comment. I had heard people talk about purpose and destiny before, but why God made me had a little different meaning to it. Could one really know this anyway? I pursued her comment, and before I knew it we scheduled a full day for her to walk me through a simple process that has been beneficial to me, even to this day, twenty years later.

Later I discovered an unusual verse in Revelation that confirms this truth: “I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). Each of us has a name in heaven that uniquely fits us and only us. However, before I get into this process with you, let’s start where most people start—discovering God’s purpose for one’s life.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT PURPOSE

The Bible says you were created and set apart by God: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5). Not only that, but God created you and set you apart for a specific purpose: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (29:11).

If you start trying to

determine your purpose

in life before discovering

why you were created,

then you will inevitably

get hung up on the

things you do as the

basis for fulfillment in

your life, which will only

lead to frustration and

disappointment.

God has preordained the works you are to do while you live on the earth. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” If you are going to discover how God wants to use your life and work, then you must know why you were created in the first place. If you start trying to determine your purpose in life before discovering why you were created, then you will inevitably get hung up on the things you do as the basis for fulfillment in your life, which will only lead to frustration and disappointment.

Most people in society seek to find meaning and purpose from the following:

• Achievements: performance and achievement is where many find their ultimate value.

• Relationships: many people believe meaning in life is based upon the kind of relationships they have.

• Children: some believe purpose is found in having children or taking care of those children.

• Acquiring money and/or possessions: some people find meaning in acquiring money and material possessions.

• Recognition from others: some find meaning from what others think of them.

• Work/careers: some people derive their purpose and identity from their work/careers.

• Play hard: believe it or not, but some people believe they must work hard to be able to play, which is their ultimate goal in life.

No matter where you seek to find meaning and purpose, the truth is that without purpose life has no meaning at all. Isaiah tells us, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing” (Isaiah 49:4 NIV84). Most people lack purpose and meaning because they have no relationship with God. This is why the psalmist declared, “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose” (Psalm 20:4 NKJV). Finding your purpose begins with God and God alone: “Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him” (Colossians 1:16 MSG).

GOD CHOSE YOU

First and foremost, God created you to know him and to have an intimate relationship with him. In fact, God says that if a person is going to boast about anything in life, then he should “boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me” (Jeremiah 9:24). The Bible encourages us to seek God first, which is why Jesus encouraged his disciples by saying, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

We know God chose us; he is the initiator and we simply respond to his invitation. This is why Jesus told his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:16).

Humankind’s relationship with God was lost in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus’ death on the cross, however, allows this relationship to be restored and to have intimate fellowship with the Father once again. The apostle Paul came to understand this when he said, “I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself” (Philippians 3:10 MSG).

Establishing this relationship with God is vital to discovering your purpose in life. If you don’t have this relationship with God, then you will seek to fulfill your purpose out of wrong motives, such as fear, insecurity, pride, money, relationships, guilt, or unresolved anger. God’s desire is for you to be motivated out of love for him and to desire to worship him in all that you do. As you develop this relationship with God, he will begin to reveal his purpose for your life.

Your purpose in life isn’t something you decide to do; rather, it is chosen by God. It is nonnegotiable. God had a plan in mind when you became flesh and blood on earth. “The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me,” the writer said (Psalm 138:8 MEV). There is no changing God’s purpose for your life, but you may not fulfill it because free will is involved.

The Psalms tell us that we have an assigned portion (purpose and destiny). For example, David wrote, “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Psalm 16:5–6). The Bible even tells us that God even decided when we would live on earth and where we would live: “He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands” (Acts 17:26).

The Bible also says that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). That is why someone can be a successful preacher and fall into sin and still have fruit from his or her preaching. Our gifts and callings are irrevocable. However, God will eventually deal with the sin of anyone who continues to misrepresent him.

Oswald Chambers explains another dimension of calling in My Utmost for His Highest:

We are inclined to forget the deeply spiritual and supernatural touch of God. If you are able to tell exactly where you were when you received the call of God and can explain all about it, I question whether you have truly been called. The call of God does not come like that; it is much more supernatural. The realization of the call in a person’s life may come like a clap of thunder or it may dawn gradually. But however quickly or slowly this awareness comes, it is always accompanied with an undercurrent of the supernatural—something that is inexpressible and produces a “glow.” At any moment the sudden awareness of this incalculable, supernatural, surprising call that has taken hold of your life may break through—“I chose you …” (John 15:16). The call of God has nothing to do with salvation and sanctification. You are not called to preach the gospel because you are sanctified; the call to preach the gospel is infinitely different. Paul describes it as a compulsion that was placed upon him.

If you have ignored, and thereby removed, the great supernatural call of God in your life, take a review of your circumstances. See where you have put your own ideas of service or your particular abilities ahead of the call of God. Paul said, “[W]oe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” He had become aware of the call of God, and his compulsion to “preach the gospel” was so strong that nothing else was any longer even a competitor for his strength.

While you may not fulfill

the purpose for which

you were made, you still

have a purpose that God

intends for you to fulfill.

If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony.2

YOUR PURPOSE IS NOT ALWAYS TIED TO WHAT YOU DO

While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that he had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when he sent him to the earth, so the Father has a specific purpose in mind for your life too.

This doesn’t mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it then too bad. You can achieve your purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off you in trying to find out what that one specific thing is that God wants you to do. You won’t throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job, or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. Isn’t that comforting to know?

But defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities in which you should be involved. Jesus did not involve himself in activities that contradicted his purpose. His purpose was to do the will of the Father, and he never did anything contrary to that purpose. Jesus’ specific assignment that was derived from his purpose was to defeat the work of the devil (1 John 3:8), to be the payment for the sins of humanity (John 3:16), to bring glory to his Father and do his will (5:30), and to bear witness to the truth (18:37).

In the same way, your purpose should always be to do the will of the Father. From your relationship with Jesus and the Father, you will derive your assignments that you are to do on earth. Oswald Chambers said, “Jesus never measured His life by how or where he was of the greatest use. God places His saints where they will bring the most glory to Him, and we are totally incapable of judging where that may be.”3

JOINING GOD IN HIS WORK

Several years ago, Henry Blackaby wrote a popular Bible study called Experiencing God, in which he described how one of the core principles is to join God where he is already working so that you find his purpose for your life.4 When you involve yourself in activities contrary to this purpose, then you:

• begin to live a life of sweat and toil that leads to slavery instead of reaching the Promised Land of his rest.

• get off course from achieving the intended destiny for your life.

• produce dead works instead of the fruit of obedience rooted in your purpose.

• potentially lose your reward because you are involved in activity God never orchestrated.

Each of us must ask why we are involved in a specific activity. Is it a God activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if he saw the Father doing it—and he could see what his Father was doing because of his intimate relationship with him.

YOUR WORK MATTERS TO GOD