Purposeful Abundant Life

The Question WHY Frustrating when kids ask But a REALLY GOOD QUESTION WHY do you do what you do? WHY Are you here? WHY do you exist? What is your WHY? We all have one Abundant Life is a PURPOSEFUL LIFE John 10:10 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. Last week… What is abundant life? Abundant life is a life full of the spiritual gifts of God’s Holy Spirit given to His faithful followers   Current Statistics: 2023 Harvard Graduate School of Education More than half of young adults (58%) reported that they lacked “meaning or purpose” in their lives in the previous month and half of young adults reported that their mental health was negatively influenced by “not knowing what to do with my life.” There are many other factors that may contribute to feelings of meaninglessness and purposelessness as well as to anxiety and depression, including: The increasing focus on the self in our culture; Difficulties making choices given new, rapidly changing, and sometimes undefined career paths; Young adults marrying at older ages Declines in religious participation High social media use and other forms of digital media use A media ecosystem that floods us with frightening messages Higher expectations than their predecessors for finding meaning and purpose “Religious communities can provide you with a meta story, can give you a sense of meaning, a place across geographic boundaries and time,” Weissbourd said. “So I’m not again saying we should become more religious, but we should think about how we create some of these aspects of religion in secular life.”   2 Rules for having a PURPOSEFUL ABUNDANT LIFE Rule 1: Your purpose cannot start with you “What’s my WHY?” is the wrong question for the Christian Scripture teaches that… True purpose is found in God Alone God Created ALL THINGS on purpose for a purpose 2 Types of Purpose General Purpose: The chief end of man is to Glorify God with your life   1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. This is the FOUNDATION of your WHY You exist to GLORY GOD with your WHOLE LIFE You cannot bypass this to get to your “Specific purpose” Specific Purpose/Calling: Empowered by specific gifts of the Holy Spirit Lived out through the FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Can be: Something right now Something Later in life Tips to knowing your specific calling: Grow where you are planted Luke 16:10 Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. Healthy things grow Whether you are a… Parent Student Spouse Employee Leader Teacher Your calling will often follow your gifts/passions But the Lord can “ADD TO” the meet what He has purposed you for   Your Purpose is for you but not ABOUT YOU Bigger than you Will take FAITH/OBEDIENCE   Rule 2: God’s Purpose for your life Is a PROCESS, Not a PLACE   God’s purpose for your life is not linear Romans 8:20 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Process = Sanctification Sanctification: The process of being made into the image of Christ in your life   Joseph in Potiphar’s house Summarize up to this point Joseph’s dreams   Genesis 39 1 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful, 4 Joseph found favor with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority. 5 From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6 He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.   Rule #1 in action: Your purpose cannot start with you If your purpose starts with you, you can never live higher than your circumstances Joseph – Doing all things to the GLORY OF GOD God blessed him But he wasn’t fulfilling his “SPECIFIC CALLING” The dreams Being faithful in his difficulty paved the way for future purpose New Troubles are on the way… Now Joseph was well-built and handsome. 7 After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”   8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?”   10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. 11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. She kept his garment and lied to her husband 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious 20 and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison. Rule #2: God’s Purpose for your life Is a PROCESS, Not a PLACE When you are living in God’s purpose, the enemy will ALWAYS send you a “POTIPHAR’S WIFE“   2 things: Distraction Easier way If your WHY is found in the right thing, you can say NO to the wrong things When our purpose is grounded in God, it allows us to let God shoulder the burden When we choose OUR OWN purpose, we become responsible Rule 1: Your purpose cannot start with you Rule 2: God’s Purpose for your life Is a PROCESS, Not a PLACE