Session Twelve


The Purpose of Life


As we come to the final session of our teaching on inner healing, we have had many opportunities to experience some painful experiences from our past. Hopefully, God has begun a major healing process in our lives.

In the midst of our addiction, the majority of us didn't take the time to examine our lives with the intention of identifying our goals, or to look for any purpose in living. The reason for this session is to look back upon our lives and see clearly how our motives, values, goals and purposes have been focused in the wrong direction. We will see how that has caused painful and frustrating experiences in our lives.

We will also look at God's purpose for our lives, and how to live that purpose on a daily basis. There are four major areas surrounding the subject of purpose. We will approach them from a Biblical viewpoint as well as from a relational aspect.


WRONG PURPOSE

And He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a certain rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' And he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods, and I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, you fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21)

Most of us have had the same problem as the rich man. Our purpose in life has been to accumulate enough wealth to be able to take it easy as soon as possible for the rest of our lives. That is the reason so many people play the lottery.
All our energies have been focused upon money, alcohol, drugs, sex, power, and every kind of materialistic toy that promises to make life easier and more fun. We spend our entire lives striving to achieve success in the world. We never come to the realization, like the rich man, that our purpose for life, even though successful in the world's eyes, has been a failure in the eyes of God.

We are similar to the man who climbed the ladder of success and, after many years of hard work, reached the top, only to discover that the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.

Like the rich man, we who live for the wrong purpose in life, don't have time for God. What has actually happened is that our purpose for life has become our god. When our belief system in life is wrong because we don't include God, our behavior will also be wrong.

NO PURPOSE

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:14)

The most common clich» of people who live with no purpose in life is, "If it feels good, do it. The hippie mentality is a good example of this type of lifestyle.

Many of us who have been heavily into drugs and alcohol, at one time may have lost hope, existing only under the medication of the chemicals, with no purpose for our lives. We were as the scripture states, tossed to and fro. We did whatever made us feel good.

Transients and other street people are examples of those who live with no purpose for their lives. Another example is a person who gives up completely, and takes his own life.

Generally speaking, the profile of a person who lives with no purpose in life, is that he has no belief in God, and he behaves as he wants to behave, regardless of the consequences.

CROSS PURPOSE

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)

"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:21)

Living our lives in cross purposes produces misery. A man caught up in a cross purpose believes in God, but he lives a hellish life. He grasps at God with one hand while his other hand holds onto certain vices he continues to enjoy in life.

It has been said that such a man howls with the wolves on Saturday night and bleats with the sheep on Sunday morning. It is impossible for him to be at peace in either place.

As the scripture says, that man is trying to serve two masters. That is an impossible task.
RIGHT PURPOSE

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) See also, Ephesians 1:4-12 and Ephesians 3:6-21, for further study on purpose.

The man who lives with a right purpose is, first of all, a man who has a close personal relationship with God. God is number one in his life. Because of this, God is able to work in him both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

God's purpose for us is revealed throughout the scriptures. Simply put, we were created to commune with Him and to receive and give His love. We are examples to others of His grace and love because He has chosen to impart His life and His righteousness to vessels as faulty as ours.

As we seek His kingdom first, we realize He is mainly interested in loving His creation. As we allow Him to use us to love others with His love we fulfill our greatest call, and bring honor and praise to God.

When we are living in the right purpose, God is able to bring healing and restoration into our lives. Our motives, values and goals in life will conform to His purpose for us. As a result, we experience the inner peace and security for which we have been searching.

The man with a right purpose has a Godly belief system, and his behavior conforms to his Godly beliefs. He not only thinks right, he lives life right according to the plans God has for him.
Session Twelve . . . The Purpose of Life

Personal And Group Exercise (see page 117)


1. Why is it important for me to examine my life and to look for a purpose to live?






2. Why is it a wrong purpose to want to accumulate wealth in order to live an easy life?






3. What is wrong with the concept, "If it feels good, do it?"






4. Why is it impossible to serve both God and mammon?






5. What is the one, distinct characteristic of the man who lives with a right purpose?






6. How is it possible for me to live God's purpose for my life on a daily basis?





THE PURPOSE CHART




THE ABOVE EXAMPLE SHOWS THE LIFE OF A 40 YEAR OLD MAN


FOR THE FIRST 12 YEARS OF HIS LIFE, HE LIVED IN RIGHT PURPOSE.

FROM AGE 12 – 17 HE MOVED INTO CROSS PURPOSE, AS HE BEGAN TO EXPERIMENT WITH ALCHOL AND DRUGS.

FROM AGE 17 – 26, HE LIVED WRONG PURPOSE, SEEKING TO BECOME RICH AND INCREASING HIS DRUG USAGE.

FROM AGE 26 – 31, HE ENTERED NO PURPOSE, AS HE LIVED ONLY TO USE ALCOHOL AND DRUGS AND FEEL “HIGH”.

FROM AGE 31 – 33, HE MOVED INTO CROSS PURPOSE. HE TRIED TO GO TO CHURCH, GOT MARRIED, BUT TRIED TO CONTINUE TO USE DRUGS.

FROM AGE 33 – 36, HE MOVED BACK TO WRONG PURPOSE, AS HE STOPPED TRYING TO RELATE TO GOD, USED DRUGS, AND TRIED AGAIN TO GET RICH.

AT AGE 36, HE FELL BACK INTO CROSS PURPOSE WHEN HE GOT ARRESTED, AND PLACED ON PROBATION. HE TRIED AGAIN TO CLEAN UP HIS LIFE, BUT CONTINUED TO USE CHEMICALS.

AT AGE 38, HE ENTERED TREATMENT, GAVE HIS LIFE TO THE LORD, AND REMAINED IN THE RIGHT PURPOSE.







THE PURPOSE CHART


LOOK BACK OVER YOUR OWN LIFE AND CHART THE PRUPOSES YOU HAVE LIVED IN, THE CAUSES OF MVING FROM PURPOSE TO PURPOSE, AND WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE.


ALSO, SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES TO FIND ONE THAT YOU CONSIDER DEFINES THE PURPOSE FOR LIVING.


WRITE ONE PAGE OF INSIGHTS THAT YOU LEARNED FROM DOING YOUR PURPOSE CHART.



Back to Table of Contents