Outline: LIVING WITH PURPOSE
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LIVING WITH PURPOSE
“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me”. (Psalms 138:8 NKJV)
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STEP 1: ACHIEVED RESULTS
What specific action did you commit to take last week? What was the result?
STEP 2: REFLECTIONS
Instructions:Take turns reading the following paragraphs. As you read, underline the ideas that stand out to you.
Author Charles Perkhurst said “Purpose is what gives meaning to life.” Sadly, many live an existence without purpose, living by their circumstances instead of taking control of their lives.
Doctor Myles Monroe wrote: “The poor, rich, black, white, etc. Everyone has a dream in their heart. Your vision might be clear to you or perhaps is still blurry deep in your heart waiting to be discovered. Accomplishing this purpose is what gives life meaning”.
The modern man suffers from the debilitating effects of losing purpose and meaning. A philosopher commented: “Unless you have God, your purpose in life has no meaning.”
In his book “The purpose driven life” Rick Warren wrote: “You can not accomplish your purpose in life while having the focus on yourself. First, you have to focus on God, your creator. You exist because God wants you to exist. You were created by God and for God; until you understand this, life will never have meaning. It is only through God that we find our origin, our identity, our significance, our purpose and our destiny. Any other way does not have an exit.”
Author Carl T. said“They say there are two important days in life: The day you were born, and the day that you realize why you were born”. No one can choose the day they are born; but everyone can take responsibility to discover why they were born.
What is the purpose of our life?
Author Daniel Pink identifies three concepts of a life with purpose:
- Autonomy. The need to direct our own lives.
- Mastery. The desire to be the best in what is truly important.
- Purpose. The desire to do what we do for a greater cause, that is bigger than ourselves.
Autonomy, mastery, and character must combine to be able to accomplish our purpose.Without autonomy, a person will not control their life therefore they will not accomplish their purpose but someone else’s. Without mastery they will not be able to get better at what is important; and if what they do is not important it is not their purpose.Lastly, only the person with character desires to serve a greater cause that is bigger than themselves, helping others make a difference in their life, leaving their footprint in the world, leaving their selfish motives and actions behind. In effect, purpose is the base of true success; because without purpose, people will not decide to climb to the top.
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Benefits of living with purpose:
- You will be living in the will of God. You will live for what God planned for you, which will bring enthusiasm and satisfaction.
- Constructs and strengthens your character. Someone that has a clear purpose, and clings to it, is someone that immediately acquires inner strength and character, because they have provided conviction of being faithful to their principles and objectives even when this requires personal sacrifice and overcoming obstacles.
- It gives you a structure in which you can orientate your actions.If you have your purpose clear, you will be able to clearly orientate and classify your actions, in between those that will help you accomplish your purpose and those that will not. In that way you will be able to consciously balance the time that you invest in them according to your level of commitment and energy.
- It is one of the keys to success. The most successful people in the world always started out with a vision of what they wanted to become and what their purpose in life was. Success is to accomplish the purpose of God in your life and for your life.
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Steps to follow:
- Begin by evaluating your gifts and resources. Take time, look at what you are and are not good at. Make a list. Ask others their honest opinion. Tell them you want the truth and not compliments.
- The best way of finding your gifts and abilities is by experimenting in the different areas of service. Start serving, experiment with different ministries and discover your gifts. Until you become involved in service you will not know what you are truly good at.
- Use the ability you already have and God will increase it.
- He wants you to share your story with others. Sharing your testimony is an essential part of your mission on Earth, because it is unique. There is no other story like yours and only you can share it. If you do not speak of it, it will be lost forever.
- Your life message includes expressing your divine passions. God is a passionate God, He loves some things with a passion and hates others as well. Therefore, He will give you passion for what He wants so that you can be a voice for it in the world. It can be a passion about a problem, a purpose, a principle or a group of people. In either case, you will feel obligated to speak about it and make a difference in what you can
LIVING WITH PURPOSE
STEP 3: REFLECT AND RESPONSE
Choose something that you underlined as important to you. Take a minute to share with everyone what you chose and why it is important to you.
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STEP 4: AUTO EVALUATION
Respond the following section of self-evaluation:
On a scale of 1 to 10: How well do you demonstrate this quality in your life? ____________________
Why did you give yourself this score?
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What benefits would you obtain from improving your score?
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What people do you know that are a good example of this quality? What do you admire the most from this person?
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What specific action can you take immediately to improve your score?
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STEP 5: SHARE YOUR ACTION STEPS
Take a moment to share your responses from the self-evaluation section, include the action that you plan to take to improve in that area. We ask that every one participates.
Instructions for the host:
- Make the calling:
“Lord Jesus, I recognize that I have sinned and that you died for me. Today I repent and ask for forgiveness. I give you my life and my heart so that you may be my Lord and personas Savior, amen”.
- Impartation: Pray and activate what you have learned today.
- Pray for the offering.