{"id":8987,"date":"2023-12-14T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T13:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisdominallthings.com\/staging\/3400\/?p=8987"},"modified":"2023-12-17T07:44:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T13:44:39","slug":"living-purposefully","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wisdominallthings.com\/staging\/3400\/living-purposefully\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Purposefully"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

EXPOSE | Go your own way?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EXPLORE | Purposefully ascribe glory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I use this quote from Emerson in jest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems to me that this is the prevailing thought about what we are to do with our lives: the reason we are here is to go our<\/em> own way; to leave our<\/em> mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I understand the sentiment. Life is like wet cement or freshly fallen snow, we shouldn’t resist etching our initials or making a pretty snow angel. Find a blank canvas and go to work! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does it seem to you that Emerson has been taken too literally? Reject a path just because it has been previously traveled? For all you know, that path is there precisely because it is the way to go! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New for new’s sake is frivolous. Abandoning what has been done before\u2013just because it has been done before\u2013is futile. It is a little like rejecting the narrow path just because it is narrow. And we know what choosing the wider path means: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c…for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” <\/p>\nMatthew 7:13-14<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Easy, wide paths are bad but oh-so-appealing. As we head into the season of ‘pondering the year that has passed and plotting big things for the year ahead’, I thought I would throw out the idea that rather than doing something ‘radical’, how about fleshing out what it means to live with purpose?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are<\/em> you here… on earth, in your country, in your state, in your town, in your family, at this point in time? God has an answer for that. And that is the path you want to be on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever pondered what it truly means to live purposefully? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like the word pondered. Mary did it. She was presented with a profound proclamation about the son she would give birth to, and then she: “…treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart<\/strong>.” (Luke 2:19, emphasis mine) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oxford Dictionary traces the root of ‘ponder’ to the Latin word ‘ponderare’, which means to \u2018weigh, reflect on\u2019. The definition of ponder advises us to “think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we ponder what it would mean for us to live with purpose, the apostle Paul comes to mind. In Philippians 1:21 he stated, “…to live is Christ.<\/a>” It wasn’t a casual statement, but an astonishing revelation that should shape our entire existence. We join philosophers, theologians, and everyday people who have pondered it for centuries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wonder if we tend to avoid considering what Paul said because it doesn’t seem as enjoyable as the other things on our list (there is that ‘wider path’ again). Just a quick note on that, because after all, doesn’t God want us to be happy<\/a>? Happiness isn’t a goal in and of itself, but it can be a byproduct of living purposefully. When we align our lives with Christ, we do find a deep, abiding joy that transcends the fleeting pleasures of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a simple definition of a purposeful life: a purposeful life is one that is lived with a clear sense of meaning and direction, whose foundation is the Bible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Creator of life, God is the objective, hands-down, absolute source, and means, of living a life of purpose. A strong argument can be made that the basis for living a purposeful life is found in Matthew 22:37-39: love God and love our neighbor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And he said to him, \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.<\/p>\nMatthew 22:37-39<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It is both a logical response to all that God has done for us and, necessarily aligns with the purpose for every other created thing: the glory of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Piper stresses the importance of pursuing God\u2019s glory above all else (i.e. “…to live is Christ…”). He writes, \u201cGod created us for his glory, and He created us to be glad in his glory. Therefore, the goal of creation is that there be gladness in the shining of God\u2019s glory.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a chorus of scholars and pastors that affirm our God-glorying mission: <\/p>\n\n\n\n