What Am I Made For? – Part 1

Over the next several weeks, we will look at key principles to help you discover what you are made for. If you are wondering what God has in store for you, I believe this series and the associated sermons will help you!

Jesus is approached by the Pharisees and tested. His response illustrates key principles about what we are made for:

“But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:34-40 NKJV)

Testing Jesus, the lawyer asks, what is the great commandment in the Law (or Torah, the first five books of Moses in the Bible)? In essence, how can I please God? What do I need to do? He doesn’t ask, “How can I love God more?” But rather, He is asking, “What do I need to do to be right?”

Law-based religion lacks God’s love and presence. It is performance-based. It projects performance and perfection on others. What must others do to be right with God?!

Jesus answers from the Torah, “Love God ENTIRELY, and love others as you would yourself.” Then, *mic drop*, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” The essence of how we love, please, and obey God is contained here! Simple, right?! We are created to love God and others! We were made for love!

The Westminster Confession asks: “What is the chief end of man?” Answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” I would add, “and to love God and others!”

Perhaps a better question is, “What is God’s chief end?” Answer: “In short, it’s to glorify His Son!” God’s desire is that we come to know His Son, Jesus, walk with Him, and glorify God as devoted Christian disciples.

However, our culture has a different definition as it pertains to what we are made for. For example, live for yourself and your desires. Get as much as you can. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die! Sensual and lustful pleasures drive culture. However, this is not the case for the believer! Our life is in Christ! Our joy is in Him. We come alive and prosper by loving God and walking in close fellowship with Him. Relationship is step one, then fellowship with the Lord must be cultivated and is key!

 

God has created each of us uniquely.

Each of us have different personalities, passions, and desires. We have different spiritual, motivational gifts and callings.

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16 NLT)

God—who knows the end from the beginning—knows our days; He is sovereign. In His sovereignty, however, He has given humanity free will. Free will to choose to love Him, follow Him, and obey Him. When we love, follow, and obey God, we are on the path to fulfill our individual purpose and calling.

To the young prophet, Jeremiah, God says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:5 NKJV)

Like Jeremiah—before one day had ever passed in our lives—God had a plan and purpose written for each one of us. We are on a journey of discovery! It begins with surrender to Jesus and learning to love God and others wholeheartedly.

By the way, we should see others by the Spirit, not the flesh. See treasure in them; see God’s seed of potential!

It’s important for each of us to know that we’re not here by accident. Rather,

“God has a divine purpose and plan for your life.” In fact, you are special!

The Lord directed me through a series of events and a dream in 1993 to go to Romania on a mission’s trip. While praying about what God’s revealed will would be for the trip, the Lord spoke this faith-building word to me that I will always remember:

“One person full of faith and Holy Spirit can shake a nation.”

Faith has nothing to do with feelings, circumstances, improbabilities, or outward appearances. Faith rests on God’s Word and His commitment to perform it! When we take Him at His Word, the heart is at peace. Psalm 119:42b says, “I trust in your word.”

I never shook the nation of Romania, but over the years I made several ministry trips to the nation and made an impact. All through the Bible and Church history, people have proven that those who know the Lord can expect Him to do great things through them (Dan. 11:32).

It is our responsibility to pursue God in an intimate relationship, to determine His will and destiny for our lives. We discover ourselves in close fellowship with the Lord. We begin to understand the why of our creation!

Jonathan Edwards, a pastor and leader in the 1700s during the first great awakening in America said:

“The task of every generation is to find the direction of the Holy Spirit and move in that direction.”

Be unique—be God’s expression of who you were created to be—but pursue the Lord wholeheartedly, discover what He is doing, and go after that. The same challenge is to our churches. Corporately, what is the Holy Spirit doing? How is He leading? Discover this, and pursue His leading!

 

However, the enemy of our souls, Satan, does not want us to achieve our purpose and calling in God.

From the time we are very young, he is at work to destroy our lives and stop us from fulfilling that destiny. There is spiritual warfare occurring you to rob you, destroy you, and if possible, kill both you and the destiny God has put within you. For example:

• Moses, the future deliverer of Israel is born. What does Pharoah do? He commands that the first-born Hebrew males be killed. But God spares Moses!
• When Jesus is born, Herod has all the Jewish males two years and under killed, attempting to kill Him. But God divinely warned Joseph and they escaped to Egypt!

 

The enemy attempts to stop our relationship with Christ. First, by blinding our eyes to the gospel and truth when we are young and mature into adulthood. He lures us into unbelief and sin.

Many people never fulfill their God-given destinies because of the enemy, their own carnal desires, hurts, failures, and fears. We can be our worst enemies!

So often, the failures, setbacks, and hurts in life cause us to give up or lose hope in pursuing God’s purpose and destiny for our lives.

It is never too late and there are never too many mistakes to keep you from getting a fresh vision and revelation of God’s ultimate purpose for you.

Paul states, “for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29 NIV). ‘IRREVOCABLE’ means ‘binding, irreversible, final, permanent’.

The enemy, the world, life’s setbacks, even your own flesh may be working against you, but GOD is working for you—all the time—to help move you into your calling.

But Paul also states in Romans “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31 NKJV)?

 

God wants to move you from a place of servanthood into a place of friendship.

Jesus said to His followers, “I no longer call you servants but friends.”

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 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 that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:14-17 NIV)

I heard Pastor Mike Bickle share that there are “Many servants, but few lovers.” Many want God’s power and favor, but don’t build the relationship with Him or with others.

All fruitfulness flows from intimacy with God through Jesus Christ

From this place of intimacy, true friendship with God can develop. Then, His heart and plans to you are revealed. You will begin to understand your individual call and purpose better.

Throughout scripture, we see examples of men and women who positioned themselves in their relationship to God. From that place of intimacy, their purpose and destiny unfolded.

For example, Moses’ young assistant, Joshua, pursued intimacy with the Lord:

“Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” (Exodus 33:10-11 NIV)

The people worshipped from the tent doors, but Joshua did not depart from the tabernacle. Why? God spoke to Moses face-to-face and Joshua wanted a face-to-face encounter and relationship with God!

Jesus said that, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” What did He mean by this? I asked the Lord about this statement several years ago, and this is what He spoke to me: “Many are called, have a destiny, but few heed God’s call on their life.”

In the body of Christ, too many are out of position—not in an intimate place of fellowship with the Lord. They are not ready to be thrust into destiny.

There is a price to be paid for intimacy, there is a price to be paid for the anointing, and there is a price to be paid to fulfill your call and destiny.

Many are called, but few receive God’s commissioning because the sacrifice wasn’t made. God requires surrender, obedience, faithfulness, humility, and submission to name a few.

God allows tests. The Lord tests the righteous. Sometimes, the commissioning doesn’t occur because we fail God’s tests. Can we submit to others, remain humble, remain faithful to God’s Word and revealed will? Are we faithful with tests of time and process?

Often, like the children of Israel in the wilderness, unbelief breeds fear. We fail to act in faith upon what God has said and fail to move into the promised land and our next season.

The writer of Hebrews shares about Enoch being taken away or up:

“By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:5-6 NKJV)

Enoch walked with God; he pleased God by his faith and relationship. The result? He was taken up!

If we want to get “caught up” into the higher realms of God, we must be a people who walk with Him in intimacy and truth in our hearts. This is where we really discover what we are made for!

 

Prayer

Father, I yield my life completely to You. Help me to love You and others more fully. Renew my first love for You. Fill me afresh with Your love and grace to love myself and to love others with Your love.

Help me to remain in Your love, to walk in humility, and to be obedient to Your Word and will. Help me to discover at a deep heart level what I was made for—to love You, glorify You, and enjoy You forever! Amen!

For a deeper look at this topic, watch the Passion Church message “Made for Love”: