Purpose

Andrea talked a little about purpose on her blog recently. This is a topic I have also been reading, thinking, and praying on recently.
I have been asking God to show me what He wants me to do, because I only want to do that which He wants me to.
Here are some things I have learned in my study of purpose......
To find out what the will of God for your life is, start by asking yourself questions like "What ignities my heart?" "What am I passionate about?" "What is that thing I can't NOT do?"
Do you ache for forgotten orphans? Untouched nations? Street kids? The elderly?
In Grace For The Moment, Max Lucado puts it this way...

"Want to know the will of God for you life? Heed the fire within!
Do you have a passion to sing? Sing! Are you stirred to manage? Then manage! Do you ache for the ill? Then treat them! Do you hurt for the lost? Then teach them! As a young man, I felt the call to preach. Unsure if I was correct in my readings of God's will for me, I sought the counsel of a minister I admired. His counsel still rings true. "Don't preach," he said, "Unless you have to".
As I pondered his words, I found my answer.
I have to preach. If I don't it will consume me. What is the fire within you that consumes you?"

For me, I can't not sing.....I can't not teach and preach and talk of Jesus....and I have a fire in my heart that grows daily for forgotten orphans...especially AIDS orphans in the country of Africa and neglected and forgotten children right here in America.

So, that is my "what".
However, I don't know how it all fits together and how it will all play out in my life. But, that is OK.
My pastor once said to me..."Just figure out the "what"...God will take care of the "how"."

I would love to hear about what ignities passion in you. What is that thing you can't not do? What do you love?

John Stanko, a recent speaker at our church, and an accomplished author teaches on joy as an indicator of purpose.
He says,
"The objective is to get you to pay attention to your heart, for your heart matters where purpose is concerned. Your purpose doesn't have to make sense to you at first; you simply have to recognize it by the joy it generates. After you identify your purpose, God will show you ways to gain meaning from engaging in purposeful activities more often than you are now."

One thing John Stanko said when he was here that I loved was,
"Don't wait to write the book until you know who is gonna publish it. No one can publish a book you haven't written"

You can stay away from the how....just stay focused on the what.

Do what you love. You must have God's joy in what you do, because His joy is our strength.