What Is Your God Given Purpose? Figuring Out Your Calling Vs Your Assignment In Life

How do you find your God-given purpose as a Christ-follower? It starts by examining your calling vs your assignment.

A Christ Follower is called to do good works in His Name BUT living out HIS purpose in our life seems to be this elusive concept that I, even as a Christ-follower, continually searched for each and every day. Eventually, the best approach I found was understanding the difference between a calling and an assignment.

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What is your God-given purpose?

EVERY Christ-follower has a purpose and a calling in their lives. It starts when they surrender their lives in salvation. However, it may be difficult to comprehend because prior to this calling there may have been this gnawing feeling that something was missing ….

Before you accepted Christ as your savior, there is this weight or burden on your life – I know because I felt it too. There was a void in my heart and life always seemed lacking. The pleasures of this world didn’t aid in healing it. Each attempt to “complete” myself seemed to evade my grasp. I was searching for this in performance-based acts such as good grades, relationships, jobs, money, and achievements.

THEN I did a total surrender of ALL my busyness, burdens, chaos, and goals, AND finally FILLED the void in my life.

Not only did the void disappear a flame was ignited in my heart that continues to grow today. A flame that seems unquenchable and ready to set blaze the calling God has placed deep within my soul.

YOU can have this flame as well. After you have accepted Christ, He places the same calling on you as he did Paul, Peter, Moses, and so many others. Moreover, HE gave us a road map! The road map is written in the New Testament of the Bible.

What is the calling of Christ-followers?

A Christ-follower’s Purpose or Calling is explicitly written out as the greatest commandment which was spoken by Jesus because Even the disciples, the chosen few, sought his answer to this question, “Lord, what is the greatest commandment?”

The greatest commandment of the Bible = the CALLING in our lives = your god given purpose!!!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind

and with all your strength.’

The second is this:

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30-31

We are to LOVE God with everything that is your your god given purpose and mine! Jesus doesn’t mix words about HOW we are to love HIM or our neighbors.

The command is simple but not easily put into practice. Use the following questions to examine if you are listening to the call on your life as a Christ-follower:

• LOVE GOD
  • What does your heart desire?
  • What is the thing you love more than anything?
  • What completes you?
  • What is your soul?
  • Where do your thoughts go?
  • Is your mind fixed on the LORD or the world?
  • Where does your power come from?
• LOVE OTHERS
  • Who is your neighbor?
  • Are you forgiving them?
  • Have you shown them mercy?
  • How are you loving them?
  • Would you want them to treat you the way you have treated them?

Spiritual disciplines are additional tools that shape your heart, mind, body, and soul to love GOD fully and love others sacrificially.

Complete a Bible Study about them here.

Calling, Purpose, Goal in Life, Aim for my children is to LOVE God fully and LOVE others sacrificially through servanthood.

Simply:

Serve God

Serving the Lord takes surrendered effort like practicing the spiritual disciplines such as reading the Bible, pray, meditate, memorize, and be a good steward of God’s grace in your life – even when it is difficult!

Surrendering our bodies as living sacrifices as an act of worship that serves the Lord for example sharing the gospel with others.

God knitted you and me in the womb according to Psalm 139. If He created us then He most certainly has the power to know our purpose because HE created us to use “whatever gift” we have received to glorify Him.

Serve Others

We can serve others through prayer, fellowship, and yes, practically through finances, time, and our skills.

Love on others in hardships and celebrate with them during joyous occasions. Shower others with forgiveness and kindness.

However, understand that the glory is always HIS and our approval comes FREELY from Him, not others. We live to serve HIM and love others (and forgive them) to glorify HIS mighty name. (You can read how I also had to learn these lessons here.)

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,

as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

What is your assignment?

YOUR assignment is simply your current circumstances. Wherever the Lord has physically placed you is where you are suppose to serve!

• EXAMPLES
  • Career
    • Teacher
    • Nurse
    • Blogger
    • Engineer
  • Life Changes
    • Wife
    • Mom
    • Foster Parent
    • Patient
    • Working From Home Parent

It isn’t easy to accept especially if your current situation is a prison or a hospital bed or at the bottom of the laundry. However, the Lord will use your circumstances to serve others and glorify HIS name IF you are willing to surrender to HIS will and be a tool used for good works.

Do not become disenchanted or give up hope that this place isn’t where you are supposed to be ESPECIALLY if you are practicing spiritual disciplines such as praying and being in God’s word diligently. Use this time, circumstance, aka NEW assignment to deepen your personal relationship with the LORD and serve others through love, joy, and peace.

Personally, I was a career-driven woman, running up the rungs of the corporate ladder then abruptly stopped to stay home with my newborn baby boy. A new circumstance that was unexpected and definitely not planned yet in God’s sovereignty HE knew I would use this time wisely – growing my faith and boldness to share HIS good word with others. (i.e. THIS WEBSITE)

THEN it happened again!

An upheaval of circumstances provided another assignment to serve GOD and others when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. He used that assignment to serve God right from the hospital bed.

SERVE

Embrace simplicity. Do not overcomplicate the Word of God and serve HIM and others right where you are – NOW!