On Purpose

I want my life to count. I want to feel significant. I want to feel I made a difference. That is a lot of I's.

So I go to church. And I am told God has a purpose for my life. Great! I matter. More me. More I!. 

The preacher even quotes some verses from the bullfrog guy Jeremiah, something about Him knowing the plans He has for me, plans give me a hope and a future. 

Nice, God has a plan for me!

Sound familiar? Does it make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? That verse is from Jeremiah 29:11. And truth be told, it has played an important role in my life and calling. 

But there is this little problem. It was never meant for an individual. God was actually speaking to an entire nation called Israel. They had been conquered and forced to live away from home in a place called Babylon. They were feeling down and rejected by God (they had actually had rejected God, but that is another story). 

So God comes and says, guys and girls, trust me here. I have a plan. I do not intend for you to live in exile forever. I am going to save you from the Babylonians just like I saved you from slavery in Egypt. 

So here's the thing. God does have a plan. It just isn't for your life. Don't freak out just yet, read on. 

For thousands of years, God has been trying to bring about His purposes on earth. Trying to get the people who inhabit the earth to choose His way of life. To love Him, and to love each other. He doesn't want to force the issue, He wants them to choose this way of life. 

When people choose this way of life, it is like a little bit of Heaven comes to earth. It is like His Kingdom is established wherever people love Him and love one another. 

He has a plan. It is for all people everywhere to make love their primary objective. He wants them to love Him. He wants them to love each other. 

God does not have a plan your life, He has a plan for all of creation. He wants it be restored to the way it was always meant to be. 

You can choose to be a part of it or choose not to be a part of it. Either way, His plans continue. God doesn't want something from you. But He wants to invite you to be a part of His plan. His plan that is way bigger than you as an individual. The purpose of your life is to be a part of God's bigger plan. 

There is no greater honour. And as Rob Bell says, in the end, love wins. And we all like to back the winner, don't we?