Today's Sermon:

"Living a Life of Dignity By Design"

I. God Designs Each of Us for .......

1:1-5

“We are known before we know. This realization has a practical result: no longer do we run here and there panicked and anxious, searching for the answers to life. Our lives are not puzzles to be figured out. Rather, we come to God, who knows us and reveals to us the truth of our lives…I have a set-apart place that only I can fill. No one can substitute for me. No one can replace me. Before I was good for anything, God had decided that I was good for what He was doing.””-Eugene Peterson

II. God Enables Each of Us to ......

- 1:6-8

III. The Path of God’s Purposes Includes ......

1:9-10

IV. To Run the Race Well We Need .....

A. Definition: A Life Purpose Statement is a personal, specific, statement of your purpose in life, given your gifts, abilities and calling from God, and your present position or circumstances. It is a statement that weaves a thread of continuity through all you do, arranging all the details of your life around this central reason for existing.

B. Distinctives:

God is saying to His prophet, “Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition?...Are you going to live cautiously or courageously?...It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now at the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses?”-Eugene Peterson