The Purpose PuzzleSample

Today, let’s explore the four corners.

Top Left Corner - Love God

The greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. This begins with understanding His love for us and then reciprocating it back to Him with trust and faith. He longs for our daily fellowship with Him so that we can know Him on a personal level. THIS is where our purpose begins. How are you doing loving God with my heart and affection?

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:25,26)

Bottom Left Corner - Serve God

Once we have begun to experience His love for us and return that love back to Him, we have the opportunity to leverage that relationship for His glory. That means we promote His agenda over ours. We deflect all honor and praise back to Him rather than receiving it as our own. We sincerely strive to make His name greater than ours. Our purpose should never be about building our name or fame.

I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that you alone are just. O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. (Psalm 71:15-17)

Top Right Corner - Love People

The second commandment is to love others. God’s love for us is not for us to hold on to just for ourselves. We are to carry and share His love with others so they, too, can experience a full life in Him. Our time here on Earth is not about all we can gather and gain for ourselves, but how we can give our hearts and attention to others by exchanging our preferences for theirs?

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:12,13)

Bottom Right Corner - Serve People

When we love others by putting their needs before ours, we honor them and who God created them to become. We must love them with our actions and not just our words. We strive to add value to them by using our lives and what the Lord has given to us to build up those we encounter each day.

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (1 John 3:18)

With these four corners in place, we have anchors for beginning the process of exploring how God can use our lives for His glory in specific ways.