Soul Vision: Make Your Life CountSample

How do we go about thinking about a “personal vision” for the future? We have discussed how your past can reveal your sensitivities, studied the present to obtain opportunities, and now we will put together a personal vision for the future under God’s vision. May I suggest some policies and practices?

• Alongside the three primary segments of life—personal life, family life, and work life—also affirm a ministry segment.
• Consider your epitaph.
• Prioritize your opportunities and responsibilities.

Since you want to go beyond occasional, passive forays into God’s vision and want to live life energized and propelled by God’s vision, this fourth segment of ministry is critical to enriching your other segments. If before you were even saved, God has prepared good works for you to fulfill (Eph. 2:8–10), you better engage in ministry! An important part of the reason that you are a follower of Jesus today is because one or more other believers added “ministry” to the missions of life. They went beyond personal, family, and work considerations to the fourth dimension of fulfilling their ministries. As a result, God’s good news reached you. In what ways have you passed it on?

For your personal epitaph, think about how it can reflect your passion, mission, and vision of life. To help you think this through, finish these two sentences about yourself:

He/she made God look great (mission) by________________________________________________.

He/she made Jesus well known by________________________________________________.

Use these statements to reflect on God’s work in your life, focus your mission, and then reorient all your existence to that vision under His ultimate vision.

Finally, as you prioritize your opportunities and responsibilities, consider the following three questions:

• What does my life (my history, geography, seasons, gifts, etc.) specifically tell me about what I can and should do for the Lord Jesus Christ at this time?
• What specific Christian needs can and should I do something about?
• What specific non-Christian needs can and should I do something about?

Trust the Lord with your personal vision for His ministry, and you will be amazed at how He gets through to you, shapes you, focuses your vision, and accomplishes His plans for the world through you.

Live life intentionally. Spend the rest of your life loving, honoring, and serving God as your underlying, ulterior, and ultimate purpose in your unique way. Build an intentional life of passion, mission, and vision to make the rest of your life worthy of your God and worth it for yourself and others.

This plan is part of a series of plans based on Dr. Ramesh Richard’s Intentional Life Trilogy. From Soul Vision, the third book in the series, Bible reading plans God’s Vision, Your Unique Role and Soul Vision: Make Your Life Count were produced. For more information on the Intentional Life series, including online courses based on the books, visit https://www.theintentionallife.net.