Being a Friend - Who has Purpose

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:  

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is nothing more exhilarating than being around a person who has discovered their purpose in life.  It’s as if they are oozing life and freedom.  Even on their difficult days you can still feel the energy flowing from the core of their being.  Everything in this life has a time, a season and a purpose.  Once we realise that and begin to discover the meaning of life we will unleash something truly beautiful from our life.

The Apostle Paul says in Roman 8:28 that, “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  Would you like a life where everything worked together for good?  It is possible and all that is required is that we are called according to God’s purpose.  You see, a life with purpose is great but a life according to God’s purposes comes with a guarantee.  The guarantee is that nothing is wasted.  So what does it mean to be called according to His purpose? 

Purpose in this verse comes from the Greek word prosthesis which means to be ‘exposed’ or ‘to place before’ or ‘to exhibit oneself’ before God’.  In a nutshell it means that if we live our lives continually before Him, in His presence then nothing will be for nothing.  If we are living in this way, every single thing will turn around for your good no matter what.  It is a wonderful thing isn’t it? 

The way to live this way is easy to apply too as it says in Proverbs 3:6 that, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  What does acknowledge Him mean?  Acknowledge in this verse comes from the Hebrew word yâda which means to know.  In the Bible to know someone was often use in reference to sex, for example Adam knew Eve and bore a son. It speaks of a deep intimacy.  Knowing our purpose comes from knowing our God.  It makes sense doesn’t it?

Purpose is a really important part of life and people without purpose are often feeling lost or confused about life.  Many people long for purpose but struggle to figure out what their purpose is.     

Determine to be a friend who has purpose.

Determine to be a friend who encourages others to find their purpose.  Inspire your friends to be more.  Stir your friends up.  Motivate them if necessary.  Help them to see that there is more to life.  A good friend will not watch a friend wallow in self pity or settle for a life of mediocrity.  Be a friend who encourages others to aim high, to keep going through difficult times and to never give up until they find their purpose in life. 

To find your purpose you have to find know who you are.  You will quickly discover what you are designed to do once you have a clearer picture of who God made you to be. Here are some tips on how to start finding out what lies inside of you:

• Ask yourself what you excel at naturally now or perhaps when you were young? 
• What subjects did you enjoy at school? 
• What do you find yourself defaulting to now in any given situation?  For example, for me it was organising things, in any situation I will always see a system that will make things neater and more efficient! Bingo, I must be a manager.
• Have a long, hard, honest look back over your life up to this point and see if anything stands out to you that might define you.  This may help you find out what God has put inside of you, which will help you find your way to your purpose.  For me it is also writing, I have loads of notebooks in my home full of my writings and ponderings. I have always been this way; I am not content if I can’t write.  Often, if I need to process something that I am going through in a season of my life, I write a short book about it. Even if it never gets published, it helps me process what I am going through.
• Most importantly ask God to show you who you are, after all He made you and He is so faithful and if we ask He won’t let us down.

Being a friend who has purpose is not a selfish thing, it is actually hugely beneficial for your friends.  If you are living your life of purpose it will be easy for you to point others in the right direction too. 

Find out more about Being a Friend here or about using our material to host your own Girl's Night here.