“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-22)
Do you know why you even get out of bed in the morning beyond just to earn a paycheck? Do you know that you have a unique, divine purpose and reason for being here on this earth? Well, you do! Each and every one of us does. We are not here just to bide our time away, to work our lives away, to simply earn an income to make ends meet, to live life apart from others. We are not simply here for just any one of these. God has a purpose for your life, and He is waiting to use you to fulfill that purpose if you will just answer His call and let Him.
Why Does it Matter?
Life and our health are wholistic – mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Quite often I will classify our purpose under the mental health – which is what we have been talking about this past month – budget, career, goal setting, time management, our purpose in life etc. But our purpose is also spiritual. Our purpose comes from God to serve God. He is the one who has placed the burning passion in your heart to fulfill something far bigger than you can imagine. He is also the one who has placed the gifts, talents and skills in you to be able to fulfill that purpose. You matter. And not just to God, but to everyone else around you. To the family, friends and coworkers He has placed in your life. But also, to total strangers – perhaps to someone you may never meet this side of Heaven, or even in your time here on this earth. Just like the ripples of a stone thrown in the water – you never know how far reaching you might go when you simply obey and walk out into all that God is calling you to be and do.
Have you ever had someone tell you that you impacted their life, even if in a seemingly small way, and you were totally unaware that they ever even heard you, or saw you? Every single one of us is like a cell in the human body. If even one cell is unhealthy or out of balance, it has a ripple effect on the rest of the body, even if we don’t feel that effect. You not fulfilling your unique, single part, adversely affects the rest of us – even if we are not realizing it at the time. We need you! You matter.
How Do You Know What Your Purpose Is?
Now that you know you have a purpose, how do you know what it is? Ask. Ask God, the Giver of that purpose. How do you do that you might ask. I address this in my book “Are You Being Deceived About True Wellness.” But let me share it with you here. I learned this from Dr. Mark Virkler’s study “4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice.” In summary they are:
- Quiet Yourself Down
- Picture Yourself with Jesus (or Papa God)
- Be Open to Spontaneous Thought & Vision
- Write it Down
For a more in-depth appreciation of how to follow through with each of these steps, you can visit his website at cwgministries.org.
To book Dr. Jackie for speaking engagements go to:
https://jackiemckool.com/schedule-jackie/
Is My Purpose My Job?
Your means of earning a living isn’t necessarily your purpose. It could be, but it doesn’t have to be. Your job may be just that, a means of making a living to support your family and your way of life. Making a financial living is also a way to sow your monetary finances back into the Kingdom of God. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that is your purpose in life. Quite often mom’s underestimate that their purpose in life, especially for the season when their children are little and young and still living at home. Their purpose in that season almost certainly is to raise godly children. But those skills and everything supportive that goes along with that season in life may end up being a time of refining the gifts, talents and skills you will carry into the next season of life and purpose for God. So don’t underestimate that time of training. Same goes for other careers and jobs. Your work for a season may be a time of refining to bring you into your full purpose 30 years on down the road. For others, God may bring you into your full purpose even while you are still young. Everyone is different. But the point is, you have a purpose.
I remember hearing a teaching one time from another Christian teacher on discovering your purpose. I paraphrase it these days to this: If you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is calling you to see how long it takes the daisies to grow in your back yard, don’t belittle this calling. You may never know – perhaps those daisies, and their timing of growth, could be the cure to cancer some day! Your purpose, passion and calling may seem so far off the wall,or so insignificant, but when you know that you know that God has called you to do it. Do it!
The Value of Our Purpose Isn’t Monetary
Do not make this one biggest mistake, by thinking just because you aren’t making a financial living doing what you know your purpose is, that it must not be. This is a lie from the enemy. He knows how valuable you are to God when you are walking out your purpose, that he will do anything to convince you to not do it. Your purpose is as unique from anyone else’s as your fingerprints are unique.
The value of your purpose is not measured by how much you earn,how popular or famous you become or don’t become, how many “likes” you have on social media or what your google rating is. None of this matter or are a measurement of the value of your purpose. They might be tools to utilize to help move you along your path, but they are not a measurement of your worth to God and His purpose for you. Most people who have fulfilled their valuable purpose for the Kingdom here on earth we will never even meet or have heard of.
To bring this point home, I want to share one of my favorite stories about the chain of events, or more accurately, the chain of people, who each one, fulfilling their purpose, eventually led to Billy Graham committing his life to Jesus Christ – and the rest is history, so they say. Read how this played out:
“When it comes to contemporary heroes of the Christian faith, we are familiar with names like Billy Graham. But what about Edward Kimble or Mordecai Ham?
Edward Kimble was a shoe salesman who worked alongside a guy named Dwight. Edward shared the gospel with Dwight, and Dwight accepted Christ. It was 1858, and Dwight’s last name was Moody. We know him as D. L. Moody, who was one of the greatest evangelists in history.
Years later when Moody was preaching, a pastor named Frederick D. Meyer was deeply stirred, and as a result, he went into his own nationwide preaching ministry. On one occasion when Meyer was preaching, a college student named J. Wilbur Chapman heard him and accepted Christ. He went out and began to share the gospel, and he employed a young baseball player named Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday ended up being the greatest evangelist of his generation.
When Billy Sunday preached the gospel in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was such a great meeting that he was invited back. But when he couldn’t be there, Sunday recommended a preacher named Mordecai Ham. Ham went to Charlotte and preached, but not many people responded to his invitation to accept Christ. But on one of the last nights, a tall, lanky boy who worked on the local dairy farm walked forward. Everyone knew him as Billy Frank, and we know him today as Billy Graham.
So Edward Kimble reached D. L. Moody, who touched Frederick Meyer, who reached Wilbur Chapman, who helped Billy Sunday, who reached businessmen in Charlotte, who invited Mordecai Ham, who ultimately reached Billy Graham. And it all began with the simple witness of Edward Kimble.
Every one of us can make a difference for the kingdom of God. What is He calling you to do?”
Just think if Edward Kimble, Dwight Moody, Frederick Meyer, Wilbur Chapman, Billy Sunday, or Mordecai Ham – if any one of them didn’t pursue or do what they felt called to do – Billy Graham would have been denied his purpose, and millions of lives may have perished in the pits of hell for eternity. I remember hearing Billy Graham preach when I was a child. Now while I didn’t respond to his alter call that day, it certainly was a seed of truth planted in my heart. And there is a good likelihood that the pastor who led me in the salvation prayer was indirectly influenced by Billy Graham as well. What an amazing spiritual lineage!
In Closing
The person I want you to pay the closest attention to in this story is Edward Kimble. Edward was a simple shoe salesman!” One story I read about Edward Kimble was that he was a Sunday school teacher, but he never felt like he was making a difference to even one of his students. Until he visited one of his students, Dwight at his place of employment as a shoe salesman. While Edward Kimble might have seen the fruit of one of his students, he left this earth before he had the chance to see the ripple effect of his persistent efforts of simply fulfilling his purpose here on this earth – ultimately the work of Billy Graham, still the greatest evangelist of modern time. You see it’s not about doing something big, it’s just about obeying the call of God on your life, to walk out into your purpose – even if it’s selling shoes… or seeing how long it takes daisies to grow in your backyard.
You are valuable, you have a purpose, and we all need YOU! You might not see the full reward of your efforts on this earth, but when you commit your life and your purpose to Jesus, you will be abundantly blessed and rewarded in Heaven!
I would encourage you to read more on each of the people in this chain of events that eventually led to Billy Graham and his purpose on this earth. Here is a link to start.
Looking for a practical Christmas gift that won’t break the bank? How about gifting that special someone who wants to learn more about their health with a copy of “Are You Being Deceived About Truth Wellness?”
Here are the other blogs in this series:
“How Committed Are You to Your Wholistic Health?”
“How Do You Know When You Get There?”
“Are You Ready for 2025?”
“How Disciplined is Your Budget?”
“Are You Burning the Candle at Both Ends?”