WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?

40 DAYS OF PURPOSE—PART 1

Feb. 18th, 2007

 

 

LIFEÕS 3 GREATEST QUESTIONS

1.   QUESTION OF EXISTENCE: WHY AM I ALIVE?

 

      ÒWhy was I born?  Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?   Jer. 20:18 (TEV)

     

      ÒThe Lord has made everything for His own purpose.Ó  Prov. 16:4a (GW)

 

      ÒLong before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, and settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.Ó  Eph. 1:4 (Msg)

 

 

            GOD: I WAS CREATED _____________________________

 

2.  QUESTION OF SIGNIFICANCE:  DOES MY LIFE MATTER?

 

      ÒMy work all seems so useless!  I have spent my strength for nothing and for no purpose at all.Ó  Isa. 49:4a (NLT)

 

      ÒI am your Creator.  You were in My care even before you were born.Ó  Isa. 44:2 (CEV)


CLICK TO SEE GRAPHIC - MELENCHOLIA

 

      ÒYou... scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe.  Every day was recorded in Your book!Ó             Ps. 139:16 (LB)

 

      "His plans endure forever; His purposes last eternally."  Ps. 33:11 (GN)

 

 

            GOD: I WAS MADE _________________________________          

 

 

      ÒWhen this tent we live in — our body here on earth — is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home He Himself has made, which will last forever.Ó 

      2 Cor. 5:1 (TEV)    

 

      ÒLeave your impoverished confusion and live!  walk up the street to a life with meaning."  Prov. 9:6 (Msg)

 

3.   QUESTION OF INTENTION:  WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?    

 

      ÒWhy did You create us?  For nothing?Ó     Ps. 89:47 (NCV)

 

 

      "Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding."  Pr. 9:10b (LB)

 

 

            GOD: I FIND MY PURPOSE ____________________________

     

 

      ÒFor everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisibleÉeverything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.Ó  Col. 1:16 (Msg)

 

      ÒItÕs in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for... part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.Ó  Eph. 1:11 (Msg)

     

       ÒIt makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if        you want God and are ready to do as He says, the door is open.Ó      Acts 10:35 (Msg)

 

 

 

40 DAYS OF PURPOSE

COMMITMENT

 

            1.  I will participate in a 40 Days of Purpose small group. 

 

            2.  I will read each dayÕs chapter from The Purpose Driven Life.  ItÕs about 15 minutes of reading.  Everybody who joins a small group is going to get a free copy of The Purpose Driven Life book.  I want to encourage you to schedule a daily appointment for this 15 minutes of reading.  I donÕt care if you do it in the morning when you get up or right before you go to bed or a coffee break or lunchtime.  Pick a time.  I would encourage you to do it the same time every day for 40 days.  I also encourage you to get a spiritual partner – somebody whoÕs going to be reading it too.  Once a week or a couple times a week call each other up and talk about what youÕve been reading.  DonÕt go though this journey all by yourself.  Get a spiritual partner to talk about it during the week.

 

            3.  I will do my best to hear all the messages in the series The Purpose Driven Life.  These are messages that I will be teaching the next six weeks.  TheyÕre going to be relating to what youÕre studying in the groups.  So what weÕre talking about today is setting up what youÕre going to be studying in the groups this week.

 

            4.  I will memorize a Bible verse each week related to GodÕs purpose for me.  In your small groups weÕll be giving you six Bible verses, one for the five purposes and one for What on Earth Am I Here For?