What is your purpose in life?

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long; live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “What is your purpose in life?”

It’s fun having ambitious teenage grandchildren and listening to them and their friends talk about what they want to do with their lives. One of our granddaughters wants to be an attorney and so she has dreams of going to law school. Another loves to cook and bake and she is already checking out culinary colleges because she wants to be a chef. One of our granddaughter’s boyfriends loves the outdoors. He wants to have a career as a ranger for the Tennessee Bureau of Land Management. He also wants to have his own taxidermy business on the side. And then we have our five-year-old grandson who is 150% boy, loves sports, and is fascinated by football. He is already convinced he is going to play in the NFL.

Those kids are thinking along the right lines because since you are going to spend a minimum of forty hours a week for probably forty years of your life working in some profession, it’s important to pick one which you will enjoy doing. Having a career that you love gives you focus, fulfillment, and purpose. I feel so blessed to have a profession as a pastor and writer and even at the age of seventy-two, I have no desire to stop.

Or perhaps your purpose in life does not involve a paid profession. Could there be any more important role than to be a stay-at-home-mom and invest your life in raising your children and maintaining a home for your family? Or how about retirees who are grandparents and who spend a lot of quality time building into the lives of their grandchildren?

My point is that having a clear purpose in life is an essential part of living long and living well. Study-after-study about longevity and quality of life points to the truth that those who have a clear purpose do much better in life than those who don’t.

In our study of living long and living well, we will in the weeks to come consider the important role that our mental, emotional, and spiritual health plays in our overall quality of life. But for the next several days we will think about the importance of having a reason for living – a clear focus and a purpose for getting out of bed every day. Life is too precious to waste it by simply meandering through our days and filling them with meaningless activities, such as endless hours of television.

What is the purpose of your life?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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