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The Bible Teaching Commentary on Genesis: The Book of Foundations
Commentaries that specialize on training the teacher!
Gaining Perspective on God’s Purpose for Your Life
Genesis 37-50
A Personal Study of the Life of Joseph
The Purpose of Our Lives
Paul J. Bucknell
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Spiritual Growth | Insights | Life Purpose | Special Training | Perspective | Breakthrough
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Purpose
The series 'Gaining Perspective on God’s Purpose for Your Life' starts with an exploration on how God uses the lives of special characters like Joseph in Genesis 37-50 to speed us up on our spiritual growth. An advanced discipleship guide.
The purpose of our lives
Although there are many specialized topics addressed through Joseph’s life, it is the general overall picture of his life that increases our learning on individual topics and events. This study of Joseph’s life brings us face to face with two key life questions:
(1) Why did God create me?
God made the earth along with man and woman. (There is no room for evolution here.) He has a general design for man and woman, but also a specific one for His people as seen in the life of Joseph. We should awaken to the purpose(s) that our Creator has for our lives. Joseph could not understand the importance of his life or daily decisions. Our understanding of His purpose of our lives is not a one time revelation but something we more clearly grasp as we live through our lives.
Our meaning of life is heightened as we discover the purposes for which He has made us. There can be confusion here. Let me give an illustration. A Christian mother might live her life as if there is no specific purpose. There is just the daily routines of life. Another might grasp the special calling as a mother to her two and four year-old boys.
She sees God’s special calling on her life not only to bear two children but to cultivate the into godly children. God has brought her into this life. She would not know this ahead of time, but she like ourselves can look back and see what God is doing through our lives. The purposes for which God has made us are largely defined by our roles, responsibilities and relationships.
We need to connect the faithfulness required in our daily routines as ways we embrace God’s involvement in our daily lives. Our days become not just chores but divine opportunities to live out God’s power in our lives. Living from this perspective will bring glory to God and blessing to and through our lives. A successful life is one in which we cheerfully and consistently complete the tasks God has set before us.
Will there be purposes for our lives that we will not know? Certainly. We hardly know of all the ramifications of our lives. We do know that God promises to greatly reward our faithfulness. We see this as our children grow older and make wise decisions. We also can see it when we have discipled someone and seen them grow and mature as followers of Christ. Many things, however, will be hidden from our lives here on earth.
(2) How can I accomplish God’s purposes for my life?
Life in this fallen world is not easy, however. We face so many troubles, some of them are totally wrong. They should not happen. Many of these situations arise because the sin of man, sometimes ours and sometimes others. There are, however, tragedies. They are the unexplainable. It is crucial that we see our lives from a greater perspective, a larger canvas upon which our lives are being drawn.
Our lives as God’s people are being closely monitored. We need to catch a vision of how God grants us motivation, character, strength and wisdom to carry out His purposes in the context within which we live, even within devastating situations.
The major decisions for our lives are not our careers! They cannot even be chosen by us. They happen upon our birth circumstances of which we have absolutely no control.
Our challenge then is not only to understand the purposes for which God has made us, small and big, but to learn how to depend upon Him to carry them out. This is true success.
Study Assignment
Read Psalm 139. Pick out a few verses from Psalm 139 that speak about God’s special design for your life. Write down the appropriate phrases.
Think about God’s special purposes for your life by defining two roles, relationships and responsibilities that you have in life. Some might overlap but try not to overlap. Thank God for grace to reflect His love and power as you consistently carry them out in a way that delights Him.
Make sure you do your assignment. It helps us slow down so that we can purposefully reflect on areas we need to spiritually grow in.
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