If you ask people today, ‘What is the purpose of life?’ you’ll hear all kinds of answers.

• “Find yourself.”
• “Follow your dreams.”
• “Do what makes you happy.”
• “You do you.”
• “The meaning of life is simply to live it.”

Notice what all these answers have in common. They begin with us. The Bible begins somewhere very different. It begins with God.

A better question is not, ‘What is my purpose?‘ but ‘What is God’s purpose?‘ Once we understand what God is doing in the world, we can begin to understand where our own lives fit. As Paul writes:

‘Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.‘ (Colossians 1:16, The Message)

Our purpose is discovered, not invented.

1. We Were Made by God and For God

Imagine you discovered a strange mechanical object while clearing out your loft. How would you discover what it was for? You probably wouldn’t sit staring at it hoping it would tell you. You wouldn’t ask another broken machine. You might play around with it a little to try to work it out but better still would be to try to find the person who made it. The manufacturer knows the purpose because the manufacturer designed it.

The same is true of us. We do not discover our purpose by endlessly looking inside ourselves. We discover it by looking to the one who made us.

The apostle Paul writes:

‘We look at this Son [Jesus] and see God’s original purpose in everything created… Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.‘ (Colossians 1:15–17, The Message)

Our culture says, ‘look within.’ The gospel says, ‘look to Christ.’

2. God’s Purpose is Bigger Than Your Life

One of the biggest mistakes we make is assuming God’s main purpose is helping us achieve our own dreams. The Bible presents something much bigger. Long before you were born, before history began, God already had a purpose. The psalmist wrote:

‘The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.’  (Psalm 33:11)

God’s purposes are not temporary. They stretch from creation to new creation, to the complete renewal of the whole universe.

In writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul explains:

‘It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for… he had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.‘ (Ephesians 1:11–12, The Message)

Our lives make sense only when we realise they are part of something infinitely larger than ourselves. They are part of God’s great purpose for his creation.

3. God’s Great Plan is to Bring Everything Together Under Christ

So what exactly is God’s great purpose? Ephesians gives one of the clearest answers.

‘This is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.‘ (Ephesians 1:9–10)

Our culture does not like the word authority in many ways. But here it refers to the good and loving rule of Jesus. History is not random. It is moving towards Christ. God is gathering together, healing and renewing everything that sin has broken and spoiled. Relationships. Communities. Creation itself. And he is doing it through his Son, Jesus Christ. The whole story of Scripture moves towards one glorious future – Jesus reigning over a restored creation.

4. God is Making Everything New

The Bible ends with a vision of God’s purpose reaching its fulfilment. John sees a vision of the future.

‘Look! God’s home is now among his people…‘

Throughout the Bible, God has shown that his dream and desire is to live among the people he has created. And then comes one of the greatest promises in Scripture:

‘Look, I am making everything new.‘ (Revelation 21:5)

Notice that God does not say, ‘I am making all new things.’ He says, ‘I am making everything new.’ God’s purpose is restoration. Peter preached the same hope:

‘Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything.‘ (Acts 3:21)

God has never abandoned his creation. He intends to renew it, to restore it to his original intention.

5. Jesus Invites Us Into That Purpose

This should change how we think about our own lives. Many people ask, ‘What is God’s plan for me?’ The Bible first asks us, ‘Will you join God’s plan?’

Jesus said,

“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am… Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way… to finding yourself.” (Matthew 16:24–25, The Message)

That sounds upside down. Lose yourself to find yourself. Stop living for yourself to discover who you truly are.

But this is because your purpose is found not through self-discovery but through surrender to Jesus Christ.

6. You Have Always Been Part of God’s Story

Perhaps the most astonishing truth is this. You are not an afterthought. God did not suddenly notice you.

Paul says,

‘Long before we first heard of Christ… he had his eye on us.‘ (Ephesians 1:11, The Message)

Your life has always been part of God’s eternal purpose. Not because you are the centre of the story. But because Christ is. As you become united with him, your life finds its proper place within God’s great plan.

So we discover our own purpose by participating in God’s eternal purpose. The more closely our lives align with his great story, the more deeply we discover who we really are.

7. This Life is Preparation for Eternity

John reminds us:

“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17)

Everything we build merely for this world will eventually disappear. Everything done for Christ belongs to eternity.

8. So What Is My Purpose?

Our purpose is not first about choosing a career, finding a life partner, or achieving our ambitions. Those things matter. But they are not our deepest purpose.

God does have works prepared for you and which he has and is preparing your for:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)

But even more central to our purpose is for us to become more and more like Christ. That way, the new creation will be filled with a family of people who are like him:

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29)

As we keep that central, and focus on Christ, we can be confident that whatever happens in life can contribute to this great purpose:

 ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them’ (Romans 8:28)

Discussion and reflection questions

1. Where do people around you tend to look for purpose?
2. How does knowing God’s eternal purpose reshape the way you think about your own life?
3. What difference does it make to know that history is moving towards ‘the restoration of all things’?
4. What might it look like this week to align your own plans more closely with God’s greater purpose?

Putting It Into Practice

1. Read Colossians 1:15–20 and thank God that everything was created through him and for him, and that you are part of his great plan.
2. Pray each morning this week: ‘Lord, help me to play my part in your purpose today.’ Then ask God to help you make the most of every opportunity he puts beforr you that day.
3. Do one thing this week in which you intentionally invest in God’s kingdom rather than simply your own plans, e.g. encourage a fellow Christian, share your faith, serve someone in need etc.

From the Bible

Memorise this Scripture:

 ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them’ (Romans 8:28)

Recommended Resources

Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life (Zondervan, 2002)

Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture (IVP, 2003)

Pete Hughes, All Things New (David C Cook, 2020)