Purpose Driven Life

So Eilonwy and I are co-blogging this series and being enormously lazy, instead of blogging them day by day,I've consolidated a few days into one long post.

PDL Day 1 - It's not about you.

• You were made for God and not vice versa. It’s about letting God use you for His purposes and not your using God for your purposes.
• Speculation vs Revelation – Bible as God’s revelation to us.
• God – as the source and author of all life. The bible – our guide. The only way to know our purpose in life is to know God.
• Identity and purpose are to be found through our relationship with Christ.
• Self discovery through discovering God.
• Paradigm shift away from most self help books where you help yourself and find your purpose in life by doing stuff. If its not about you then you’re stuck if you look to yourself – need to look to God for an answer.

Random thoughts

No more cognitive dissonance – when you know that one area of your life just doesn’t ‘gel’ with the rest.
Giving over every area of your life – can’t segment or cordon off one part and pretend it’s ok.
Relief – now that it’s in His hands and not mine.

PDL Day 2 -You are not an accident

"And He has made from one blood[c] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:23-31)

• Runs not this speech like iron through your blood!
• God who is unseen,who does not dwell in temples or things.
• Who has determined our preappointed times, our lives so that we might seek Him.
• We- human,blind and groping for the truth- for Him despite His nearness.
• Life and our being are bound up in Him.And oh- the appointed day.- Terrifying thought.
• Today’s B-study was worth it to read this verse.We find ourselves in Him, are perfected in Him.

PDL Day 3 - What drives your life?

• Eccl 4:4 - vanity and grasping for the wind. Why do we do what we do?
  
• People driven variously by guilt, anger, resentment, fear, materialism and a deep seated need for approval.
  
• Knowing your purpose simplifies your life and gives your life meaning and focus.
  
• Forces an assessment of the various things I do, and why. Approval of others? Oh yes *raises a virtual hand* - always.
  

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Eph 5:16

• Redeeming the time - this struck me in particular - idea of stewardship of the time and abilities you are given.
  
• The question begging to be asked is how I've been using my time and going forward, what I plan to do with my time.

"You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You." Isa 26:3