Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 519 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Your Purpose for Life – The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack
Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 519 of our trek, and last week we are started a new series called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack.
Each Monday for a total of 20 weeks we will explore a different tool that is needed to equip parents and grandparents to train their children and grandchildren to be successful on their trek of life. If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, use these tools to train others that you do influence. Today the second tool from Gramps’ Backpack is Purpose.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Since I am recording this before our delayed Christmas celebration with our children and grandchildren, I will report back on how that went on Wednesday’s podcast. It is a blessing to share life with our family and remember joys of the past and share our hopes and dreams for the future.
If you were fortunate to have loving parents and grandparents when you were growing up, did you ever wonder what the purpose was for some of their tools or utensils that they used? There is a specific purpose for each tool, and if used properly, they can be very effective. In the same way, you have a very specific purpose in life, and you should fulfill your God-given purpose. As we explore each tool within Gramps’ backpack, let me know how these tools have helped you, and if you have anything that you would like to ask Gramps about your trek of life.
As we head out on our trek for today, let’s open Gramps’ backpack again and explore our second tool, which every parent or grandparent should have available to them. This tool is helpful to anyone who has the opportunity to impact others. To effectively and positively impact the lives of others, one tool that you must possess is a powerful sense of purpose.
Purpose
The second tool in Gramps’ backpack is an indispensable tool for building a rich and satisfying life. The tool that you must have is a clearly defined sense of purpose for your life. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians in Chapter 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” In other words, you do God’s purpose.
God has a plan for your life, a plan that is near to His heart. If you genuinely seek to fulfill God’s plan for your life, there is a prerequisite. The most important decision of your life is your commitment to accept God’s Son as your personal Lord and Savior. Once your eternal destiny is secured, the next question to ask yourself is, “What now, Lord?” If you earnestly seek God’s will, you will find it…in time. God is not in a hurry as He shapes us into His image and will reveal His purpose for the various seasons of our life.
Life is best lived on purpose. Purpose, like everything else in the universe, begins in the heart of God. Whether you realize it or not, God has a direction for your life, a divine calling, a path along which He intends to lead you. When you welcome God into your heart and establish a genuine relationship with Him, He will begin, and He will continue, to make His purposes known.
Sometimes, God’s intentions will be clear to you; other times, God’s plan will seem uncertain at best. Even on those difficult days when you are unsure which way to turn, you must never lose sight of these overriding facts. God created you for a reason. He has important work for you to do, and He’s waiting patiently for you to grow and mature. He’s waiting patiently for you to fulfill that purpose each day. So why not begin today? Fulfilling that purpose is what our daily trek consists of. It is hiking daily, demonstrating love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that brings true purpose to your life. You may learn your purpose through various channels.
Henry Blackaby said it this way, “When God speaks to you through the Bible, prayer, circumstance, the church, or in some other way, he has a purpose in mind for your life.”
Paul wrote in his letter Romans 8:28, “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.”
Bill Hybels made it really clear when he expressed, “God custom-designed you with your unique combination of personality, temperament, talents, and background, and He wants to harness and use these in His mission to reach the messed-up world.”
God assures us in Psalm 32:8, “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'”
When you have the tool of a clearly defined sense of purpose in your life, you will experience joy for your journey. This purpose needs to be aligned with God’s purpose for your life. Charles Stanley explained it this way, “Until your purpose lines up with God’s purpose, you will never be happy or fulfilled.”
Until your purpose lines up with God’s purpose, you will never be happy or fulfilled.
You have been chosen with a purpose that no one else can fill in this world. You are important to God’s plan regardless of whether you impact a few people or millions in this world. As Chuck Swindoll put it, “We aren’t just thrown on this earth like dice tossed across a table. We are lovingly placed here for a purpose.”
God desires for us to know and be continually fulfilling our purpose for this life. Psalms 16:11 gives us confidence that God will direct us in this quest, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”
With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and close Gramps’ backpack. Before I do, I will pass the tool of a clearly defined sense of purpose onto you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to use it to train your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that you have the opportunity to impact.
Next Monday we will investigate the third tool in Gramps’ backpack, which is Guidance. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this trek of life together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!