17th January 2015
By Brother Tolu Toluwade
Bible Passage: Luke 19:12-27; Genesis 1:26-28
“And God blessed them and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” – Genesis 1:28a
Purpose is the reason for our existence. We all need to genuinely ask ourselves this question, “Who am I?“ In answering this question, you shouldn’t confuse your real self with your career because your career is what you do and not who you are. Everyman on earth has an identity and this is who you really are. The next question is, “Where am I from?“ Until you know your source, you won’t know who you are. Another question is “Why am I here?“ There is a reason for your existence and one thing is certain, you have been a winner before you were born. Next is the question, “What are my true abilities?“ What are those things that you are skilful at that you know you can do? You need to ask yourself “Where am I going? Where do you see yourself in 6 months, 1 year, or 10 years from now? Until you discover your personal reason for existence, you will never be fulfilled in life. We are all created for a purpose, equipped with potential and designed for a destiny.
What is Purpose? Dr Miles Munroe defined purpose as the reason for the existence of a thing. Purpose is also defined as the original intention of the creator or manufacturer of a particular product. God is a God of purpose. There is a reason God created you; you were not just created for the purpose of working and earning a living. The sun, stars and moons were created for the purpose of differentiating between time and seasons. Man was created to have dominion over “everything”. Note, God didn’t create man to dominate over man but over all other things He created (Genesis 1:26). No man is superior to another, we are all the same; anyone that thinks he is superior to another has a distorted mentality of who he is. God places people ahead of us and places us ahead of others not because we are unimportant but because of purpose and responsibility. We should therefore respond to people we are leading with dignity and respect because God instituted hierarchy. God created man with a mandate to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue and dominate the earth (Genesis 1:28). These five things actually summarize the entire purpose of man.
Fruitful – To be fruitful means to bear fruit. You must produce the fruit for which you have been planted. Are you fruitful?
Multiply – To multiply means to increase greatly in number or quantity. It means we have the capacity and potential to increase greatly and become better each day. You have to work on your life on a daily basis because God will not automatically make you a better person. The manifestation of the blessings of God on us is directly proportional to how much we have worked on our lives (2 Peter 1:3). God expects us to increase in wisdom, knowledge and use our talents well until we start making profits from it.
Replenish – To replenish means to fill up. There’s no need to fill up if there’s no emptiness. God deliberately allowed emptiness so He can give room for man to fill it up. God always gives raw materials, He doesn’t give finished products. The raw materials God has given us are our potentials and He expects us to turn them to finished products. Everything in life was created with potential and possesses the potential principle.
Subdue – To subdue means to enforce your dominion or quieten to be under control by force. There are situations that won’t give in to us if we don’t subdue or put them under control. Life doesn’t give you what you deserve or desire but what you demand (Matthew 11:12).
What are the pointers to purpose?
Passion – Passion is what fills your heart with energy and vigour and until you do it you don’t feel satisfied and excited. There’s something locked up inside each and every one of us designed to bring out fulfilment and satisfaction and passion is what helps us locate it. Passion is a pointer to our purpose in life. Moses had a passion for his people and hated to see them in slavery, but who told Moses he was going to lead his people to Israel? The answer is passion! It is not passion to fulfil our desires but passion to add values to the lives of other people.
Potentials – Potentials are those things God has placed in us that define our assignment on earth. It means dormant ability. Potentials are those things lying dormant in you that you can do. What could be but is not yet; hidden or trapped strength; all you can do and become that hasn’t happened yet.
On a final note you need to sincerely answer the following questions:
- What are the activities I do daily?
- Do I want to be a spectator or a participant?