We often read the mission statements of businesses and churches. They help us understand their purpose and why they do what they do. For example, the mission statement of Chick-fil-A is “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” My daughter, Bekah, believes their mission statement is to make the most awesome chicken sandwich for her to enjoy once a month!
At Grace Life International, we go over our mission statement every time we meet together as a staff. It is, “Leading Christians into the Life-Giving Power of God’s Grace through Counseling, Coaching, Events, and Resources.” Most of our staff could recite this in their sleep and they believe it and live it.
I also believe that God has a personal mission for individuals. Have you ever considered that God created you with a personal mission to fulfill during your sojourn of this short life on terra firma? He does because Ephesians 2:10 tells us, 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 (NLT). He came to live in you so He could love you and live through you to fulfill His purpose for your life.
When we are living out the purpose for which He created us, He is glorified, others are blessed and we are fulfilled. This purpose does not look the same for everyone. For example, God gave the Apostle Paul the mission of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles but Peter’s mission was to take it to the Jews. For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8).
Are you personally interested in discovering your God-given mission for your own life? Let’s define the idea. A personal mission statement is a clear concise statement as to how Jesus desires to live through you to fulfill your God-given purpose. It gives you “tracks” to guide the direction of your life. It may be something you do for a job or not.
Prayerfully ask God to show you the answers to these questions:
- What activities do I find myself drawn to over and over? It could be feeding the poor, teaching, painting, accounting, technology, healthcare, evangelism, etc.
- What am I passionate about as far as what motivates me in life? It could be more than one thing but one will rise above the others.
- What are the values that guide my life?
- What experiences have I had in my life?
- What are my talents and spiritual gifts that I find myself enjoying the most?
- What is my personality hardwiring? Take the DISC profile online for free by searching for it.
- If money weren’t an issue, what would I spend the rest of my life doing? Yea, I know, you may be thinking I’d go to a tropical island and swim in the ocean every day! That’s not quite what I mean, of course!
- What are my goals in life?
After you have answered these questions the best you can, prayerfully read them over a few times. Then work on your personal mission statement. Here are a couple of examples. Each assumes you are relying on Christ to live through you which glorifies God.
- To produce the best paintings I can so people will see God’s creativity and be drawn to Him
- To do a good job at work and treat people respectfully so they will know I care in hopes they will want to know why
- To grow in my understanding, living and communicating of the New Covenant so people will see and hear the truth that sets you free.
Finally, if you want to know God’s greatest purpose for your life, please come bask in this truth in our live online Freedom Conference this weekend.
