had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s
manual could reveal
its purpose.  . . . 

. . . You cannot arrive
at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because
God wills that you exist. You were made by God
and for God—and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover
our origin, our identity,
our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our
destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.  . . .

It’s not about you.

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s life is in his power.”

Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you

 

 

Begin a Life-Changing Journey . . .

For everything, absolutely

Everything,

above and below,

visible and

invisible, . . .

everything got

started  in him

and finds its

purpose in him.

—Colossians 1:15

—Chapter 1

The Purpose-Driven Life

by Rick Warren

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