A Christian Life That Fulfills God’s Eternal Purpose

I used to have a rigid way of spending my times with the Lord. My prayer time mostly consisted of asking God what I wanted. If I felt that my prayer was not being answered quickly, I repeated the prayers over and over, as if I could force God to give me what I wanted. However, I realize now that I should have focused more on fellowshipping with Him and being in His presence, rather than begging for the things I desired. This change in thought is due to a recent experience of my prayer-life in which I realized that the Christian life is not about asking God what I want, but rather it is about what God would want to fulfill through me.

Romans 12:2 says, “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.”

As I was conversing with a friend, both of us agreed that I became much more calm, less anxious about many things, and peaceful at difficult times compared to my high school years. However, this change in my character and overall mood is not an automatic shift that came out of thin air. As I have mentioned before, my prayer life was previously all about me. It would sound sort of like: “Lord, I really love You. Thank you for blessing me today. Lord, could you…[insert request].” I have noticed that after engaging with the Lord more through the Holy Scripture, attending fellowship meetings, applying what I have heard into life practices, and speaking with other believers, that my prayer-life has been more like a duty as opposed to something I did out of my love and enjoyment of the Lord.

Therefore, I began to work on enjoying the Lord more in my prayers to Him. When I simply talk to God about my day and spend time with Him, I experienced His supply flowing into my being. So I began to focus on enjoying God Himself! Through this change in my prayer-life, the Lord began to renew my mind. As my mind was renewed in many things, I became more peaceful and aware that my life is not just about me.

I am able to tell my friends that I do not worry so much about not getting what I want anymore, but that I really want what God has for me because God has the best intentions for me. I am learning that life is not about making sure our own purpose is fulfilled, but it is about making sure that God’s purpose is fulfilled in us. Since God is eternal, His purpose for us is also eternal. His eternal purpose can be seen in many verses.

John 10:10:
“…I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly.”

John 14:6:
 “…Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life.”

God’s eternal purpose for us is to have life that comes through Jesus. This is truly an awesome thing to have the life of Christ within us and operating in our lives. However, God’s purpose does not end with us possessing this life. He desires that this eternal life in us would be expressed.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says,
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.”

The life that Christ has given us through the shedding of His blood is purposed to be expressed through us. We are the vessels that display the life of Christ. The Scripture says that we have received the treasure (life of God) and this life force is powerful.

When my eyes turned toward the Lord and less toward me, circumstances became less difficult. In my prayer-life, my focus is knowing and fulfilling God’s purpose, enjoying and expressing His life. Then everything else will follow.

-CB, 4th year, Biology