5-Day Devotional: Purpose, Life, and God's Master Plan
By Stephen Puricelli
As a pastor, some of the most common prayer requests people share with me go like this: God, what do You want me to do with my life? God, what is the purpose of my life? God, what am I supposed to do?
If we’re being honest, most of us have asked these questions of God—on many occasions. We’re not sure of what God’s grand purpose is for our life. We want a step-by-step plan. We want clarity. We want precision. We want guidance. We view life as a multiple-choice test and we want God’s answer key for our every decision.
But God’s master schedule, laid out in perfect infographics describing our life, never comes. This leaves us unsure, unsteady, and unable to decide. We become paralyzed and begin to question God.
One of the things I’ve learned about God’s purpose is that we tend to think about God’s purpose in only large-scale terms rather than in the minute, daily items. For the most part, our lives are the sum of our daily habits and decisions. The question really is if God is part of our daily mundane life.
If we don’t invite God to be a part of the little things of our daily life, why do we think He’s going to reveal the big things to us? It’s sort of like wanting a large 401k for our retirement, but not wanting to consistently save and invest our money over our entire lifetime. It simply doesn’t work like that. And so it is with God. If you want to know the big things of God, you start by giving Him the small things.
Invite God to be part of your daily commute. Your morning breakfast. Your evening workout. Your meal time with family. Your budget. Your walk around the neighborhood. Your reading time. Your TV time. Your social media time. Your carpool line time. Your first five minutes of the day. Your last five minutes of the day. What would happen if you gave God the small moments? Perhaps you would see more clearly to better understand the big decisions. The greatest impact on your life is found in how you adjust your daily habits and choices. What if God were a part of those?
DAY 1: ALL THINGS FOR HIS PURPOSE
Read: Romans 8:28
As believers and followers of Christ, our greatest good is found in God’s accomplished purpose, His master plan. Sometimes we can confuse our own good with our own purpose. But God’s plan is far better and above ours. The best life is found in obedience to God—never in disobeying Him.
Respond: As you look at the day ahead, how can you let God’s purpose inform your everyday moments? What’s one part of your upcoming schedule you can invite God to be part of?
DAY 2: OUR HEARTS
Read: Proverbs 16:2; 19:21; 20:5
God’s purpose will endure. Regardless of how we try to bend God’s will, He is unchanging. As we chase after His purpose, we must examine our hearts fully and understand our motivation and inspiration in everything we do.
Respond: When you wake up each morning, what’s your daily purpose? Not in theory, but in reality. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Are you motivated by money, prestige, entertainment, relaxation, or sexual desires? What’s the actual driving force in your life?
DAY 3: OUR HABITS
Read: 2 Timothy 2:22-26
Paul condemns faithless practices that anyone can be tempted to be swept into committing. The evil desires of youth. Foolish arguments. Quarrels. Then, Paul offers alternative, faithful habits: being kind, teachable, and forgiving. Remember, God’s purpose for our lives is best seen in our daily habits.
Respond: As you read these verses, what sticks out? Where is your heart out of line when you compare it to these words?
DAY 4: OATH TO GOD
Read: Hebrews 6:13-18
We make oaths by something greater than ourselves. Since God is all-knowing, all- powerful, and all-present, who can He swear by? Himself. God cannot lie—His infinite power guarantees that His promises always come true.
Respond: If God is unchanging, resolute, and impenetrable—what power does Satan have? (Read Luke 11:14-26)
DAY 5: THE MOTIVE OF YOUR HEART
Read: 1 Corinthians 4:5
Whatever is beneath the surface of your life, whatever lies deep inside, will eventually be revealed. One of the best practices we can have as believers is to search our hearts for the motivations for why we live the way we do.
Respond: What is within your heart that is hidden from others but fully exposed to God? What dreams are lying dormant within? What sin have you kept hidden? What, both good and bad, is insde of you? Pull it out. And submit it to God.