A life lived with purpose and pursuit is a life a marked by milestones and accented with accomplishments.

The hilarious journey of the men in the movie was a joy to watch but I would rather see a life worthily lived than a few famous destinations visited.  So let’s get started!

• Know what God has designed you for.  We are all different in spite of the many similarities we share, God only make originals, none are the copies of another.  Hear the words of the apostle Paul, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We each have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”  (Romans 12:4-6a)  What a beautiful thought!  Normally we think of receiving gifts at Christmas or on our birthdays but here we learn that God has given us gifts in terms of abilities and skills.  What is yours?  Do you know?  There are three ways to know.
  • First is to pray and ask God to help you see how he has made and equipped you.
  • The second is to ask a friend who is known to be discerning and ask him/her what your strengths, skills or aptitudes are. In a time searching, a friend revealed to me his conviction that I was well suited to do youth ministry so I walked in that direction and loved every minute of it.  I remain thankful for that true friend who helped me see what I could not.
  • The third way is found in personality, abilities and spiritual gifts inventories.  A simple Google.com search revealed numerous tests available all designed to assist you in finding out how God has gifted you.  So, now that we know the ways that God has gifted us and how to find them out, we go now to the next part…making a plan!

Jesus said, “no one sets out to build without having first counted the cost, lest he begin to build and cannot afford to finish.”  Building our lives to God’s glory using the gifts he has graciously given us means making a plan and setting goals.  No one runs a marathon without consulting a map to know where they are going. No builder sets out to construct a sky-scraper without a blueprint.  The Bible even speaks our lives using these metaphors.  How can you use your gift to encourage someone?  God made you to be a blessing in your church and community.  Plug it in!  Write down two ways in which your purpose/design will lift someone up or help another carry their burdens.  Then as you grown more comfortable exercising those gifts, make it three, then four, then five and so on.  Then, find someone else who has the same gift and calling and help them to use it.  That is called mentoring.

How to find your life purpose and design a life plan is a post from: ABCFastDirectory.com

The Bible gives us vivid examples of mentoring relationships.  We see where God allows one or more to one day take up the mantle of leadership or to carry on a legacy.  Elijah was an Old Testament prophet who was in a class all his own.  When seminary students are asked which prophet is their favorite many turn to him.  Elijah had a protégé.  His name was Elisha.  He prayed that he might have a double portion of the spirit of Elijah.  He wanted to be the godly man that Elisha was.  Another fine example of this kind of relationship is found in the apostle Paul and his young disciple Timothy.  Paul often referred to Timothy as a “son in the faith.”  Paul would call others to walk in the same manner as he.  “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice.”  (Philippians 4:9)  Being a mentor is to be a guide, a counselor or a teacher.  Of course the superlative teacher in none other than Jesus Christ, whose twelve disciples and their followers were “turning the world upside down.”  (Acts 17:6 KJV)  One generation of faithfulness handing down to the next generation to be faithful, that is a picture of mentoring. (Article source: ABCFastDirectory.com)

So we have examples of wonderful mentors in our lives and we see how they were important in the Scriptures.  So what about you?  Is there someone you are pouring your life into?  Believe it or not someone is watching you.  It matters to them the decisions you make.  If it’s okay for you to do it, it must be okay for them, they reason.  We may never know who is watching us and our character and behavior.  Hand down to another person what you have learned.  We gain wisdom as we mature, don’t hoard it but share it.  There is immense satisfaction that you will soon feel just by befriending another who could use a little direction.  Speak kind words and let them know they are important.  The smile on their faces as a trusting relationship emerges will be thanks enough.  There are easy ways to do this.

• Your local Boys & Girls Club
• Lunch Buddies.  Many public schools are allowing adults to come in and eat lunch with a student they know could use a role model and some encouragement.
• The children’s Sunday School classes.  Churches always need more teachers so lend a hand and be huge in a child’s life.
• College students away from their parents could always use a home cooked meal.  Invite them in and invest your life in them during the temporary stage in their lives, they won’t forget it.

How to become a mentor — and why mentoring is important is a post from: ABCFastDirectory.com

A biblical concept but one that is often overlooked is the fear of the Lord, rightly fearing God.  Not many sermons are preached these days on this topic and that’s unfortunate for the blessing that many are deprived of on account of that reluctance.  Oswald Chamber is quoted saying, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.”  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”  What is bigger than God?  What is there that we can fear that he does not have complete and utter sovereignty and authority over?  Nothing.  Rightly fearing the Lord means the rest of our lives are in their proper place, even our fears.  In Psalms, David writes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Essentially, you need to put your fears in perspective. Everyone has them. What might petrify someone makes someone else excited. What someone finds scary another person goes to a movie theatre to see, and can’t get scared enough. How you deal with your fears determines whether you are immobilized or you can live your day normally. Remember, fears are just thoughts, they are an interpretation of a situation that you are presented with.

The phrases above — by really only needing to ‘fear’ the Lord, means that you realize — you really don’t need to worry. You can trust that He, or whatever you perceive to be a higher power, can take your worries and fears and deal with them for you. Fear is a shadow. It doesn’t exist except in your mind. Fear is an indication that you may need to stop a second, and think about things rationally. But that is key — deal with it, come up with a plan of attack to overcome with it. Identify why you are fearful or something, see if there is any legitimacy to it, and act appropriately.

One of my favorite sayings in relation to fear is, “Fear knocked at the door.  Faith answered and no one was there.”  Another fear knocks on the door of my heart all the time: the fear of man.  One of the authors of Proverbs writes “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Prov. 29:25)  Being afraid of what people will think of us is a very common fear.  Preachers avoid topics or even true convictions for fear of what people will think.  What the writer said is true, it is a trap, a trap that is impossible to escape.  But the minister or layman who fears the Lord and trusts in him is freed from that snare and can live in liberty.  Like the apostle Peter who was invited to come out and walk on the water with Jesus, his legitimate fear of the raging waters was overcome by faith until he took his eyes off Jesus then began to succumb to them.  But with eyes of faith locked upon Christ, we can walk on the backs of our fears because God is our refuge and we take safety in him.

How to overcome fear and anxiety through one simple solution is a post from: ABCFastDirectory.com