One of the most disheartening experiences of life is feeling we have no purpose, and this is because God never meant us to live like that! Instead, He created us with incredible significance and to live with Biblical intentionality. He is not a God of chance or happenstance. Rather, everything He has made is interconnected and engineered with unmatched attention to detail. This applies to our lives as well.

During the time He walked on earth, Jesus gave us the perfect pattern for a life lived according to God’s plan. In living out His purpose, Jesus gave us an incredible example of focus, humility, and power. Through the life of Jesus, we understand our purpose and are equipped to carry it out.

 

Jesus lived a focused life

 

With ever-increasing intensity, distraction is becoming one of our most significant hurdles. Yet Jesus did not succumb to distraction – He stayed hyper-focused on the work God set before Him. Throughout His life, we read His mission statements declaring why He came to earth. Jesus came to fulfill the prophecies (Matthew 5:17), to seek and save the lost (Matthew 9:12-13, John 3:17, and Luke 19:10), to preach the kingdom of God and bring truth (Luke 4:43, John 18:37), to give abundant life (John 10:10), and to glorify God (John 12:27-28).

What if we were similarly focused on God’s plans for our lives? Jesus lived confidently in the blueprints and boundaries God gave Him, and because of His obedience, we too have access to God and can live on purpose! Romans 5:2 says through Christ “we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand,” and in Ephesians 2:18, “For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” A few verses over in Ephesians 3:12 we read, “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence,” and in John 14:20, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Because Christ lived obediently, we can abide in His life, have fellowship with God, and live faithful lives in line with God’s purposes.

 

Jesus lived a humble life

 

Jesus didn’t come for fame, fanfare, or accolades. He didn’t have a platform or a following. Instead, His modest arrival in an animal feeding trough set the tone for the rest of His days on earth. He lived to serve God and others rather than to be served. Overarching all His other mission statements, we read His compelling ambition in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent me.”

Surely Jesus knew from the very beginning what this would require — not only that He would wash the disciples’ feet, teach to the point of exhaustion, and heal those who were sick. Ultimately, doing the will of the Father would cost Him His earthly life, as we read in Philippians 2:8, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Following Jesus’ lead, we can set aside fame and acknowledgment and find joy in humbly serving God and others.

 

Jesus lived a powerful life

 

Humility does not equate with weakness. Living a humble life does not mean our lives will go unnoticed. Instead, as we obediently abide in Christ and focus on God’s purposes, we are filled with the same power that raised Christ from the dead! The strength and power displayed throughout Christ’s life as He calmed storms, healed the sick, rose the dead, and ultimately conquered death is at work within us. Ephesians 1:18-20 says we can know “His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms….”

Our work in life becomes an extension of the magnificent work Jesus carried out on earth, as we read in Jesus’ words from John 14:12, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” on the cross, His earthly work was complete. Yet, those words were only the beginning of our work here on earth. Ephesians 2:10 shows us God’s premeditated plans for our lives, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The meanings of our lives are interwoven with the life of Christ and beautifully connected to the work He carried out on earth. Learning from His focus and humility, and abiding in His strength, we understand the significance of our lives and are fully able to carry out God’s good plans.

 

Listen to “Hidden In My Heart, Volume III: A Lullaby Journey Through the Life of Jesus” on Spotify.