Purpose & Identity
Devotion given by Gabrielle TannerAs a ministry and a business, we’ve been clear with who we are and WHY we are. Our purpose and identity…
Outkast’s Purpose is to first love God with our being, then to glorify God and serve Him using various forms of evangelism!
Outkast’s identity: We are a drama team who use skits, dramas, and human videos as a ministry to share the good news of salvation and the principles by which we are called to live.
But knowing our PERSONAL identity and purpose doesn’t always feel as clear-cut and written out; often, our perception of our identity and purpose changes as we grow, mature, and enter new stages of life.
Identity (Originated By F. Remy Diederich)
We all have multiple identities. For example, I am [a daughter of God, a human, a wife, and a mom]. Sometimes our identities work together, but other times they can conflict with each other [for example, I’m a daughter of God, but I’m human with a sinful nature!]. It is important to understand that conflict and prioritize which of our identities matter the most.
Take a moment to write down what you would say your identity is.
The apostle Paul is a good example of identities in conflict. Before Paul came to faith in Jesus, he was a persecutor of Christians. His identity was that of God’s Defender of the Faith. God’s Warrior of Righteousness. And because he had those identities, he aligned his behavior to those identities by persecuting Christians. His purpose flowed from his identity.
But when Paul encountered Jesus, he was humbled and he discarded his identity as God’s Warrior and Defender. He let that identity go and he took on a new identity, that of God’s servant, aligning his behavior to his new identity.
That’s why Paul said, What shall I do, Lord? in his telling of his conversion (Acts 22:10). Paul was willing to do whatever God asked him to do instead of what he felt his identity as God's Defender required him to do.
I think this is where many Christians go wrong today. Instead of following Paul’s example by abandoning the behavior of their negative, or less important identities, they choose to continue allowing their other identities to take precedence over their identity as God’s child.
For example, we see this in how people let their political identity dictate their behavior even when it contradicts God’s will. Or they behave in a way they think their sexual identity, ethnic identity, or theological identity requires them to at rather than their spiritual identity as God’s child and follower of Jesus.
Let me ask you: Is there a part of your identity that affects your behavior more than your identity as God's child?
Purpose (Originated By Javan Shashaty)
From our identity flows our purpose flows.
Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgot the reason you went in there . . . You knew it had to be important or else you wouldn’t have walked in, right? But you just can’t seem to remember. Was I going to brush my teeth? Do my homework? Make a snack? Ugh!!! Well, as frustrating as that experience is, imagine not knowing why you are here on this earth. I know this sounds heavy, but follow me for a minute . . . We all know deep down that we must be here for something. There has to be a reason we’re here for the time that we are. If only we could figure out what it was! Chances are, at some point, you may have wondered this yourself. Why am I here? Is there a purpose for my life? How do I find that purpose?
When we are teens and young adults, society makes it feel as if our purpose rests in our career choice or what college we go to… but it goes deeper than that (and in my opinion, a little more simple!).
Thankfully for us, the Creator of life itself has a lot to say on the topic. In Ephesians 2, Paul says that we are God’s masterpiece. He created us as a work of art designed to live a life of significance that He planned for us before the beginning of time. Whoa! You aren’t just a random collection of cells floating around the atmosphere. You’re not an accident carrying out a meaningless existence. If you haven’t heard this before, God has a plan and a purpose for your life! He loves you and He has amazing things in store for you!
In the story of the prophet Jeremiah, God shows up and reveals Jeremiah’s purpose to him. He tells Jeremiah that he is going to be a prophet to the nations. But Jeremiah has a rebuttal: “God, You must have the wrong guy. I am too young!” But God objects. He tells Jeremiah that his age does not determine the timeline of his purpose. And the same is true for you! God may not call you to be a prophet to the nations, but He has called you to make disciples! Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave us the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). This is not just for pastors and church leaders. It’s for everyone! It’s for you! No matter how old you are, God has a plan and a purpose for your life.
Using the same paper (or phone note) that you wrote your identity on, write your purpose under it.
I would say, based on my Identity, that my purpose is to worship God and love him and his creation and to make disciples who make disciples FIRST with my children, then to my community. This doesn’t mean that I have it all figured out, I don’t always know what worshiping him looks like practically on a day-to-day basis. And I certainly don’t have the while disciplining my kids thing figured out either! But once I see who I am and what my purpose is, I can start thinking about how I can fulfill that practically.
Then, think about how you might be able to use your gifts and talents to make disciples!
