INTRODUCTION
Purpose is the reason for the production of a product. It is the intention, aim or function of a thing. Every product was conceived in the heart of the producer ever before it was produced. The manufacturer saw the product before it was manufactured. Everything about a product – the shape, size, design, etc. was done to meet a need. This is purpose!
God is our Maker, our Producer, our Creator and Manufacturer. Ever before He created man in the beginning, He called a meeting where the niche, the role and the purpose of man was clearly defined. In that conference that He called, He declared the manifesto concerning the purpose of man. He said:
….Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
Note that throughout the whole story of creation, God did not call this kind of meeting until man was to be created. He just declared that all other things should be and they came into being. Man was the goal of creation; man was the end of creation, all other creatures were means to this end. They were created so that man can fully discharge his responsibility and fulfil his purpose. God had to get all things ready for the real show – man. So, we know that purpose determines provision. Man had all provision ready ever before he came into being because he was coming to fulfil purpose. A man on purpose cannot lack provision because God will make enough provision for the fulfilment of purpose.
Just as it was with the first man so it is with all men. God has a purpose for each of the 7 billion people on the surface of the earth presently. No man came as a mistake even if he/she is born out of wedlock or as a product of incest. God makes no mistakes. Your birth is the evidence that God has a purpose for your life because He produces every product on purpose. He released you to the world through the route you took on purpose. There is a reason for your creation. God has determined your purpose before you were created.
PURPOSE PRECEEDS AND SUPERCEEDS PRODUCTION
Purpose precedes production because the purpose of a product was determined before it was produced. If we agree then that no reasonable producer will produce a product if there is no purpose, reason, function or need that the product is going to meet, then, the purpose of a product also supersedes the production of that product. The product was produced because of purpose. The pen I now use to write was produced for the purpose of writing. There would be need to produce a pen if there was no need to write. Pen was produced because of the need to write. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention; almost all things on the face of the earth today were produced on purpose. There was a need, a necessity and man invented something to meet that need. There was a need for light and Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Pressing iron was invented so that our cloth can be made straight and neat. What will you say of a producer who just produced something and when people asked him what his product will be used for, he simply said, “I just produced it. Go ahead and use it for anything”. We all agree that such a producer must be crazy and no one will ever buy a product that was not produced on purpose.
Friend, your purpose precedes and supersedes the fact that you are alive. There is no point creating you if you were not meant to serve a purpose. Your purpose was determined before you were created and that is the reason why you were born. Your birth is the evidence that you are a person of purpose and on purpose. You will amount to that useless product that was produced to do anything. There is no point living except for purpose. If no man will waste his time producing a product that has no purpose, do you think God is a fool who will allow you to be living just for the sake of living? This is why your birth, your creation, your living is the evidence that God has a purpose for your life. He created you to meet a need. It was a necessity that led to the creation of man in the beginning. The necessity is found in Genesis 1:2 where the bible says:
Now the Earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The Earth was formless, empty and covered with darkness. Hence, God needed a representative that can keep the Earth in order for Him after He would have recreated it. God is light and it is His will that the Earth will have and remain in light while He continues to rule and reign in Heaven. So, He created man in His image and likeness. Man carried the very essence of God-light. Man was to have dominion and keep the world in light. He was created to fulfil this purpose. This purpose was the reason for His creation and this purpose precedes and supersedes the creation itself. His creation was the product of His purpose. There is no point creating him if there was no purpose for him to fulfil. Purpose was not the product of creation. He was not looking for purpose after he was created
; he had a purpose before he was created. We can therefore say that, the reason for living is purpose. There is no need for life if there is no purpose. Purpose precedes and supersedes creation itself.
; he had a purpose before he was created. We can therefore say that, the reason for living is purpose. There is no need for life if there is no purpose. Purpose precedes and supersedes creation itself.
HAVE YOU DISCOVERED YOUR PURPOSE?
If you agree with me that there is no need for the production of a product if the product has no purpose to fulfil; if you agree with me that the purpose of a product is more important than the production of that product, then I need to ask you that, now that you have been produced, now that you are living, have you discovered the purpose of your production or creation? Have you discovered the reason why you should live? Have you find a reason for living? Have you captured what was in the mind of your Producer before He began your production? Will you say you are in the centre of God’s will for your life? May be you are five years or ten years old, you may be 15 or 20 years old. It could be that you are in your 30s, 40s or 50s and you could be above these ages but I will like to ask if the years you have spent were spent fulfilling the original intention of your Producer. Your life is an abuse if it has not been spent fulfilling purpose. The word “abuse” means “abnormal use.” It implies a misuse of a product. It is “LIFE ABUSE” when a life is used for something else apart from the original intention of the Producer. Are you using your life or abusing it? Are you investing it or wasting it?
Every product has an expiry date including your life. You will soon expire. It baffles me that we hear of death here and there, close relatives, friends, families and fans die suddenly and we are shocked but something quietly tells us in our hearts that we cannot die now. We live as though we have all the time, we live as though we are in charge of air breath that pass through our nostrils. Who told you that you cannot die now? What guarantee do you have that you will live to the end of today? Your life has an expiry date which is unknown to you and your life will soon be over. In case, it expires today, can you say that you have lived to fulfil purpose? Can you face your producer and creator and say?
I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4
I have often studied the normal viscous cycle of life that almost everyone who comes to the world follow and I have not stopped asking myself, is there not something more to life? You were born, you went to school from primary school to the tertiary institution, get a job, get married to a girl, give birth to children, send them also to school, buy a car, travel around the world, build a house, retire and die eventually. This is the rat race that every man enters into once they are born, only few take time to withdraw and ask, is there not something more to life? There is more to life friends, and it is simply purpose. The essence of life is discovering and fulfilling this purpose. Have you discovered your purpose for living?
The Pursuit Of Purpose Continues in the next edition…