Romans 8:28-30 NASB
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.. [29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Every Christian has an identity, and every Christian has a calling that fulfills God’s purpose, and every Christian has specific assignments. Our identity, and our calling is all the same; only our assignments are different, and we each carry different ministry gifting’s to carry out those assignments.
Our identity is our union with Christ. Every believer is in Christ, and therefore Christ is their life. Colossians 3 says that “Christ is all, and in all.” We are also told in Colossians 3 that “We have died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul refers to himself in 2nd Corinthians 12, as “A man in Christ.” This is our identity, and any other identity is a false one. Sadly, too many Christians, and particularly Christian leaders, try to find their identity in their assignments. This is a great tragedy that robs Christians from the abundant life that Jesus came to give us, and leaves believers full of introspection, competition, and self rejection.
God’s purpose, or calling for us,flows out of our identity, and that calling is to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Every believer shares the same calling, and has the same purpose in life. We are all called to be Christ like, and Christ likeness is our purpose on earth. We are called to manifest out of our personal experience, the very likeness of Christ, not as a result of a cheap imitation, but through a full throttled participation in his life, and an unbridled manifestation of his life.
We all have different assignments but it is important that no matter whether your assignment is speaking before thousands, or homeschooling a child, that you carry out that assignment fulfilling your purpose to be Christlike. You only do your assignment well, no matter what it is, if you are manifesting Christ likeness as you fulfill your assignment. If your assignment is to be a banker, and you have the ministry gift of administration to carry out that assignment, it is important to know that being a good banker does not mean that you are successful in carrying out that assignment unless you are manifesting Christ likeness as you are being a good banker. If you’re a homeschooling parent, then your success will not be measured by how educated or disciplined your children become. Your success will only be determined if you fulfilled your calling to be Christlike before your children, as you were homeschooling them. This truth is to be interposed over every assignment. Whatever your assignment might be, the calling is to bring a experiential Christ likeness into that arena of life, or no matter how big your assignment might become, and no matter how well-recognized your assignment might be in the eyes of others, you will be an abysmal failure. This is why someone with the smallest assignment, unacknowledged by others, can be the most successful person in the eyes of God compared to someone with a world-famous work. Christ likeness is our calling, and Christ in us is the source of all Christ likeness, and bringing his life into every situation is how we fulfill the purpose of God at the highest level, irregardless of size or fame. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others, and measuring our success through demonic lenses based on recognition or size, and get freed up to know that enjoying Jesus and manifesting his life in the smallest details that make up our everyday life, or in the largest ministry before multitudes of people, is the true measure of a successful Christian life.
If you want to know what it is to feel like you have purpose in life, and that you are doing what you know you were created to do, and are being who you were created to be, simply let Jesus Christ himself fully live his life through you in whatever context he chooses.