FROM THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE WHAT Earth - Turn Back To God
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMFROM THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFEWHATonEarthAM IHEREfor?R ICK WARRENPage 1
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMWhat on Earth Am I Here For?Copyright 2002, 2004 by Rick WarrenRequests for information should be addressed to:Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530ISBN 0-310-26483-9ISBN 0-310-25700-XAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except forbrief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of thepublisher.Illustrations by Michael Halbert,Copyright 2002 Michael HalbertPrinted in the United States of America04 05 06 07 08 09 10 / DP/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Page 2
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/04WHATonEarthAM IHEREfor?3:24 PMPage 3
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMPage 4
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMIt All Starts with GodIt’s not about you.The purpose of your life is far greater thanyour own personal fulfillment, your peace ofmind, or even your happiness. It’s far greaterthan your family, your career, or even yourwildest dreams and ambitions. If you want toknow why you were placed on this planet, youmust begin with God. You were born by hispurpose and for his purpose.The search for the purpose of life has puzzledpeople for thousands of years. That’s becausewe typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like,“What do I want to be? What should I do withmy life? What are my goals, my ambitions, mydreams for my future?”But focusing on ourselves will never revealour life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is Godwho directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’slife is in his power.” 1Contrary to what many popular books,movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking withinyourself. You’ve probably tried that already.You didn’t create yourself, so there is no wayyou can tell yourself what you were created for!If I handed you an invention you had neverseen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose,5Page 5
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMand the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tellyou either. Only the creator or the owner’smanual could reveal its purpose.I once got lost in the mountains. When Istopped to ask for directions to the campsite,I was told, “You can’t get there from here. Youmust start from the other side of the mountain!” In the same way, you cannot arrive atyour life’s purpose by starting with a focus onyourself. You must begin with God, yourCreator. You exist only because God wills thatyou exist. You were made by God and forGod—and until you understand that, life willnever make sense. It is only in God that wediscover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and ourdestiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.Many people try to use God for their ownself-actualization. They want God to be a personal “genie” who serves their self-centereddesires. But that is a reversal of nature and isdoomed to failure. You were made for God, notvice versa, and life is about letting God useyou for his purposes, not your using him foryour own purposes. The Bible says, “Obsessionwith self in these matters is a dead end; attentionto God leads us out into the open, into a spacious,free life.” 2I’ve read many books that suggest ways todiscover the purpose of my life. All of themcould be classified as “self-help” books because6Page 6
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMthey approach the subject from a self-centeredviewpoint. Self-help books usually offer thesame predictable steps to finding your life’spurpose: Consider your dreams. Figure outwhat you are good at. Clarify your values. Setsome goals. Aim high. Believe you can achieveit. Be disciplined. Never give up.Of course, these recommendations are allgood and often lead to great success. You canusually succeed in reaching a goal if you putyour mind to it. But being successful andfulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all thesame issue! You could reach all your personalgoals, becoming a raving success by the world’sstandard, and still miss the purposes for whichGod created you. You need more than self-helpadvice. Jesus Christ once said, “Self-help is nohelp at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, tofinding yourself, your true self.” 3This booklet is not about finding the rightcareer, achieving your dreams, or planningyour life. It is not about how to cram moreactivities into an overloaded schedule. Actually,knowing your purpose will allow you to do lessin life—by focusing on what matters most. Itis about becoming what God created you to be.How, then, do you discover the purposeyou were created for? You have only twooptions. Your first option is speculation. Thisis where most people are. They just guess orspeculate or theorize about the purpose of life.7Page 7
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMWhen someone says, “I’ve always thought thepurpose of life is . . . ,” they’re really saying,“This is the best guess I can come up with.”For thousands of years brilliant philosophershave discussed and speculated about the meaning of life. Philosophy is an important subjectand has its uses, but when it comes to determining the purpose of life, even the wisestphilosophers are just guessing.Dr. Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy professorat Northeastern Illinois University, once wroteto 250 of the best-known philosophers, scientists, writers, and intellectuals in the world andasked each person “What is the meaning of life?”He then published their responses—which werequite discouraging—in a book. Some of thesefamous thinkers offered their best guesses, someadmitted that they just made up a purpose forlife, and others were honest enough to say theywere clueless. In fact, a number of these intellectuals asked Professor Moorhead to write backand tell them if he discovered the purpose oflife!4Fortunately, there is a better alternative tospeculation about the meaning and purpose oflife. The easiest way to discover the purposeof an invention is to ask the creator to explainit. The same method works for discovering yourlife’s purpose. You can find what God, yourcreator, has revealed about life in his Word, theBible. Revelation beats speculation any day.8Page 8
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMGod has not left us in the dark to wonderand guess. He has clearly revealed his fivepurposes for our lives through the Bible. It isour Owner’s Manual, explaining why we arealive, how life works, what to avoid, and whatto expect in the future. It explains what no selfhelp or philosophy book could know. “God’swisdom . . . goes deep into the interior of hispurposes. . . . It’s not the latest message, but morelike the oldest—what God determined as the wayto bring out his best in us.” 5God is not just the starting point of your life;he is the source of it. To discover your purposein life you must turn to God’s Word, not theworld’s best guesses. You must build your lifeon unchanging, eternal truths, not the everchanging opinions of talk shows, pop psychology fads, or success-motivation seminars. TheBible says, “It’s in Christ that we find out who weare and what we are living for. Long before wefirst heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he hadhis eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,part of the overall purpose he is working out ineverything and everyone.” 6 This verse gives usthree insights into your purpose.First, you discover your identity andpurpose through a relationship withJesus Christ. If you don’t have such arelationship, I’ll explain later how youcan begin one.9Page 9
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMSecond, God was thinking of you longbefore you ever thought about him.His purpose for your life predates yourconception. He planned it before you existed, without your input! You maychoose your career, your spouse, yourhobbies, and many other parts of yourlife, but you don’t get to choose yourpurpose.Third, the purpose of your life fitsinto a much larger, cosmic purposethat God has designed for eternity.That’s what this booklet is about.Andrei Bitov, a Russian novelist, grew upunder a government that denied the existenceof God. But God got his attention one drearyday. He recalls, “In my twenty-seventh year,while riding the metro in Leningrad (now St.Petersburg) I was overcome with a despair sogreat that life seemed to stop at once,preempting the future entirely, let alone anymeaning. Suddenly, all by itself, a phraseappeared: Without God life makes no sense.Repeating it in astonishment, I rode thephrase up like a moving staircase, got out ofthe metro and walked into God’s light.” 7You may have felt in the dark about yourpurpose in life. Congratulations, you’re aboutto walk into the light. Just keep reading.10Page 10
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMPoint to Ponder: If there were noGod, and everything was a result ofrandom chance, there would be nopurpose to your life. It all starts withGod.QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERHave you ever wondered about, or feltconfused about, the purpose of yourlife?What ways have you tried to discoveryour life’s purpose that haven’t worked?Why do you think people try to discovertheir life’s purpose without turning toGod, their creator?If you’d like to explore these questions,visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.11Page 11
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMYou Are Not an AccidentYou are not an accident.Your birth was no mistake or mishap, andyour life is no fluke of nature. Your parents maynot have planned you, but that doesn’t meanGod didn’t plan you. He works even throughhuman error and failings, and he was notsurprised by your birth; in fact, he expected it.It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, norcoincidence that you are breathing at this verymoment. You are alive because God wantedto create you! The Bible says, “The LORD willfulfill his purpose for me.” 8God prescribed every single detail of yourbody. He deliberately chose your race, the colorof your skin, your hair, and every other feature.He custom-made your body just the way hewanted it. He also determined the naturaltalents you would possess and the uniquenessof your personality. The Bible says, “You [God]know me inside and out, you know every bone inmy body; You know exactly how I was made, bitby bit, how I was sculpted from nothing intosomething.” 9Because God made you for a reason, he alsodecided when you would be born and how longyou would live. He planned the days of yourlife in advance, choosing the exact time of your12Page 12
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMbirth and death. The Bible says, “You saw mebefore I was born and scheduled each day of mylife before I began to breathe. Every day wasrecorded in your Book!” 10God also planned where you’d be born andwhere you’d live for his purpose. Your race andnationality are no accident. God left no detailto chance. He planned it all for his purpose.The Bible says, “From one man he made everynation . . . and he determined the times set forthem and the exact places where they shouldlive.” 11 Nothing in your life is arbitrary. It’s allfor a purpose.Most amazing, God decided how you wouldbe born. Regardless of the circumstances ofyour birth or who your parents are, God had aplan in creating you. It doesn’t matter whetheryour parents were good, bad, or indifferent.God knew that those two individuals possessedexactly the right genetic makeup to create thecustom “you” he had in mind. They had theDNA God wanted to make you. While thereare illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children. Some children may beunplanned by their parents, but they are notunplanned by God.God’s purposes take into account humanmistakes, even sin. This does not mean that Godcauses or condones sin or evil—he does not—but it does mean God is able to redeem any andall situations and use them for his own good.13Page 13
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMSo regardless of the circumstances of yourbirth, you can celebrate the fact that Godcreated you to be you. God never does anythingaccidentally, and he never makes mistakes. Hehas a reason for everything he creates. Everyplant and every animal was planned by God fora purpose, and every person was designed witha purpose in mind, too. God’s motive forcreating you is his love. The Bible says, “Longbefore he laid down earth’s foundations, he had usin mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.”12God was thinking of you even before hemade the world. In fact, that’s why he createdit! God designed this planet’s environment justso we could live in it. We are the focus of hislove and the most valuable of all his creation.The Bible says, “God decided to give us lifethrough the word of truth so we might be the mostimportant of all the things he made.” 13 This ishow much God loves and values you!God is not haphazard; he planned it all withgreat precision. The more physicists, biologists,and other scientists learn about the universe, thebetter we understand how it is uniquely suitedfor our existence, custom-made with the exactspecifications that make human life possible.Dr. Michael Denton, senior research fellowin human molecular genetics at the Universityof Otago in New Zealand, has concluded, “Allthe evidence available in the biological sciencessupports the core proposition . . . that the14Page 14
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMcosmos is a specially designed whole, with lifeand mankind as its fundamental goal andpurpose, a whole in which all facets of realityhave their meaning and explanation in thiscentral fact.” 14 The Bible said the same thingthousands of years earlier: “God formed theearth. . . . He did not create it to be empty butformed it to be inhabited.” 15Why did God do all this? Why did he botherto go to all the trouble of creating a universe forus? Because he is a God of love. This kind of loveis difficult to fathom, but it’s fundamentallyreliable. You were created as a special object ofGod’s love!16 God made you so he could loveyou. This is a truth to build your life on.The Bible tells us, “God is love.” 17 It doesn’tsay God has love. He is love! Love is the essenceof God’s character. Now God is perfect andcomplete in himself, so he didn’t need to createyou. He wasn’t lonely. But he wanted to makeyou in order to express his love. God says, “Ihave carried you since you were born; I havetaken care of you from your birth. Even when youare old, I will be the same. Even when your hairhas turned gray, I will take care of you. I madeyou and will take care of you.” 18If there were no God, we would all be“accidents,” the result of astronomical randomchance in the universe. You could stop readingthis right now, because life would have nopurpose or significance. There would be no15Page 15
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMright or wrong, no good or evil, and no hopebeyond your brief years on earth. Life wouldbe a meaningless existence, and death wouldbe the end.But there is a God who made you for areason, and your life has profound meaning!We discover that meaning and purpose onlywhen we make God the reference point of ourlives. “The only accurate way to understandourselves is by what God is and by what he doesfor us.” 19Point to Ponder: You are not an accident!QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERWhat events or experiences in your lifehave “hinted” or suggested that maybeyou were created for a specific purpose?Have you ever really felt God’s deeplove for you personally?How would your life change if youbegan to live each day confident thatGod loves you deeply and has a purposefor your life?If you’d like to explore these questions,visit www.purposedrivenlife.com.16Page 16
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMWhat Drives Your Life?Everyone’s life is driven by something.Most dictionaries define the verb drive as“to guide, to control, or to direct.” Whetheryou are driving a car, a nail, or a golf ball, youare guiding, controlling, and directing it at thatmoment. What is the driving force in your life?Right now you may be driven by a problem,a pressure, or a deadline. You may be driven bya painful memory, a haunting fear, or anunconscious belief. There are hundreds of circumstances, values, and emotions that candrive your life. Here are five common ones:Many people are driven by guilt. Theyspend their entire lives running from regretsand hiding their shame. Guilt-driven people aremanipulated by memories. They allow their pastto control their future. They often unconsciously punish themselves by sabotaging theirown success. In the Bible, when a man namedCain killed his brother, his guilt disconnectedhim from feeling God’s presence, and God said,“You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 20That describes most people today—wanderingthrough life without a purpose.We are products of our past, but we don’thave to be prisoners of it. God’s purpose is neverlimited by your past. He turned a murderernamed Moses into a compassionate leader, and17Page 17
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMa coward named Gideon into a courageoushero, and he can do amazing things with the restof your life, too. God specializes in giving peoplea fresh start. The Bible says, “What happiness forthose whose guilt has been forgiven. . . What relieffor those who have confessed their sins and God hascleared their record.” 21Many people are driven by resentment.They hold on to their hurts and never get overthem. Instead of releasing their pain throughforgiveness, they rehearse it over and over intheir minds. Some resentment-driven people“clam up” and internalize their anger whileothers “blow up” and explode it onto others.Both responses are unhealthy and unhelpful.Resentment always hurts you more than it doesthe person you resent. While your offender hasprobably forgotten the offense and gone onwith life, you continue to stew in your past,perpetuating the pain.Listen: Those who have hurt you in thepast cannot continue to hurt you nowunless you hold on to the pain throughresentment. Your past is past! Nothing willchange it. You are only hurting yourself withyour bitterness. For your own sake, learn fromit, and then let it go. God’s Word says, “Toworry yourself to death with resentment would bea foolish, senseless thing to do.” 22Many people are driven by fear. These fearsmay be a result of a traumatic experience, an18Page 18
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMunrealistic expectation, growing up in a highcontrol home, or even genetic predisposition.Regardless of the cause, fear-driven people oftenmiss great opportunities because they’re afraid toventure out. Instead, they play it safe, avoidingrisks and trying to maintain the status quo.Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keepyou from becoming what God intends for youto be. The only way to defeat fear is to moveagainst it with the spiritual weapons of faithand love. The Bible says, “Well-formed lovebanishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearfullife—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one notyet fully formed in love.” 23Many people are driven by materialism.Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goalof their lives. This drive to always get more isbased on the misconception that having morewill make me more happy, more important, andmore secure—but all three ideas are untrue.Possessions only provide temporary happiness.Because things do not change, we eventuallybecome bored with them and then want anewer, bigger, better version.It’s also a myth that if I get more, I will bemore important. Self-worth and net worthare not the same. Your value is not determinedby your valuables. God says the most valuablethings in life are not things!The most common myth about money isthat having more will make me more secure. It19Page 19
0310264839 whatonearth.qxd9/16/043:24 PMwon’t. Wealth can be lost instantly through avariety of uncontrollable factors. Real securitycan o
life’s purpose. You can find what God, your creator, has revealed about life in his Word, the Bible. Revelation beats speculation any day. 8 0310264839_whatonearth.qxd 9/16/04 3:24 PM Page 8. God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess.He has clearly revealed his five
May 02, 2018 · D. Program Evaluation ͟The organization has provided a description of the framework for how each program will be evaluated. The framework should include all the elements below: ͟The evaluation methods are cost-effective for the organization ͟Quantitative and qualitative data is being collected (at Basics tier, data collection must have begun)
Silat is a combative art of self-defense and survival rooted from Matay archipelago. It was traced at thé early of Langkasuka Kingdom (2nd century CE) till thé reign of Melaka (Malaysia) Sultanate era (13th century). Silat has now evolved to become part of social culture and tradition with thé appearance of a fine physical and spiritual .
On an exceptional basis, Member States may request UNESCO to provide thé candidates with access to thé platform so they can complète thé form by themselves. Thèse requests must be addressed to esd rize unesco. or by 15 A ril 2021 UNESCO will provide thé nomineewith accessto thé platform via their émail address.
̶The leading indicator of employee engagement is based on the quality of the relationship between employee and supervisor Empower your managers! ̶Help them understand the impact on the organization ̶Share important changes, plan options, tasks, and deadlines ̶Provide key messages and talking points ̶Prepare them to answer employee questions
Dr. Sunita Bharatwal** Dr. Pawan Garga*** Abstract Customer satisfaction is derived from thè functionalities and values, a product or Service can provide. The current study aims to segregate thè dimensions of ordine Service quality and gather insights on its impact on web shopping. The trends of purchases have
Chính Văn.- Còn đức Thế tôn thì tuệ giác cực kỳ trong sạch 8: hiện hành bất nhị 9, đạt đến vô tướng 10, đứng vào chỗ đứng của các đức Thế tôn 11, thể hiện tính bình đẳng của các Ngài, đến chỗ không còn chướng ngại 12, giáo pháp không thể khuynh đảo, tâm thức không bị cản trở, cái được
Le genou de Lucy. Odile Jacob. 1999. Coppens Y. Pré-textes. L’homme préhistorique en morceaux. Eds Odile Jacob. 2011. Costentin J., Delaveau P. Café, thé, chocolat, les bons effets sur le cerveau et pour le corps. Editions Odile Jacob. 2010. Crawford M., Marsh D. The driving force : food in human evolution and the future.
Le genou de Lucy. Odile Jacob. 1999. Coppens Y. Pré-textes. L’homme préhistorique en morceaux. Eds Odile Jacob. 2011. Costentin J., Delaveau P. Café, thé, chocolat, les bons effets sur le cerveau et pour le corps. Editions Odile Jacob. 2010. 3 Crawford M., Marsh D. The driving force : food in human evolution and the future.
