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Living the Life You Were Meant to
Live
Do
you feel unsettled, unsure, confused, lost or frustrated? Are you
struggling with your identity or your purpose in life? Are you unhappy but
don't know why? Living the Life You
Were Meant to Live will help you transform your existence
into purpose-filled, Christ-centered life devoted to God. The principles
taken from the LifePlanning Process, which has
impacted
America's
top executives and ministry leaders for more than twenty years, will help
you direct your efforts toward greater purpose and fulfillment; discover
your foremost traits and talents; and balance the five domains of your
life: Personal, Family, Church/Faith Kingdom, Vocation and Community.
- Those at the
crossroads in their lives will discover how to discern God's path for
them.
- Business
leaders will learn how better to balance their personal and business
lives.
- Believers
who want to do more for the
kingdom of
God will learn where and how
to serve.
Living the
Life You Were Meant to Live features a proven process to
help you live a stress-reduced, satisfying, and enjoyable life. You will
gain a new perspective on your life so that you will value yourself as a
unique creation of God and know that you were designed and destined to a
unique purpose by God.
In
Living the Life You Were Meant to
Live, Tom Patterson, a long-range and strategic planning
consultant to
America's
leading corporations, shares his powerful insights with readers from all
walks of life. "In order to see where you are going, you need to gain a
perspective on where you have been and what you have been gifted by God to
be," says Paterson. "There are
times when we each need to go to the 'mountaintop' to be able to see the
terrain below." "God has a plan for your life and in creating who you are;
God simultaneously built into your life what you are to do. When you
discover his intent - and fully embrace his design, his plan, his master-thought for you - you will be able to live
the life you were meant to live." |
A New you for a New
Year
By Rick Warren
In the
ancient world there were no glass or plastic bottles. Instead they would put
liquids into animal skins that were sewn together and used like canteens.
Eventually these skins would become brittle, and would break, spilling out the
liquid.
Jesus once
referred to these wineskins to teach us about change. He said, "New wine must be
poured into new wineskins" (Luke 5:38, NIV). This is a principle of life: new situations
always require new structures. A new job often requires you to learn new skills.
A new relationship often requires new ways of relating.
What are
your old wineskins? Old ways of thinking? Old habits? They could be outdated ways of acting, or
talking, or responding that worked well in the past, but aren't useful or
helpful anymore.
The
beginning of a new year is a great time to re-examine your life. As we begin
2005, will you hold on to old wineskins or will you abandon them for new
ones?
It is safe
to assume that you will face three new "wines" in 2005: new problems, new
pressures, and new possibilities. To handle these new challenges, you'll need
the new "wineskins" of creativity, conviction, and
courage.
New
problems will require creativity
Unfortunately you're bound to have more
problems in 2005. The good news is they won't be same problems you had in 2004.
You get a whole new set! These new problems will require new solutions, which
require creativity. Your old ways of thinking and relating, your old attitudes
may not work anymore. That's why the Bible says, "The intelligent man is always
open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them" (Proverbs 18:15, LB).
Most people
spend more time and energy trying to get around problems than they do solving
them. Instead of avoiding or ignoring your problems in 2005, ask God to give you
the creativity to solve them.
A few years
ago, a 105 year-old man was interviewed on The Today Show. The reporter
commented, "I'll bet you've seen a lot of change in your lifetime." The man
replied, "Yes, and I've been against every one of
them!"
To stay
creative you must intentionally avoid a "hardening of the attitudes." You've got
to keep growing and developing. Attitudes are like diapers: every so often they
need to be changed or they start to stink!
New
pressures will require conviction
Conviction is a willingness to stand up for
what you believe. Romans 12:2 (NLT) says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs
of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way
you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do,
and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." Before
you get too far into 2005, I suggest you sit down and write out what values are
going to be important to you in the New Year. What will be important to you this
year?
In the 80's
Boy George rose to the height of popularity singing "I'm a man without
conviction." But today, you don't hear much about him. Why? Because you don't last in life without conviction. More than
ever before, in 2005, we're going to need men and women of conviction, who say,
"I'm going to do the right thing no matter what the consequences are."
New
possibilities will require courage
Each New Year brings new possibilities --
opportunities for growth. These are exciting times to be alive. I'm sure that
God wants to do great things in your life in this New Year -- but it won't
happen automatically. You've got to step out in faith. There's always an element
of risk. What new opportunities do you have to grow this year? Are you willing
to take the risks involved? Hosea 10:12 (TEV) says, "Plow new ground for yourselves, plant
righteousness, and reap the blessing your devotion to me will produce."
What are
you planning to harvest this next year? Three hundred sixty five days from
today, how will you be any different? If you want to be different, you've got to
start cultivating some new habits, activities, and relationships now! Success
doesn't just happen. It takes effort.
What do you
want to be different in your family, your finances, or your walk with Christ?
Whatever you sow you'll reap. If you don't sow anything, you won't reap
anything. I dare you to do something different with your life this year! Get off
the bench and get in the game.
One of the
most common mistakes Christians make is that they think they can live their
lives off a single commitment they made years ago. My spiritual birthday is
Jan. 23, 1960. The first 10 years of
my Christian life, I tried to live on the basis of that one decision. I thought
it was enough to carry me the rest of my life. I wondered why I wasn't growing
as a Christian and becoming all that God wanted me to be. I prayed, but I didn't
see that many answers. Then in 1970, I discovered that the Christian life is a
continual renewal and daily recommitment to Christ. It's not just a once-for-all
decision.
As we begin
another year, I don't know a better time for each of us to recommit ourselves to
Jesus Christ and his purpose for our lives. I'm doing it, and I hope you will
too!
Suggested
additional reading material on this topic
include:
