A book review compiled

By

AGBEDE ESTHER OMOBOLANLE

CDC (BETHELITE) - 16TH SET

TITLE: PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE

AUTHOR: RICK WARREN

According to Thomas Caryle, a man without purpose is like a ship without a rudder. A
purposeless life is a directionless life. No one was created by God without a purpose.
It all depends on one to discover this purpose and walk by it and in it. This book is all
about focusing on what matters most. The focus is to become what God created one
for, which fits into a much larger cosmic purpose that he designed for eternity.
The purpose of ones life is far greater than ones own personal fulfillment or
happiness. In short, it is far greater than ones achievement which one counts as
success. Living for Gods glory in which purpose can be fulfilled is the greatest
achievement one can accomplish. The knowledge of ones purpose propels and guides
one to doing things of eternal value.
Most times, the search for purpose looks like decoding an impossible mystery. This is
because one is looking for answers in self-centered sources rather than tapping it
from the real source of ones life - God. Life is about letting God use one for his
purpose; not one using him for ones own purpose, (hmmm, now thats deep; many of
us are caught in this web of thought directly or indirectly). The discovery of ones
purpose is not within oneself but in the creator. He alone knows the reason behind
ones existence and in him is life made meaningful.
One gets to discover his/her purpose through revelation and not mere speculations.
No one came into this world by mistake; everyones birth was divinely orchestrated
by God for a reason. He knew us before he formed us. Gods purpose took into
account human errors and sin. Every bit of ones life was planned by God. In this
light, one must constantly remind him/herself that life is about living for God and not
for self. All these were done by God just to express his love for mankind. In fulfilling
purpose, things should be done out of love and not because one is obligated to do so.

Benefits of purpose driven living include;

giving meaning to ones life
simplifies life
focuses ones life
motivates ones life
prepares one for eternity.

The benefits helps one focus ones lifetime and expend ones energy on things of
eternal value; not just channeling it to things that are not eternally relevant. All that is
not eternal is eternally useless (Rick Warren).
There are five reasons for our existence as stated by the author. They are;
1) Created for Gods pleasure: this entails a lifestyle of worship that expresses
ones love for God.
2) Formed for Gods family: ones spiritual family is very important. One needs
others to express the body of Christ as this cannot be achieved alone. One
discovers ones role in life through the relationship with others.
3) Created to become like Christ: this entails character development. That is,
growing and becoming like Christ. This lifestyle can be achieved through the
help of the Holy Spirit.
4) Shaped for serving God: we are all packaged by God in unique ways. This
entails understanding ones gifts or talents given by God and maximally
utilizing them for effective service.
5) Made for a mission- this entails sharing of ones message, affecting lifes
globally, balancing ones life and avoiding traps set for ones downfall.
The first four reasons are more of a generalized purpose that cuts across all believers.
The fifth reason is more like a personal purpose which must be discovered by
revelation.
In conclusion, a purpose driven life is a life guided controlled and directed by Gods
purposes and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.