April 30, 2025 • 28 mins
We would love to hear from you. Send us a text message now by clicking HERE!
What happens when someone feels their life has no purpose? Harold Milby opens this powerful episode with heartbreaking stories of people who've ended their lives because they couldn't find meaning or significance—from a healthy 90-year-old artist to military veterans struggling to reconnect with civilian life. These tragic examples highlight a growing crisis in our society that transcends age, occupation, and background.
Drawing from scripture and personal experience, Harold explains why understanding your God-given purpose is absolutely essential for Christian business leaders seeking true success. "I've never felt more fulfilled or complete than when I knew I was working hard to fulfill the purpose God had for me," he shares, offering a compelling vision of purpose-driven leadership that transforms both businesses and lives.
The episode breaks down why purpose matters in practical terms: it brings decision-making clarity, builds resilience during challenges, inspires teams, increases productivity, creates Kingdom impact, and provides deep personal fulfillment that far exceeds financial success. Harold references key scriptures including Jeremiah 29:11 and Ephesians 2:10 to show how God has prepared specific plans and good works for each believer.
For listeners struggling to identify their purpose, Harold offers concrete steps: seek God through prayer, study relevant scriptures, journal insights, and reflect on your unique gifts and talents. "Your gifts are key indicators of your purpose," he explains, comparing them to finding carpenter's tools in your trunk if you had amnesia—they provide clues to your calling.
Subscribe to catch next week's continuation where Harold will share practical insights about finding your purpose and examples of purpose-driven business leaders who've successfully aligned their work with God's calling.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thank you, kelly, and welcome everyone to this week's
Christian Business Conceptspodcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm so excited that you've
decided to download this podcastand, whether you're a regular
listener or this is your firsttime, we welcome you and we hope
that you'll be encouraged.
We hope that you'll beenlightened and empowered by
(00:43):
what you hear today on thispodcast.
Each week, I try to applybiblical principles, business
principles that will help youfind true godly success.
The only thing that I ask isthat you help us try to grow the
CBC family by sharing thispodcast with four or five others
.
Also, place the link.
(01:06):
You can copy the link and pastethat on your LinkedIn page, on
your Facebook page.
We'd love to have you help usto spread the word about
Christian business concepts.
It's just something that's inour heart to do.
Business concepts, you knowit's just something that's in
(01:27):
our heart to do and God has beenblessing the work that we're
doing and with increased numberof people that listen, it seems
like each week.
So whether you're a businessowner, a business leader or an
organizational leader, adepartment leader or a
stay-at-home mom, you know theprinciples that we discuss here
can be really a great source forfinding godly success, not just
(01:51):
in your career, but reallythese principles can be applied
to almost every area of yourlife, and so we're excited about
what you're doing in yourbusiness and we're excited about
those who listen each week, andwe're so thankful for you and
(02:12):
we lift you up in prayer and wethank you for being a part.
Now, before we get startedtoday, I'd just like to give a
really big shout out to thecountry of Zimbabwe for
downloading our podcast andbeing a part of the CBC family,
and we hope today's podcast willbe a blessing to you as well
(02:33):
and to everyone who's listeningtoday.
Now, in today's companyspotlight, I just want to
mention a business by the nameof Mercy Ships.
Mercy Ships is a non-profit.
They're a healthcare maritimecompany.
They're headquartered inSwitzerland and it was founded
(02:56):
in 1978 by Don and Dion Stevens.
It's an internationalorganization and they operate
hospital ships to provide freemedical care in a lot of the
developing countries around theworld, and its mission is really
(03:18):
rooted in Christian values andit was according to them.
It was inspired by Jesus's callto serve the poor and those who
feel like they may bemarginalized.
But this is a greatorganization.
They integrate faith into theiroperations.
The crew members, the doctors,the staff on these ships have
(03:42):
regular prayer meetings andworship time.
Mercy Ships right now operatestwo hospital ships and to date
they've served over 2.8 millionpeople and in more than 70
countries, and a lot of thosecountries are in Africa.
(04:06):
And you know, as a globalnonprofit based out of
Switzerland, mercy Ships reallyexemplifies how Christian
principles can drive really animpactful business and they have
those operations in every part,all parts of the world,
internationally.
(04:28):
We appreciate Mercy Ships, weappreciate the work that they're
doing and we're thankful forthem.
I just wanted to encourage youto know about them.
Feel free to go to theirwebsite.
I'm sure they would love tohave donations and you'll find a
way to do that on their websiteif you so desire to be a part
(04:48):
of that.
But I think it'd be awell-worth nonprofit investment
to those folks at Mercy Ships.
They do great work there, greatwork.
Now today's topic.
It really comes from my heartand I tell you I was reading an
(05:10):
article this week that reallytore at me, and then I heard
several stories and additionalarticles, that kind of follow in
line with this, and the firstarticle was about a 90-year-old
artist and a professor and shewas perfectly healthy.
(05:30):
Nothing wrong with her.
She was in great shape, she gotaround, great, she said out of
her own testimony.
She said she was pretty happyin most areas of her life.
She was happy with most areas,but she decided she just didn't
feel that she had that muchpurpose in life anymore and she
(05:55):
just didn't have anysignificance.
She felt like any longer.
So she decided to commitsuicide through assisted suicide
and end her life.
Now, according to the story,she decided she wanted to end
her life on her own terms whileshe still had the mental
(06:15):
faculties to do that and to makethat kind of a decision.
I read some other articles aboutthe number of suicides amongst
our military and especiallythose who have served in combat
missions and had some horrificthings either happen to their
buddies or themselves.
(06:37):
I listened to a chaplain talkabout it who was also a combat
veteran, but he became achaplain to help these people
and he said that on severaloccasions that the people that
he was trying to help would befound in the parking lot of a VA
(07:00):
hospital and they had committedsuicide in their car while they
were there at the VA center.
And many of those people saidthe same thing.
They were struggling and theycouldn't find purpose.
And that really tore at me.
It really did.
It just really touched my lifeto think that people are ready
(07:25):
to check out, you know, becausethey just don't have a purpose.
They don't feel like there's apurpose or there's any
significance for you know, intheir life, or that their life
had any significance.
You know, rick Warren said onetime he said the greatest
tragedy is not death but lifewithout purpose.
(07:50):
I think it's important that weunderstand what our purpose is,
that we have purpose.
I think it's incredibly sadthat the number of young people
that are also committing suicideteenagers, young teenagers that
are committing suicide andthey're doing that, and a lot of
(08:12):
times they'll leave notes andthey'll talk about how
insignificant they feel and howthat they have no purpose, and
so this is a serious issue, Ithink, in our society today.
I don't think it's related toany one country, I think it
happens worldwide and I think abig part of that is that they
(08:35):
don't really have purpose intheir life and I think that
comes spiritually.
I do.
I really think that to havetrue purpose in life, I think
you need to be born again.
You need to get God's directionon your life for the purpose
that God's created you for.
(08:55):
In Ephesians 1 and 11, it saysIn him we have also been chosen,
predestined according to thepurpose of him, who works all
things according to the counselof his will.
So we have been chosen by God,you've been predestined by God
for a purpose and this verse itjust speaks to the idea that
(09:19):
we're chosen, that we'repredestined for a purpose that
God has set in motion.
You know there have been timesin my life when either that
purpose has been adjusted or Godhas even changed that purpose.
But through all the years of mylife I've never, ever, ever
(09:42):
felt in my life more fulfilled,more complete, as when I knew I
was working hard to fulfill thatpurpose that I knew God had for
me.
You know, as Christian businessleaders, understanding what your
God-given purpose is.
It's really foundational.
(10:03):
It's a foundation.
You know it's going to be hardto lead with integrity, to have
impact, to feel that fulfillmentwithout knowing that purpose,
to feel that fulfillment withoutknowing that purpose.
You know purpose.
When you have that purpose andyou understand it, it really
(10:24):
aligns your work with God'scalling.
You know it provides a lot ofclarity when you're making
decisions.
It helps you to be resilientwhen you've got challenges.
You know and recognizing thesigns of passion, what your
passion is.
It really fuels your commitmentto that purpose and it ensures
(10:46):
your leadership.
It ensures that your leadershipreflects not just professional
excellence but spiritualexcellence as well.
So today we're going to exploresome important facts and
principles about how to knowyour purpose, some practical
(11:08):
steps to be able to figure thatout, to discern what that is,
and how to identify the signs ofpassion that confirm that
you're walking in alignment withGod's plan for your life.
I can't talk about it enough.
I've been so blessed to be ableto clearly know that God has
(11:30):
given me a purpose and even I'mright now, at the present time,
I'm 63 years old and I haveplans.
I was sharing with somebodyeven this evening, before I came
into the studio to record thispodcast about my age, and they
were talking about being elderly.
(11:50):
And how did I feel about that?
And I said well, honestly, Idon't really feel elderly, but
when I look at the purpose thatGod has put upon me and my wife
and the vision that he's givenus, the clarity that is coming
in now, especially more clarityof that vision.
(12:11):
It's just, you know, moreclarity of that vision, it's
just, you know, I'm in thecenter of God's will and I'm
glad for that and it's sofulfilling.
But you know, in terms ofelderly, I was telling them, you
know well, all I know is thevision that God's given me is so
big that I've got time.
I've got time and God's needingme to be here for this.
(12:34):
That's why he created me, andso purpose is so much a part of
everything I do every single day, and so it's important.
It's important to know yourpurpose.
You know the Bible teaches thatevery individual, every
individual that's you, that's me, but everybody is created with
(12:58):
a very unique purpose, and thatpurpose also will glorify God
and it'll serve other people.
You know, as Christian leaders,as Christian business leaders,
your work, your career is aministry.
It's an opportunity to reflectGod's character.
(13:21):
You get an opportunity toadvance his kingdom, even
through your profession, throughyour career, and I think that's
so, so important.
You know, the Bible says inJeremiah 29, 11,.
It says, for I know the plansthat I have for you, declares
the Lord plans to prosper youand not to harm you, plans to
(13:43):
give you hope and a future.
You know God has specific plansfor your life.
You know, in Ephesians 2 and 10, it says for we are God's
handiwork, created in ChristJesus to do good works which God
prepared in advance for us todo.
So your endeavors in businessand in your career, they're part
(14:04):
of God's preordained work thathe has for you.
Proverbs 16 and 3 says committo the Lord whatever you do, and
he will establish your plans.
So when you align your businesswith God's purpose, it ensures
that God's going to give you hisguidance and his success which
(14:25):
is really what this ministry isabout is finding true godly
success.
So why does purpose matter forChristian business leaders?
You know, I think there'sseveral things.
There's probably a lot morethan what I've got here, but I
think there's several things.
Number one it helps you toreally have clarity when you've
got to make decisions.
(14:45):
You know, knowing your purpose,it's like a compass.
It gives you guidance, it givesyou strategy, it helps you to
make good ethical choices, evenwhen things are tough, when you
have challenges, when things arecomplex.
It brings that clarity when youneed to make decisions.
It also gives you resiliencewhen you're going through a
(15:09):
challenge or adversity.
You know it really anchors you.
It really anchors you that itdoesn't matter if it's an
economic downturn or maybethere's competitive pressures or
maybe just some personalchallenges.
It really doesn't matter whatthe obstacles are, because your
(15:33):
goal is to get there, get tothat purpose and to make sure
you're doing everything you canto fulfill that purpose.
But let me tell you somethingelse it does it helps you to
inspire your teams, yourteammates, the people that work
for you, the people that workwith you.
When you have purpose-drivenleaders, they really inspire
(15:56):
people.
It really helps you to developa culture within your
organization that has realmeaning, and when you do that,
it helps to motivate people, andso it really brings about a lot
of loyalty.
But let me tell you somethingelse it does too, and that
increases.
It increases productivity,because people are passionate.
(16:16):
They get behind the purpose,they get behind the vision.
So that's important.
But another reason why purposematters is kingdom impact.
So you can have an opportunityto impact the kingdom of God
when you know and understandwhat your purpose is.
Because I promise you that onceyou find what that purpose is,
(16:39):
god created you for that purposeto have an impact, to serve
other people and to be a goodsteward with the resources that
he gives you.
Because I've always said thiswhere God guides, he provides.
So when you find out what yourpurpose is, I promise you that
when you pray and you seek God'swisdom, you will find the
(17:01):
resources that you need.
And then you've got to be agood steward and manage those
resources properly.
And it also helps you toreflect.
You have opportunities.
When you have that purpose andyou realize it, you will reflect
Christ's love in themarketplace.
You just can't help it.
So you know, having purpose isnot relegated to just pastors or
(17:26):
ministers or evangelists orpeople of that sort, but having
purpose is for everybody.
I don't care what your careeris, having purpose is for
everybody.
I don't care what your careeris, having purpose is for
everybody.
And then I mentioned thisearlier you know you get
personal fulfillment when youlive out your purpose and you
align your work with your faith.
(17:47):
It leads to a lot of joy, a lotof satisfaction.
And let me tell you somethingwhen you have joy and
satisfaction because you'refulfilling your purpose, let me
tell you that's bigger than evenfinancial success.
It's incredible and it's agreat way to live your life.
(18:10):
And then, lastly, I think thatwhen you understand and you know
your purpose, it brings health.
It brings health to your body.
In Ephesians 4.16 in the NewLiving Translation, it says he
makes the whole body fittogether perfectly and as each
(18:34):
part does its own special work.
Now catch that as each partdoes its own special work, it
helps the other parts grow sothat the whole body is healthy
and growing and full of love.
And I think I forgot to mentionwhen I talked about brings
health to the body.
I'm talking about the body ofChrist, I'm talking about the
(18:56):
church, I'm talking about thebody, the body of believers
around the world.
See, we are all part of thebody of Christ.
Not everybody's a hand, noteverybody's an eye or an ear or
a foot.
You know we all have differentpurposes, and that goes into
your career as well.
(19:16):
You don't compartmentalize thepurpose that God has for you and
say, well, here's my purpose inmy church life, in my spiritual
life, but that doesn't haveanything to do with my career.
That's not true, because God'scalled you for a specific
purpose and that purpose isgoing to include your career.
(19:36):
It's going to include thatbusiness that you possibly own.
So I think that that is reallyreally important to understand
that you, as a part of the bodyof Christ, we all fit together
perfectly, right?
So a complete body physicallyhas arms, it's got legs and eyes
(19:58):
and ears, and hands and feetand it's got all these different
parts to the body and some ofthose parts are really they seem
to be a lot more important toyou than other parts of the body
.
But in the body of Christ, allof the body, all of those parts,
all of those people withdifferent purposes, they all
come together and fit togetherperfectly.
(20:19):
And as we all fulfill thatpurpose in our life, it helps
other people to grow.
It helps them to grow in theirpurpose, because we have that
ripple effect where we touchother people's lives, and it
helps the whole body of Christto be healthy, helps them to
grow and to be full of love.
(20:41):
Now, what possibly are someconsequences for ignoring
purpose?
Well, let me tell you First offis you're going to have this
disconnection from God's callingand when that happens, you miss
a lot of opportunities to makea kingdom impact.
When you ignore it, you do, ithelps you.
(21:05):
You kind of become sterile withregard to having any kind of
impact for the kingdom of God.
On the more professional sideof that, you may, or your team
may, lack direction.
You don't have good directionbecause you don't have good
purpose, and then you wind uphaving the opposite of what I
(21:28):
shared earlier You're going tohave high turnover, you'll have
disengagement, your productivitywill suffer.
So there are consequences toignoring God's purpose.
So you know, I think it'scrucial, it's very important
that we discern what yourGod-given purpose is.
(21:50):
In discerning your purpose, itrequires you do this
intentionally, it requires youto pray, it requires some good
self-reflection, and these arevery intentional steps that you
have to take to align with God'swill in your life.
And so I want to talk aboutjust a few practical steps for
(22:16):
you to discern, to discover whatyour purpose is.
All right.
So first, what you want to dois you want to seek God.
Seek him through prayer, seekhim through scripture.
The Bible says in James 1 and 5, you've heard me talk about it
before If any man lack wisdom,let him ask of God who giveth
liberally and upbraideth not.
(22:37):
God will give you thatdirection.
You know, be sensitive to theSpirit, be sensitive to the Holy
Spirit Say well, I've neverreally heard God's voice.
Well, you probably have and youjust didn't recognize it.
Because God's speaking.
He's speaking to us all thetime and we just have to be
sensitive.
It's kind of like that radio,especially on the AM channels.
(23:01):
You've got to fine tune it,you've got to tune it in.
It's the same way when you aretrying to be sensitive to the
Holy Spirit, you've got to tunein, get rid of the static and
really tune in so you can hearhim clearly.
The next thing that's reallyimportant is you've got to study
, study the Word of God, studyscriptures about calling, about
(23:26):
stewardship, about service.
Study scriptures like Romans,chapter 12 and verses 1 through
8, and study Colossians, chapter3, verses 23 and 24, and then
meditate on these things, howthat they apply to your business
and how they can apply.
I also want you to journal.
(23:48):
I would encourage you stronglyto journal Record some of the
things that you feel like you'rehearing from the Lord Record,
you know, scripture that jumpsout at you, that just seems to
have things that just kind ofreoccur over and over again when
(24:10):
you read scriptures and it justkeeps pointing to the same
thing a lot of times.
Those are kind of clues as towhat your purpose is.
The other thing that you need todo is you need to reflect,
reflect on your gifts, reflecton your talents.
(24:30):
You know, according to 1Corinthians 12, verses 4 through
6, god equips every person withvery unique abilities to
fulfill their purpose.
So, for example, if you hadamnesia, if you had amnesia and
you were released from thehospital and somebody said, well
(24:53):
, you drove here, here's yourcar, here's your car keys.
And you decided, well, I'mgoing to look in the trunk and
see if there's anything in there.
I'm going to look at the backseat If there's anything that I
can find to help me tounderstand what my purpose is.
And you look in there and youfind a hammer and a saw and a
level and a drill, and you findall these tools in there.
(25:18):
You would probably come awaythinking you know, I must be a
carpenter because of all thetools.
Well, it's the same way with thegifts and the abilities that
God gives you.
They are really a key indicatorfor what your purpose is, key
(25:40):
indicator for what your purposeis.
So you need to ask yourselfwhat skills, what strengths do
other people seem to continuallyaffirm to you?
What are things, what areskills that people look at you
and say you know you're reallygood at this, or I noticed
you're really good at that, youknow.
And then what task or rolesreally get you excited, or just
(26:01):
kind of a natural thing, it justkind of flows naturally.
And then how do your giftsalign with opportunities in your
business or industry?
You've got to ask that question.
An example would be a leaderwith a gift for communication
might be called to advocate forethical practices or mentor even
(26:24):
young people, youngprofessionals, if that person
has the gift of communication.
That's just an example, though.
It could be anything.
It could be anything.
So you need to reflect on yourgifts and your talents and find
out what they are in order foryou to find out and to get a
clue about your purpose.
(26:45):
So we're not going to be able tofinish all of this in this
first podcast, but I tell you, Ireally want you to listen to
next week's podcast, becausewe're going to talk about
practical insights about yourpurpose and how to find it for
your life.
I want you to understand somevery important things.
(27:05):
I've got several things I wantto share with you, and then
we're going to finish thispodcast up, but that's not what
we're going to be able to finishup today.
We're not going to be able toget into that today.
We'll do that in the nextpodcast.
We're not going to be able toget into that today.
We'll do that in the nextpodcast.
And so I want to make sure thatyou are going to listen and
download next week's podcast, aswe continue to understand the
importance of your purpose andhelping you to find your purpose
(27:30):
, okay, and we'll talk aboutsome examples of businesses and
business leaders that have thoseexact things, that have those
exact things that have beenthrough exactly what we're
talking about.
Well, thanks again, so much fordownloading this week's
Christian Business Podcastepisode, and be sure to make
sure, again, that you post thislink to the podcast on your
(27:51):
Facebook and your LinkedIn pages.
Well, that's all the time wehave for today, so until next
time, remember Jesus is Lord andhe wants you blessed.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go tochristianbusinessconceptscom for
more information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with
your host, harold Milby.
Christian Business Concepts isdedicated to guiding companies
and business owners in becomingeffective, efficient and
successful through God's Wordand godly principles.
Now, here's your host, haroldMilby.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thank you, kelly, and welcome everyone to this week's
Christian Business Conceptspodcast.
I'm your host, harold Milby,and I'm so excited that you've
decided to download this podcastand, whether you're a regular
listener or this is your firsttime, we welcome you and we hope
that you'll be encouraged.
We hope that you'll beenlightened and empowered by
(00:43):
what you hear today on thispodcast.
Each week, I try to applybiblical principles, business
principles that will help youfind true godly success.
The only thing that I ask isthat you help us try to grow the
CBC family by sharing thispodcast with four or five others
.
Also, place the link.
(01:06):
You can copy the link and pastethat on your LinkedIn page, on
your Facebook page.
We'd love to have you help usto spread the word about
Christian business concepts.
It's just something that's inour heart to do.
Business concepts, you knowit's just something that's in
(01:27):
our heart to do and God has beenblessing the work that we're
doing and with increased numberof people that listen, it seems
like each week.
So whether you're a businessowner, a business leader or an
organizational leader, adepartment leader or a
stay-at-home mom, you know theprinciples that we discuss here
can be really a great source forfinding godly success, not just
(01:51):
in your career, but reallythese principles can be applied
to almost every area of yourlife, and so we're excited about
what you're doing in yourbusiness and we're excited about
those who listen each week, andwe're so thankful for you and
(02:12):
we lift you up in prayer and wethank you for being a part.
Now, before we get startedtoday, I'd just like to give a
really big shout out to thecountry of Zimbabwe for
downloading our podcast andbeing a part of the CBC family,
and we hope today's podcast willbe a blessing to you as well
(02:33):
and to everyone who's listeningtoday.
Now, in today's companyspotlight, I just want to
mention a business by the nameof Mercy Ships.
Mercy Ships is a non-profit.
They're a healthcare maritimecompany.
They're headquartered inSwitzerland and it was founded
(02:56):
in 1978 by Don and Dion Stevens.
It's an internationalorganization and they operate
hospital ships to provide freemedical care in a lot of the
developing countries around theworld, and its mission is really
(03:18):
rooted in Christian values andit was according to them.
It was inspired by Jesus's callto serve the poor and those who
feel like they may bemarginalized.
But this is a greatorganization.
They integrate faith into theiroperations.
The crew members, the doctors,the staff on these ships have
(03:42):
regular prayer meetings andworship time.
Mercy Ships right now operatestwo hospital ships and to date
they've served over 2.8 millionpeople and in more than 70
countries, and a lot of thosecountries are in Africa.
(04:06):
And you know, as a globalnonprofit based out of
Switzerland, mercy Ships reallyexemplifies how Christian
principles can drive really animpactful business and they have
those operations in every part,all parts of the world,
internationally.
(04:28):
We appreciate Mercy Ships, weappreciate the work that they're
doing and we're thankful forthem.
I just wanted to encourage youto know about them.
Feel free to go to theirwebsite.
I'm sure they would love tohave donations and you'll find a
way to do that on their websiteif you so desire to be a part
(04:48):
of that.
But I think it'd be awell-worth nonprofit investment
to those folks at Mercy Ships.
They do great work there, greatwork.
Now today's topic.
It really comes from my heartand I tell you I was reading an
(05:10):
article this week that reallytore at me, and then I heard
several stories and additionalarticles, that kind of follow in
line with this, and the firstarticle was about a 90-year-old
artist and a professor and shewas perfectly healthy.
(05:30):
Nothing wrong with her.
She was in great shape, she gotaround, great, she said out of
her own testimony.
She said she was pretty happyin most areas of her life.
She was happy with most areas,but she decided she just didn't
feel that she had that muchpurpose in life anymore and she
(05:55):
just didn't have anysignificance.
She felt like any longer.
So she decided to commitsuicide through assisted suicide
and end her life.
Now, according to the story,she decided she wanted to end
her life on her own terms whileshe still had the mental
(06:15):
faculties to do that and to makethat kind of a decision.
I read some other articles aboutthe number of suicides amongst
our military and especiallythose who have served in combat
missions and had some horrificthings either happen to their
buddies or themselves.
(06:37):
I listened to a chaplain talkabout it who was also a combat
veteran, but he became achaplain to help these people
and he said that on severaloccasions that the people that
he was trying to help would befound in the parking lot of a VA
(07:00):
hospital and they had committedsuicide in their car while they
were there at the VA center.
And many of those people saidthe same thing.
They were struggling and theycouldn't find purpose.
And that really tore at me.
It really did.
It just really touched my lifeto think that people are ready
(07:25):
to check out, you know, becausethey just don't have a purpose.
They don't feel like there's apurpose or there's any
significance for you know, intheir life, or that their life
had any significance.
You know, rick Warren said onetime he said the greatest
tragedy is not death but lifewithout purpose.
(07:50):
I think it's important that weunderstand what our purpose is,
that we have purpose.
I think it's incredibly sadthat the number of young people
that are also committing suicideteenagers, young teenagers that
are committing suicide andthey're doing that, and a lot of
(08:12):
times they'll leave notes andthey'll talk about how
insignificant they feel and howthat they have no purpose, and
so this is a serious issue, Ithink, in our society today.
I don't think it's related toany one country, I think it
happens worldwide and I think abig part of that is that they
(08:35):
don't really have purpose intheir life and I think that
comes spiritually.
I do.
I really think that to havetrue purpose in life, I think
you need to be born again.
You need to get God's directionon your life for the purpose
that God's created you for.
(08:55):
In Ephesians 1 and 11, it saysIn him we have also been chosen,
predestined according to thepurpose of him, who works all
things according to the counselof his will.
So we have been chosen by God,you've been predestined by God
for a purpose and this verse itjust speaks to the idea that
(09:19):
we're chosen, that we'repredestined for a purpose that
God has set in motion.
You know there have been timesin my life when either that
purpose has been adjusted or Godhas even changed that purpose.
But through all the years of mylife I've never, ever, ever
(09:42):
felt in my life more fulfilled,more complete, as when I knew I
was working hard to fulfill thatpurpose that I knew God had for
me.
You know, as Christian businessleaders, understanding what your
God-given purpose is.
It's really foundational.
(10:03):
It's a foundation.
You know it's going to be hardto lead with integrity, to have
impact, to feel that fulfillmentwithout knowing that purpose,
to feel that fulfillment withoutknowing that purpose.
You know purpose.
When you have that purpose andyou understand it, it really
(10:24):
aligns your work with God'scalling.
You know it provides a lot ofclarity when you're making
decisions.
It helps you to be resilientwhen you've got challenges.
You know and recognizing thesigns of passion, what your
passion is.
It really fuels your commitmentto that purpose and it ensures
(10:46):
your leadership.
It ensures that your leadershipreflects not just professional
excellence but spiritualexcellence as well.
So today we're going to exploresome important facts and
principles about how to knowyour purpose, some practical
(11:08):
steps to be able to figure thatout, to discern what that is,
and how to identify the signs ofpassion that confirm that
you're walking in alignment withGod's plan for your life.
I can't talk about it enough.
I've been so blessed to be ableto clearly know that God has
(11:30):
given me a purpose and even I'mright now, at the present time,
I'm 63 years old and I haveplans.
I was sharing with somebodyeven this evening, before I came
into the studio to record thispodcast about my age, and they
were talking about being elderly.
(11:50):
And how did I feel about that?
And I said well, honestly, Idon't really feel elderly, but
when I look at the purpose thatGod has put upon me and my wife
and the vision that he's givenus, the clarity that is coming
in now, especially more clarityof that vision.
(12:11):
It's just, you know, moreclarity of that vision, it's
just, you know, I'm in thecenter of God's will and I'm
glad for that and it's sofulfilling.
But you know, in terms ofelderly, I was telling them, you
know well, all I know is thevision that God's given me is so
big that I've got time.
I've got time and God's needingme to be here for this.
(12:34):
That's why he created me, andso purpose is so much a part of
everything I do every single day, and so it's important.
It's important to know yourpurpose.
You know the Bible teaches thatevery individual, every
individual that's you, that's me, but everybody is created with
(12:58):
a very unique purpose, and thatpurpose also will glorify God
and it'll serve other people.
You know, as Christian leaders,as Christian business leaders,
your work, your career is aministry.
It's an opportunity to reflectGod's character.
(13:21):
You get an opportunity toadvance his kingdom, even
through your profession, throughyour career, and I think that's
so, so important.
You know, the Bible says inJeremiah 29, 11,.
It says, for I know the plansthat I have for you, declares
the Lord plans to prosper youand not to harm you, plans to
(13:43):
give you hope and a future.
You know God has specific plansfor your life.
You know, in Ephesians 2 and 10, it says for we are God's
handiwork, created in ChristJesus to do good works which God
prepared in advance for us todo.
So your endeavors in businessand in your career, they're part
(14:04):
of God's preordained work thathe has for you.
Proverbs 16 and 3 says committo the Lord whatever you do, and
he will establish your plans.
So when you align your businesswith God's purpose, it ensures
that God's going to give you hisguidance and his success which
(14:25):
is really what this ministry isabout is finding true godly
success.
So why does purpose matter forChristian business leaders?
You know, I think there'sseveral things.
There's probably a lot morethan what I've got here, but I
think there's several things.
Number one it helps you toreally have clarity when you've
got to make decisions.
(14:45):
You know, knowing your purpose,it's like a compass.
It gives you guidance, it givesyou strategy, it helps you to
make good ethical choices, evenwhen things are tough, when you
have challenges, when things arecomplex.
It brings that clarity when youneed to make decisions.
It also gives you resiliencewhen you're going through a
(15:09):
challenge or adversity.
You know it really anchors you.
It really anchors you that itdoesn't matter if it's an
economic downturn or maybethere's competitive pressures or
maybe just some personalchallenges.
It really doesn't matter whatthe obstacles are, because your
(15:33):
goal is to get there, get tothat purpose and to make sure
you're doing everything you canto fulfill that purpose.
But let me tell you somethingelse it does it helps you to
inspire your teams, yourteammates, the people that work
for you, the people that workwith you.
When you have purpose-drivenleaders, they really inspire
(15:56):
people.
It really helps you to developa culture within your
organization that has realmeaning, and when you do that,
it helps to motivate people, andso it really brings about a lot
of loyalty.
But let me tell you somethingelse it does too, and that
increases.
It increases productivity,because people are passionate.
(16:16):
They get behind the purpose,they get behind the vision.
So that's important.
But another reason why purposematters is kingdom impact.
So you can have an opportunityto impact the kingdom of God
when you know and understandwhat your purpose is.
Because I promise you that onceyou find what that purpose is,
(16:39):
god created you for that purposeto have an impact, to serve
other people and to be a goodsteward with the resources that
he gives you.
Because I've always said thiswhere God guides, he provides.
So when you find out what yourpurpose is, I promise you that
when you pray and you seek God'swisdom, you will find the
(17:01):
resources that you need.
And then you've got to be agood steward and manage those
resources properly.
And it also helps you toreflect.
You have opportunities.
When you have that purpose andyou realize it, you will reflect
Christ's love in themarketplace.
You just can't help it.
So you know, having purpose isnot relegated to just pastors or
(17:26):
ministers or evangelists orpeople of that sort, but having
purpose is for everybody.
I don't care what your careeris, having purpose is for
everybody.
I don't care what your careeris, having purpose is for
everybody.
And then I mentioned thisearlier you know you get
personal fulfillment when youlive out your purpose and you
align your work with your faith.
(17:47):
It leads to a lot of joy, a lotof satisfaction.
And let me tell you somethingwhen you have joy and
satisfaction because you'refulfilling your purpose, let me
tell you that's bigger than evenfinancial success.
It's incredible and it's agreat way to live your life.
(18:10):
And then, lastly, I think thatwhen you understand and you know
your purpose, it brings health.
It brings health to your body.
In Ephesians 4.16 in the NewLiving Translation, it says he
makes the whole body fittogether perfectly and as each
(18:34):
part does its own special work.
Now catch that as each partdoes its own special work, it
helps the other parts grow sothat the whole body is healthy
and growing and full of love.
And I think I forgot to mentionwhen I talked about brings
health to the body.
I'm talking about the body ofChrist, I'm talking about the
(18:56):
church, I'm talking about thebody, the body of believers
around the world.
See, we are all part of thebody of Christ.
Not everybody's a hand, noteverybody's an eye or an ear or
a foot.
You know we all have differentpurposes, and that goes into
your career as well.
(19:16):
You don't compartmentalize thepurpose that God has for you and
say, well, here's my purpose inmy church life, in my spiritual
life, but that doesn't haveanything to do with my career.
That's not true, because God'scalled you for a specific
purpose and that purpose isgoing to include your career.
(19:36):
It's going to include thatbusiness that you possibly own.
So I think that that is reallyreally important to understand
that you, as a part of the bodyof Christ, we all fit together
perfectly, right?
So a complete body physicallyhas arms, it's got legs and eyes
(19:58):
and ears, and hands and feetand it's got all these different
parts to the body and some ofthose parts are really they seem
to be a lot more important toyou than other parts of the body
.
But in the body of Christ, allof the body, all of those parts,
all of those people withdifferent purposes, they all
come together and fit togetherperfectly.
(20:19):
And as we all fulfill thatpurpose in our life, it helps
other people to grow.
It helps them to grow in theirpurpose, because we have that
ripple effect where we touchother people's lives, and it
helps the whole body of Christto be healthy, helps them to
grow and to be full of love.
(20:41):
Now, what possibly are someconsequences for ignoring
purpose?
Well, let me tell you First offis you're going to have this
disconnection from God's callingand when that happens, you miss
a lot of opportunities to makea kingdom impact.
When you ignore it, you do, ithelps you.
(21:05):
You kind of become sterile withregard to having any kind of
impact for the kingdom of God.
On the more professional sideof that, you may, or your team
may, lack direction.
You don't have good directionbecause you don't have good
purpose, and then you wind uphaving the opposite of what I
(21:28):
shared earlier You're going tohave high turnover, you'll have
disengagement, your productivitywill suffer.
So there are consequences toignoring God's purpose.
So you know, I think it'scrucial, it's very important
that we discern what yourGod-given purpose is.
(21:50):
In discerning your purpose, itrequires you do this
intentionally, it requires youto pray, it requires some good
self-reflection, and these arevery intentional steps that you
have to take to align with God'swill in your life.
And so I want to talk aboutjust a few practical steps for
(22:16):
you to discern, to discover whatyour purpose is.
All right.
So first, what you want to dois you want to seek God.
Seek him through prayer, seekhim through scripture.
The Bible says in James 1 and 5, you've heard me talk about it
before If any man lack wisdom,let him ask of God who giveth
liberally and upbraideth not.
(22:37):
God will give you thatdirection.
You know, be sensitive to theSpirit, be sensitive to the Holy
Spirit Say well, I've neverreally heard God's voice.
Well, you probably have and youjust didn't recognize it.
Because God's speaking.
He's speaking to us all thetime and we just have to be
sensitive.
It's kind of like that radio,especially on the AM channels.
(23:01):
You've got to fine tune it,you've got to tune it in.
It's the same way when you aretrying to be sensitive to the
Holy Spirit, you've got to tunein, get rid of the static and
really tune in so you can hearhim clearly.
The next thing that's reallyimportant is you've got to study
, study the Word of God, studyscriptures about calling, about
(23:26):
stewardship, about service.
Study scriptures like Romans,chapter 12 and verses 1 through
8, and study Colossians, chapter3, verses 23 and 24, and then
meditate on these things, howthat they apply to your business
and how they can apply.
I also want you to journal.
(23:48):
I would encourage you stronglyto journal Record some of the
things that you feel like you'rehearing from the Lord Record,
you know, scripture that jumpsout at you, that just seems to
have things that just kind ofreoccur over and over again when
(24:10):
you read scriptures and it justkeeps pointing to the same
thing a lot of times.
Those are kind of clues as towhat your purpose is.
The other thing that you need todo is you need to reflect,
reflect on your gifts, reflecton your talents.
(24:30):
You know, according to 1Corinthians 12, verses 4 through
6, god equips every person withvery unique abilities to
fulfill their purpose.
So, for example, if you hadamnesia, if you had amnesia and
you were released from thehospital and somebody said, well
(24:53):
, you drove here, here's yourcar, here's your car keys.
And you decided, well, I'mgoing to look in the trunk and
see if there's anything in there.
I'm going to look at the backseat If there's anything that I
can find to help me tounderstand what my purpose is.
And you look in there and youfind a hammer and a saw and a
level and a drill, and you findall these tools in there.
(25:18):
You would probably come awaythinking you know, I must be a
carpenter because of all thetools.
Well, it's the same way with thegifts and the abilities that
God gives you.
They are really a key indicatorfor what your purpose is, key
(25:40):
indicator for what your purposeis.
So you need to ask yourselfwhat skills, what strengths do
other people seem to continuallyaffirm to you?
What are things, what areskills that people look at you
and say you know you're reallygood at this, or I noticed
you're really good at that, youknow.
And then what task or rolesreally get you excited, or just
(26:01):
kind of a natural thing, it justkind of flows naturally.
And then how do your giftsalign with opportunities in your
business or industry?
You've got to ask that question.
An example would be a leaderwith a gift for communication
might be called to advocate forethical practices or mentor even
(26:24):
young people, youngprofessionals, if that person
has the gift of communication.
That's just an example, though.
It could be anything.
It could be anything.
So you need to reflect on yourgifts and your talents and find
out what they are in order foryou to find out and to get a
clue about your purpose.
(26:45):
So we're not going to be able tofinish all of this in this
first podcast, but I tell you, Ireally want you to listen to
next week's podcast, becausewe're going to talk about
practical insights about yourpurpose and how to find it for
your life.
I want you to understand somevery important things.
(27:05):
I've got several things I wantto share with you, and then
we're going to finish thispodcast up, but that's not what
we're going to be able to finishup today.
We're not going to be able toget into that today.
We'll do that in the nextpodcast.
We're not going to be able toget into that today.
We'll do that in the nextpodcast.
And so I want to make sure thatyou are going to listen and
download next week's podcast, aswe continue to understand the
importance of your purpose andhelping you to find your purpose
(27:30):
, okay, and we'll talk aboutsome examples of businesses and
business leaders that have thoseexact things, that have those
exact things that have beenthrough exactly what we're
talking about.
Well, thanks again, so much fordownloading this week's
Christian Business Podcastepisode, and be sure to make
sure, again, that you post thislink to the podcast on your
(27:51):
Facebook and your LinkedIn pages.
Well, that's all the time wehave for today, so until next
time, remember Jesus is Lord andhe wants you blessed.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian
Business Concepts podcast.
Go tochristianbusinessconceptscom for
more information and resources.
Be sure to check out otherpodcasts that will help you take
your business and your personallife to a whole new level of
success.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!