Life on Purpose

Proverbs‬ ‭4:25-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬  “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

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King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, addressing his young sons called them to consider the overall course of their lives. His instructions are pretty basic: look where you’re going, get going, and don’t wander off the path as you go. 


Solomon’s prescription for life is profoundly wise because our default settings as humans is usually to wander. We naturally gravitate towards “our own understanding” (Prov. 3:5-6), “the way that seems right [to us] (Prov. 16:25), and to not protect our heart from following things that ultimately distract us from the direction God would have us to go (Prov. 4:23). 


Unfortunately the result of these natural patterns of living according to our own ways always results in an abundance of negative outcomes called sin (missing the mark, failures, and ultimately decay and death instead of life). 


The solution seems simple but more like a marathon of endurance rather than a short burst of speed. Humanly speaking nobody has that kind of stamina. The antidote to sustained (growth, success, maturity) from God’s perspective requires us to live life on purpose. Anyone can start well but few people finish well for the 3 reasons Solomon warned us about. 


  1. (Verse 25) We don’t have a plan - we don’t get anywhere because there’s no definite destination.
  2. (Verse 26) We procrastinate the plan - we know what we should do but we never get around to actually doing it. 
  3. (Verse 27) We keep getting distracted - we keep making excuses why other things are more important at the moment. 


The remedy, however requires God’s help. We need His Spirit to continually lead us towards what He wants, to empower us to keep taking steps of faith, to guard our hearts from veering off the course, and to sustain us along the way. 


God, help me to see where you’re leading me today and to step out in faith. Focus my attention on what matters and keep me from distractions that would pull me from your path today. Guard my heart from lesser things and show me your will today. 

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