Seven Purpose Questions

I am teaching a night class this semester at the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry (CUBM). The class title is "The Classical Christian Understanding of Life." I am using three books written by Os Guinness as textbooks: The Call, Steering Through Chaos, and Entrepreneurs of Life. I love teaching at CUBM since all the students are adults and further along in life than your typical college students. And in addition to using Guinness' excellent books for this class, I get to involve much of the purpose teaching I have developed over the last 14 years.

Last week, I presented my students with 7 questions that they can use to help clarify their purpose. I thought I would give you these questions as well and hope that you will use them to guide and define your own purpose quest.

1. What do you do that brings you the greatest joy? Joy is often a barometer, an indicator to guide how you invest your time and effort. Recently I was on a talk radio show and the host asked me how I defined success. I answered that succes is doing what you enjoy as often as possible -- and hopefully getting paid for it!

2. What are your gifts and talents? It is important to distinguish between your gifts and your purpose. Talents are what you have to help you fulfill your purpose, sort of like your tool box that you carry with you. I am a gifted teacher, or so I've been told, but my purpose isn't to teach. My purpose is to create order out of chaos.

3. What gives you joy and excites your will? For me, this answer is easy: I love to travel and teach. I have logged 3 million miles and I still get excited when I step on a plane. And I've taught the purpose message more than 800 times and it's still as fresh as it was in 1991 when I first started.

4. What would you do with your life if you had all the money you needed? Often people answer this question by telling me they would buy a car or take a vacation. But that's not the point. I'm asking where you would invest your time and energy if you didn't need a paycheck. My answer is simple: I would do what I am doing now--but travel business class more often!

5. What do you do that causes you to forget what time it is and to not notice that you're hungry? While Jesus spoke with the woman at the well, his disciples went off to get lunch. When they got back, Jesus told them he wasn't hungry because He had been fulfilling His purpose by talking to that woman. He said that He had other food to eat and it confused His associates. (Read this passage for yourself.) What do you do that is like food for you?

6. What compliments have you heard regularly that surprise you? Often God sends messengers to tell you what your purpose is. Yet your purpose is often so second-nature for you that you fail to see the significance as others do.

7. What is your life-defining passage of Scripture or wisdom literature? Jesus stood up in the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61(See for yourself here.) If Jesus had a passage that defined His life, you will have one as well. u will have one as well.

One motivational speaker has said, "Quality questions lead to a quality life." I urge you to take these quality purpose questions and use them to develop and clarify a quality sense of purpose. Then go out, armed with your purpose, to make an impact on your world.

Technorati Tags: bible, John Stanko, joy, OsGuinness, purpose, questions, teaching

Comments

[Eric]

Hi John,
Thanks for the purpose questions. Can I use them when I talk to people on radio?

[Joe Lee]

One question that I always asked is "Will you still do it if you are not getting paid?"
It gets to the core as well.