Our society seems to have grown star-obsessed, craving to know all about elite actors, businesspeople, athletes, and influencers. But if we look deep into the lives of many we perceive to be living their best life, we’ll find they’re really more like us than we thought. They have good and bad days, strengths and limitations, successes and failures. This proves that the key to loving life isn’t wide influence, great wealth, or incredible talent—it’s discovering and living with purpose.
God promises we can all find meaning and live with purpose. But to do so, we must embrace four things. We must see our life through God’s eyes, champion our uniqueness, play our role faithfully, and let God know us and love us fully.
We find this in the account of Jesus calling four of His disciples. In John 1:35-50, we read about Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael.
Peter’s story shows the importance of seeing our life through God’s eyes. Peter found Jesus through his brother, Andrew. Then, in verse 42, Jesus gave Peter a new name. He called him Peter (Cephas), which means “rock,” laying the foundation for what He would later tell him in Matthew 16:18: “… upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Peter’s life gained meaning when He saw its purpose through Jesus’ eyes, and so can ours.
Andrew’s story shows us we find meaning when we champion our uniqueness. Scripture doesn’t say much about Andrew, but it gives us the impression he was quiet and scholarly. Andrew and Peter seemed to have contrasting personalities, which proves Jesus doesn’t just call one type of person. He promises us all a life of unique and fulfilling purpose.
Philip’s story shows us we discover purpose when we play our role faithfully. Through the gospels, we find Phillip was faithful to study Scripture, and God used this faithfulness to produce purpose. Philip took part in some of Jesus’ greatest miracles, such as Jesus feeding the five thousand. His life proves God values our commitment to discover our place in His Church and serve it well.
The final disciple mentioned in this passage is Nathanael, whose story shows us we find purpose when we allow God to fully know and love us. Verses 46-50 tell us Phillip brought Nathanael to Jesus, claiming he had found the Messiah they had been waiting for. Nathanael was skeptical at first. But that skepticism turned to awe when Jesus spoke to him about specific details of his life—details no one else knew. After this, Nathanael believed, opening himself up to the Jesus’ love and uncovering his life’s greatest purpose. It can be the same for us!
Friends, God has a plan for your life, and it’s one so incredible you wouldn’t even know to ask for it. Trust His path and, like Jesus’ disciples, you will uncover purpose that fulfills your heart more than you could possibly imagine!
