God created you to have an impact that lasts into eternity.
He has placed you in this specific time and place. He gave you the unique traits, experiences, and relationships you would need to fulfill the special purpose and plans designed for you.
No matter how you may feel about your life right now, God has great plans for you — plans that will result in His eternal purpose being fulfilled.
Eternal Impact Results by Doing What God Wants
God does not exist to fulfill your plans; you exist to fulfill His.
The prophet Jeremiah acknowledged God’s sovereignty, saying,
“I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course” —Jeremiah 10:23, NLT
You were created with purpose. Your life matters. You are significant. Because of His immense love for you and others, God designed you to partner with Him in fulfilling His master plan by helping others know that He loves them.
The apostle Paul explained it like this:
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” —Ephesians 2:10, NLT
Perhaps you are thinking, “Yeah, God may have had a plan for me, but I have messed that up with the mistakes I’ve made.” Yes, we all have made mistakes, but that doesn’t disqualify us from fulfilling God’s purposes. Through His foreknowledge and sovereignty, His plan for you incorporates your mistakes. Consider Paul’s life before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was transformed from a persecutor of Christians into one of the greatest evangelists of his time.
Transformation takes time. God’s plan for our lives is usually revealed progressively, one step at a time. Most of us would like to see the entire road map now, but that is not how God operates. He wants us to walk by faith with Him, taking one step at a time in the direction He is guiding us. Doing that requires a close relationship with Him, which involves communication and trust.
Our eternal significance is determined by how well we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to fulfill the purpose our Creator planned for us.
Eternal Impact Results by Doing Things God’s Way
God wants us to carry out tasks according to his instructions and guidance. That means following His guidelines, depending on His resources, and involving others, all accomplished through His nature of love.
The Christian life is a supernatural life. The Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of Christ, lives in us and wants to live the life of Jesus through us. We are not supposed to try to live the Christian life through our own self-effort. We can’t save ourselves or earn our way to heaven through our own self-effort. And it is equally impossible to live the Christian life in our own self-effort. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul explains, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, BSB.)
The book of Proverbs teaches:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV
Trusting in God’s character, promises, and guidance is essential. It involves surrendering our worries and believing He has our best interests at heart. By not relying solely on our own understanding, we acknowledge that His perspective is best.
Submitting to God means aligning our will with His through prayer, studying, and obeying His Word. This humility allows Him to make our paths straight, removing obstacles and providing clarity as we move forward to fulfill His purpose for our lives.
The apostle Paul wrote this to the Colossians:
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way…” —Colossians 1:9b-10a, NIV
Understanding God’s will is essential for aligning our lives with His purposes. The Holy Spirit offers divine wisdom to help believers discern and apply God’s will, enabling them to navigate life’s complexities. Pleasing God involves reflecting His character through obedience, faithfulness, and a heart that seeks to glorify Him.
In addition to being dependent on the Holy Spirit’s power and interdependent on God’s people, God wants us to do his work with the right motives. Self-centeredness, selfish ambition, greed, and many other worldly motivators have no place in accomplishing God’s agenda.
Eternal Impact Results by the Wise Use of Your Time, Talent, and Treasure
God has entrusted each of us with a varying life span, abilities, and wealth. We are to use what God has given to us as good stewards for the benefit of His Kingdom.
Jesus proclaimed:
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” —Matthew 6:21, NLT
What you value most in life—material possessions, wealth, achievements, or relationships—defines who you are and influences your thoughts and actions. Jesus encourages you to align your priorities with the values of God’s Kingdom and seek lasting significance.
Tragically, these precious resources are often used thoughtlessly and wasted on empty pursuits that perish.
God wants to help you make the most of your life for eternal purposes. He aims to guide you into situations where your unique abilities and spiritual gifts can impact His Kingdom. He also wants to direct your use of money and wealth to ensure they produce rewards in heaven.
When you pursue God’s plan for you, follow his guidelines, and wisely use the resources he has entrusted to you, you will make an impact that transcends time and echoes throughout eternity.
Whenever we invest our time, talent, and treasure in the heavenly kingdom of God, they become imperishable and generate eternal rewards. And the best reward is hearing God say, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant.”