Guiding Purpose Statement
Jesus was born with a uniqueness. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) suggests “For to us a child is born, to us a son
is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Even though He carried such
potential power, the reason for His being was to please His father. Everything He did, all the
attributes He had, all He was known for, all He wanted to do please His father. What Jesus did
was His functional calling, yet, why He did it was His primary calling. Pettit (2008) suggests that
“Our primary calling is the umbrella which we function as believers” (p. 198). Pettit (2008) also
notes that “The functional call is how you live out the primary calling in daily life” (p. 200).
We all have both a primary and functional purpose, and it is the reason why we are who we are
and it is ultimately God-cantered. With that, we should have a Guiding Purpose Statement. This
statement gauges a purposeful intention for our daily lives. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV) suggests
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that we examine ourselves and this is what one must do before establishing a Guiding Purpose
Statement. After much assessing my Guiding Purpose Statement is:
I want to be a model of Christ.
My functional purpose-calling is “Seeking to be a model of Christ, I am committed to
become an excellent communicator.”
Words have power and they provide an opportunity to enrich and inspire those who you
are in the presence of. This will undergird my influence in a specific relational context.
Definition for Growing in Favor with God and others
I aspire to know how to live by His design rather than by my defaults in order to grow in favor
with God and others. To move towards the Me God has intended that I should become, aims
that I continuously incorporate three vital factors in order to become a person centered on
Christ: 1) deliberate purpose (i.e., a guiding purpose statement), 2) diligent process (i.e., a 4
phase story-tuning framework), and 3) divine provisions (i.e., the body, the Word of God, the
Spirit of God, and meaningful company)” (Liberty, 2019).
In order to continue to grow in favor with God and others in conjunction with your Guiding
Purpose Statement, we must adapt and embrace “story-tuning” as it is an Intentional and
conscientious relationship-based method. It is “Managed by a guiding purpose statement (GPS)
and resourced by divine provisions; Christ’s Preeminent Resources (CPR), the body of the
believer, the word of God, the spirit of god, and meaningful community” (Liberty, 2019). God
desires us to live connected to Him and if we mold and shape our GPS, we will align ourselves to
be true followers of Him.
Resources:
Liberty University. (2019). Video Lecture PACO 509, Subject Matter Conversation #1. Retrieved
from https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/705f5bc8-680d-4dc4-b535-e922b018ddfc?
list=studio
Pettit, P. (2008). Foundations of spiritual formation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
