Luke 4:16-24

Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked

I got asked the titular question and I wondered how best to answer this and it occurred to me; to live a fulfilling life, you must know why you’re here!

In the text, we catch up with Jesus, who has just finished his fast and is charged up; He’s ready to do what He was sent here by the Father to do, but He doesn’t just run off into the streets and start being Jesus, instead, he announces His mission, His why

So let me ask you this: what’s your “WHY”?

A fulfilling life is impossible in a place where the purpose is not known!

Why are you here?
Why are you the way you are?
Why were born when you were born?

Jesus starts His “why” statement, by announcing the divine partnership that makes life worth living: “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME”.

A fulfilling life is one lived under the influence of the Spirit of God and the reason behind that is simple: man’s life at the very beginning was only made possible by the breath of God (His Spirit) placed into the nostrils of Adam, who up until the Spirit of God came upon and into him was simply a clay vessel.

I don’t care how great life here might be in the eyes of man, a life lived outside of the influence of the Spirit of God has missed its mark.

For the believer, our “why” is constant and easy. Thankfully we all share one common “why”, I’ll show you

Revelations 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our “why” must always be that which gives God pleasure and glory. Let me state clearly, in giving God glory and pleasure, I’m not saying we all become pastors, the Bible and life is full of men and women who have lived this truth without holding any official church position or title (Abraham, Enoch, Esther, Daniel, Dorcas, Cornelius)

If we would keep at the fore of our hearts a desire to serve and glorify God, while being “under” and fully submitted to His Spirit, we would find ourselves on the road to our purpose.

Now that we are aligned on the “why”, let’s address the “how”

Your “how” is found in your natural abilities, your talents, your strengths, your personality, your physical build, your athleticism, your intellect, your preferences, your gifting, your profession, your education, your location, your interests.

Very often the true dilemma with purpose arises from how to couple the “why” to the “how”. Your “how” is YOU and it’s as diverse as we are different. No two “how’s” are the same. Look at yourself and you’ll, sure enough, see the things that you’re good at, they may be buried now, but that’s why you must unearth them, clean them up (work your gift), polish them up (keep working your gift) till they shine and reflect the light of God.

Here is a true statement; surrendering your “how” to the “why” would always result in a fulfilling and impactful life.