Life's Five Greatest Questions

What will be the center of my life?
This is the question of worship. Whom are you going to live for? What are you going to build your life around? You can center your life on your career, your family, a sport or hobby, money, or many other activities. These can all be good things, but they don't belong at the center of your life. None is strong enough to hold you together when life starts breaking apart. You need an unshakable center. In 2 Chron. 14:4, King Asa told the people of Judah to "center their lives in God." Actually, whatever is at the center of your life is your god! If you have committed your life to Christ, He moved into the center, but you must keep Him there on a daily basis. How do you know when God is at the center of your life? When He's at the center, you worship. When He's not, you worry. Worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline of your life. The moment you put Him back at the center, you'll have peace again. Philippians 4:7 says, "A sense of God's wholeness... will come and settle you down". It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

What will be the character of my life?
This is the question of discipleship. What kind of person will you be? God is far more interested in what you are than what you do because you are going to take your character into eternity, not your career. Make a list of the character qualities you want to work on and develop in your life. You might begin with the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23 or the Beatitudes of Jesus in Matt. 5:3-12.

What will be the contribution of my life?
This is the question of service. Knowing your combination of spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences (your S.H.A.P.E.), what would be your best role and how can you make a difference? To be balanced, you need both a "ministry" to believers and a "mission" to unbelievers. You serve in both the church and the world. What will be your ministry in the Body of Christ?

While you're shaped to serve others, even Jesus didn't meet the needs of everyone while on earth. You must choose whom you can best help, based on your shape. You need to ask "Whom do I have a desire to help most?" Jesus said in John 15:16a, "I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last." Each of us bears different fruit.

What will be the communication of my life?
This is the question of your mission in the world. God not only has a mission for your life, He has a unique life message that He wants to speak to the world through you. Who needs to hear your unique story of faith? If you're a parent, part of your mission is to raise your children to know Christ, to help them understand His purposes for their lives, and to send them out on their mission in the world. Of course, our lives must support the message we communicate. Before most unbelievers accept the Bible as credible, they want to know that we are credible. That's why the Bible says in Phil. 1:27 "Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ."

What will be the community of my life?
This is the question of fellowship. How will you demonstrate your commitment to other believers and connection to the family of God? To which church family will you be joined as a functioning member? The more you mature, the more you'll love Christ's body and want to sacrifice for it. Ephesians 5:25 says, "Christ loved the church and gave His life for it."