Understanding Your Purpose

by Doy Moyer

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (I Peter 2:21).

We have been called to a purpose, but unless we understand Christ’s purpose, we will not understand our purpose.

When Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was, it was Peter who confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16).

But it was also Peter who, when Jesus told them that He had to suffer and die, objected. Jesus told him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23).

Peter properly confessed who Jesus is, but He didn’t understand Jesus’ purpose. He had his own ideas about what that purpose was supposed to be, and he became Jesus’ adversary at that moment.

We can properly confess Jesus’ identity, but that doesn’t mean we understand His purpose. And if we don’t understand His purpose, how can we possibly understand ours?

In context, Peter said we need to be willing to submit and to suffer, just like Jesus did. The problem is that we have other ideas about the nature of our purpose. “No, Lord, you don’t understand. We have rights. We aren’t supposed to suffer. And we don’t like being told what to do.” And Jesus would say, “Get behind Me, Satan…”

Until we align our purpose with Christ’s purpose, we are setting our minds on the things of men rather than God.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”