When God created you, He did so with something special in mind for you. He gave you certain skills, passions, interests, and abilities so you can serve and help others. Your cooking might feed the hungry. Your hobby might enrich someone’s life. Your gift of encouragement or wisdom might help someone who is struggling. Your fervent prayers may bring someone to salvation. Every person has a unique gifting or ability that was designed by God for a special purpose. In this post, Brian Ray will help you think about what purpose God built in you.

"Wired for a Purpose" by Brian Ray

God created you uniquely for the good works He has planned for you.

If you are made for a purpose, then He must have wired you in a unique way for fulfilling that purpose, right?

In Psalm 139, it says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. So what exactly does that mean? Together, let’s explore how you are gifted and impassioned—a one-of-a-kind creation of experience, abilities, interests, personality and values.

First, let’s look at this verse:

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”—Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

Before we delve into the meaning of “created in Christ Jesus for good works,” let me share with you a true story I call “Pigeons, People and Good Works.”

I was sure I could recruit salespeople for a company I wanted to represent, but the vice president of sales had a reputation for being impossible to meet. I decided I would try something unusual to get his attention—and an appointment. So I did what anyone in my position would do: I rented a homing pigeon. Yes, a homing pigeon.

Seriously! I put the pigeon in a special delivery cage and attached a note:

“Introducing Flash, the homing pigeon!
If you would like your sales to fly,
Please write a date and time that I can see you.
Put your note in Flash’s special pouch.”

I included a business card and instructions. A few hours later, the pigeon’s owner called; the pigeon had returned and I had an appointment with “Mr. Impossible.”

Allow me to offer two lessons from this experience:

1. God has gifted people with a wide variety of abilities. Yes, scary enough, there are people passionate about breeding, raising, and training homing pigeons. And there are others who are crazy enough to rent pigeons to make sales calls!

2. God intends for you to use your gifts—whatever they are—in service to others. When you do, you will likely be led to new and greater opportunities for service—not only at work but also in the rest of your life.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”—1 Peter 4:10, (NIV)

So, what does it mean to you that you use your gifts to serve others?  How are you currently using your gifts and abilities as an act of service?

As God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, you are unique—unlike any other person ever created. Your fingerprints and DNA are evidence of this. You were designed for a unique purpose that you alone were created to fulfill.  

That’s right! You were created not only for the universal purpose of giving God glory but also for an additional unique purpose—a distinctive role that defines how you can reflect God’s glory.

How are you currently reflecting God’s glory?

This counter-cultural shift in thinking provides a unique market advantage for you. Consider this principle:

There is no one like you—anywhere.

There never has been—there never will be.

You are unique—individually crafted by the hand of God.