How to Maximize the Purpose-Driven Life
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is an excellent book. If you haven’t read it, you should. It speaks from a biblical standpoint to the fact that we need to find our purpose in life.Where I think the book leaves us wanting is that it speaks to finding your purpose in the church and the body of Christ, but fails to speak to how to find your purpose in “the world,” or secular society. And isn’t that where most of us spend our time? I believe that part of the reason that we as a society focus on money (as Rick so eloquently states in his book) is that we are not focusing on our purpose for Him, where the money and material provisions can become just a by-product (Remember Matthew 6:33?). So how can we find out how we are “designed,” our purpose for His purpose, and how we can make a living from this?
My book, “Your Eden Work: Finding Your God-Given Entrepreneurial Purpose,” picks up where I believe his book leaves off. You need to begin to find out how God designed YOU and why you should participate in biblical entrepreneurship. This is the way to maximize the purpose-driven life: to do God’s purpose and be able to make a living from it, too. Not for making a living, but as a by-product. This book is available as an e-book here.
by J. Pan On July 16, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I must first apologize for not reading your entire book before I begin this comment. I have some reservations about some of the things that you are arguing for. First, entrepreneurship can be used in positive ways – but capitalism, especially as practiced in North America and Asia has shown that it is not necessarily a Christian ideal. It assumes many things about our resources, particularly natural resources, that are detrimental to God’s ‘good’, or ‘tov me’od’ (very good) earth. I don’t think that many or even most Christians should start businesses. The church does need financial resources provided by those in business, but the church isn’t a business, it isn’t even habitat for humanity, it is the church.
Another note, our founding fathers were not all Christians, and citing their entrepreneurial spirits is not a strong case for Christian entrepreneurial-ship. We do indeed need those Christians who are called to business to operate in different ways that are holy and acceptable unto the Lord – fairly and with environmental stewardship in mind.
I also don’t believe that Jesus was particularly interested at all in pioneering a new way for his followers to make money, live in comfort, or to even be safe. He told Peter to leave his nets. And after he died, rose, and found him back at his fishing business, he told them to leave them again. We live in an eschatological age where, as Luther said, comfort is the greatest idol. As Bonhoeffer famously said in The Cost of Discipleship, ‘when Christ calls a sinner, he bids him come and die’.
These are just a few thoughts that I had while reading your blog entries thus far. And once again, my sincere apologies for not reading your book before critiquing what you appear to be saying on the surface.
by sandrar On September 10, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.