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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
What Drives Your Life?
I observed that the basic motive1 for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy2! Ecclesiastes 4:4 (LB)
The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder-a waif, a nothing, a no man. Thomas Carlyle
Everyone's life is driven by something.
Most dictionaries define the verb drive as "to guide, to control, or to direct." Whether you are driving a car, a nail, or a golf ball, you are guiding, controlling, and directing it at that moment. What is the driving force in your life?
Right now you may be driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline. You may be driven by a painful memory, a haunting fear, or an unconscious belief. There are hundreds of circumstances, values, and emotions that can drive your life. Here are five of the most common ones:
Many people are driven by guilt3. They spend their entire lives running from regrets and hiding their shame. Guilt-driven people are manipulated by memories. They allow their past to control their future. They often unconsciously punish themselves by sabotaging4 their own success. When Cain sinned, his guilt disconnected him from God's presence, and God said, "You will be a restless wanderer on the earth” That describes most people today-wandering through life without a purpose.
We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it. God's purpose is not limited by your past. He turned a murderer named Moses into a leader and a coward named Gideon into a courageous5 hero, and he can do amazing things with the rest of your life, too. God specializes in giving people a fresh start. The Bible says, "What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! ... What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record."
Many people are driven by resentment6 and anger. They hold on to hurts and never get over them. Instead of releasing their pain through forgiveness, they rehearse it over and over in their minds. Some resentment-driven people "clam7 up" and internalize their anger, while others "blow up" and explode it onto others. Both responses are unhealthy and unhelpful.
Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender8 has probably forgotten the offense9 and gone on with life, you continue to stew10 in your pain, perpetuating11 the past.
Listen: Those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go. The Bible says, "To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do."
Many people are driven by fear. Their fears may be a result of a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, growing up in a high-control home, or even genetic12 predisposition. Regardless of the cause, fear-driven people often miss great opportunities because they're afraid to venture out. Instead they play it safe, avoiding risks and trying to maintain the status quo.
Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love. The Bible says, "Well formed love banishes13 fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life fear of death, fear of judgment14-is one not yet fully15 formed in love."
Many people are driven by materialism16. Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goal of their lives. This drive to always want more is based on the misconceptions that having more will make me more happy, more important, and more secure, but all three ideas are untrue. Possessions only provide temporary happiness. Because things do not change, we eventually become bored with them and then want newer, bigger, better versions.
It's also a myth that if I get more, I will be more important. Self-worth and net worth are not the same. Your value is not determined17 by your valuables, and God says the most valuable things in life are not things!
The most common myth about money is that having more will make me more secure. It won't. Wealth can be lost instantly through a variety of uncontrollable factors. Real security can only be found in that which can never be taken from you-your relationship with God.
Many people are driven by the need for approval. They allow the expectations of parents or spouses18 or children or teachers or friends to control their lives. Many adults are still trying to earn the approval of unpleasable parents. Others are driven by peer pressure, always worried by what others might think. Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.
I don't know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others is a guaranteed way to miss God's purposes for your life. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters."
There are other forces that can drive your life but all lead to the same dead end: unused potential, unnecessary stress, and an unfulfilled life.
This forty-day journey will show you how to live a purpose driven life-a life guided, controlled, and directed by God's purposes. Nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for your life, and nothing can compensate21 for not knowing them-not success, wealth, fame, or
pleasure. Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason. Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.
Nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.
THE BENEFITS OF PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIVING
There are five great benefits of living a purpose-driven life:
Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life. We were made to have meaning. This is why people try dubious22 methods, like astrology or psychics23, to discover it. When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything; without it, nothing is bearable.
A young man in his twenties wrote, "I feel like a failure because I'm struggling to become something, and I don't even know what it is. All I know how to do is to get by. Someday, if I discover my purpose, I'll feel I'm beginning to live."
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. In the Bible, many different people expressed this hopelessness. Isaiah complained, "I have labored24 to no purpose; I have spent my strength in pain and for nothing." Job said, "My life drags by-day after hopeless day" and "I give up; I am tired of living. Leave me alone. My life makes no sense." The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.
Hope is as essential to your life as air and water. You need hope to cope. Dr. Bernie Siegel found he could predict which of his cancer patients would go into remission by asking, "Do you want to live to be one hundred?" Those with a deep sense of life purpose answered yes and were the ones most likely to survive. Hope comes from having a purpose.
If you have felt hopeless, hold on!
Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose. God says, "I know what I am planning for you.... `I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future."" You may feel you are facing an impossible situation, but the Bible says, "God ... is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of-infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes."
Knowing your purpose simplifies your life. It defines what you do and what you don't do. Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren't. You simply ask, "Does this activity help me fulfill20 one of God's purposes for my life?"
Without a clear purpose you have no foundation on which you base decisions, allocate25 your time, and use your resources. You will tend to make choices based on circumstances, pressures, and your mood at that moment. People who don't know their purpose try to do too much-and that
causes stress, fatigue26, and conflict.
It is impossible to do everything people want you to do. You have just enough time to do God's will. If you can't get it all done, it means you're trying to do more than God intended for you to do (or, possibly, that you're watching too much television). Purpose-driven living leads to a simpler lifestyle and a saner27 schedule. The Bible says, "A pretentious28, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.” It also leads to peace of mind: "You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.”
Knowing your purpose focuses your life. It concentrates your effort and energy on what's important. You become effective by being selective.
It's human nature to get distracted by minor29 issues. We play Trivial Pursuit with our lives. Henry David Thoreau observed that people live lives of "quiet desperation," but today a better description is aimless distraction30. Many people are like gyroscopes, spinning around at a frantic31 pace but never going anywhere.
Without a clear purpose, you will keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches, or other externals-hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, Maybe this time it will be different, but it doesn't solve your real problem-a lack of focus and purpose.
The Bible says, "Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants."
The power of focusing can be seen in light. Diffused32 light has little power or impact, but you can concentrate its energy by focusing it. With a magnifying glass, the rays of the sun can be focused to set grass or paper on fire. When light is focused even more as a laser beam, it can cut through steel.
There is nothing quite as potent19 as a focused life, one lived on purpose. The men and women who have made the greatest difference in history were the most focused. For instance, the apostle Paul almost single-handedly spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. His secret was a focused life. He said, "I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.'
If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling33. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune34 away even good activities and do only that which matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity. You can be busy without a purpose, but what's the point? Paul said, "Let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us."'
Knowing your purpose motivates your life. Purpose always produces passion. Nothing energizes35 like a clear purpose. On the other hand, passion dissipates when you lack a purpose.
Just getting out of bed becomes a major chore. It is usually meaningless work, not overwork, that wears us down, saps our strength, and robs our joy.
George Bernard Shaw wrote, "This is the true joy of life: the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty36 one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish37, selfish little clot38 of ailments39 and grievances40, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity41. Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting42 legacy43 on earth. They want to be remembered when they're gone. Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says. What people fail to realize is that all achievements are eventually surpassed, records are broken, reputations fade, and tributes are forgotten. In college, James Dobson's goal was to become the school's tennis champion. He felt proud when his trophy44 was prominently placed in the school's trophy cabinet. Years later, someone mailed him that trophy. They had found it in a trashcan when the school was remodeled. Jim said, "Given enough time, all your trophies45 will be trashed by someone else!"
Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal. A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy. You weren't put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
One day you will stand before God, and he will do an audit46 of your life, a final exam, before you enter eternity. The Bible says, "Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.... Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God." Fortunately, God wants us to pass this test, so he has given us the questions in advance. From the Bible we can surmise47 that God will ask us two crucial questions:
First, "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?" God won't ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him? Jesus said, 'clam the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Second, "What did you do with what I gave you?" What did you do with your life-all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you? Did you spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?"
Preparing you for these two questions is the goal of this book. The first question will determine where you spend eternity. The second question will determine what you do in eternity. By the end of this book you will be ready to answer both questions.
DAY THREE THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE
Point to Ponder: Living on purpose is the path to peace.
Verse to Remember: "You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3 (TEV)
Question to Consider: What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?
收听单词发音 |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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sabotaging
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| 阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的现在分词 ) | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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clam
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| n.蛤，蛤肉 | |
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offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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stew
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| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
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perpetuating
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| perpetuate的现在进行式 | |
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genetic
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| adj.遗传的，遗传学的 | |
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banishes
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的第三人称单数 ) | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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materialism
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| n.［哲］唯物主义，唯物论；物质至上 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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spouses
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| n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 ) | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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fulfill
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| vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意 | |
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compensate
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| vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消 | |
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dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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psychics
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| 心理学，心灵学； （自称）通灵的或有特异功能的人，巫师( psychic的名词复数 ) | |
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labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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allocate
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| vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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saner
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| adj.心智健全的( sane的比较级 )；神志正常的；明智的；稳健的 | |
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pretentious
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| adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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dabbling
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| v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资 | |
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prune
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| n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除 | |
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energizes
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| v.给予…精力，能量( energize的第三人称单数 )；使通电 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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clot
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| n.凝块；v.使凝成块 | |
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ailments
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| 疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 ) | |
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grievances
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| n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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audit
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| v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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