1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) reminds us, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” This verse emphasizes a profoundly impactful truth: our lives are not our own. We belong to God, and He has paid the highest price imaginable for us—the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The reality of this truth can be humbling and transformative, yet it is also deeply liberating.
God’s grace and mercy give us the freedom to choose—to decide whether or not to live according to His Will. His design is so meticulously brilliant and perfect that our refusal to cooperate doesn’t impede or alter His plans in the least. His Will and plan move forward whether or not we align with it. However, it is to our greatest benefit to step into His abundant overflow and get on board with His purposes.
His grace accommodates our free-will. Though we belong to Him, He does not force us into obedience. Instead, He allows us to choose whether or not we will honor Him with our lives. As Romans 12:1 (NLT) beautifully expresses it, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” In this verse, our Heavenly Father lovingly implores us to surrender to Him—when, in truth, it is we who should be begging Him to accept our hearts.
Our choice to surrender our lives to God is the most genuine form of worship. It is the act of yielding our whole selves to His divine plan, which is the key to fulfilling the purpose He has for us. Surrender means laying down our own desires, ambitions, and plans in exchange for His higher purpose. It is a wholehearted offering of our time, energy, talents, and hearts to Him—an invitation for His Will to take precedence over our own.
Surrendering to God’s Will
God invites us to offer our broken, imperfect selves to Him. In His love, He accepts us as we are, but He doesn’t leave us there. The act of surrendering ourselves to God is not just a one-time decision—it’s a continuous, ongoing choice to align our lives with His Will. When we make this choice, we open the door for Him to transform us from the inside out. This transformation is not only a blessing but a vital part of fulfilling the unique purpose He has for each of us.
Our purpose is not a complicated mystery we need to stress over. At its core, it involves living in God’s love and sharing that love with others. God’s love is the greatest power that exists, so it is neither dormant nor ineffective. It is dynamic and life-changing. It calls upon us to speak out, to confess the positives and truths of His promises, and to be activated by His Holy Spirit to witness and share the Gospel. If we are not engaging in this work, we are not allowing ourselves to be energized in faith the way we are meant to be.
The Spirit’s guidance
In 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT), we’re reminded that “God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” His creation and His plan for our lives are marked by order and purpose. When we look at Genesis 1, we see that God created the world with deliberate intention and a perfect order—light, sky, land, animals, and finally, humankind. After completing His creation, in Genesis 1:31, He declared it “very good.” His work was not random or haphazard; it was purposeful and precise, and that same sense of purpose applies to our lives.
As we yield to God, our purpose takes form. Jesus Christ declared in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, and we can be confident that the Spirit will not make a mistake. He knows what we should do, when, where, and how to get us there. Yielding to the Spirit’s guidance takes out all the guess work.
Our lives are part of a much bigger picture—God is orchestrating everything to work together for His glory. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Before we were even born, God had a plan for our lives, one that includes doing good works that reflect His love and bring glory to His name. It’s not about worldly achievements or accolades; it’s about living out our purpose in His plan. True fulfillment comes when we walk in alignment with God’s Will, fulfilling the unique calling He has placed on our lives.
Understanding that our purpose is tied to His plan is the key to living in alignment with His Will. The question boils down to how fully we will walk in faith and trust the Spirit’s leadership. It isn’t always comfortable, but both the highs and lows will work together for our good when we acknowledge God’s love and power.
Our lives have been bought with a price, and we are called to honor God with every part of our being. By surrendering to His will, embracing His transformation, and stepping into our purpose, we can live lives that reflect His glory and fulfill our deepest calling. Let’s not waste time in confusion or disobedience—let’s dive into God’s Word, follow the Spirit, and pray continually, so we can recognize the opportunities He’s placed in our lives to receive His blessings and share them with others. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Living Out God’s Purpose”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.