“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (NASB)

“I want to find purpose again,” I said to a friend, after He asked me why I was sitting in His office. I had purpose once. When I was in High School, I heard God’s calling in my life to enter into ministry. When I was in college, God specifically called me into youth ministry. That call became ingrained into my understanding of who I am. Over the next twelve years of my life, my calling became my purpose. It is easy for us to entangle our calling with our purpose. The problem with this is that our calling can change in life; however, our purpose remains the same. We need to stop confusing our calling with our purpose. You see, I did not need to find purpose again. I still had purpose. My purpose never changed and never will; but what I was really wanting to know is what God was calling me to do next.

Paul says in Romans 8:29, “Those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…” There are two words we must pay attention to here: “Predestined” and “Conformed”.

The word conform means: “to make one thing like another thing.” The deep experience of the Christian life is to know God in such an intimate way that we are being consistently shaped or fitted to the image of Jesus. My life purpose is to become more and more like Jesus. This conforming into the likeness of Christ is God’s purpose for everyone.

The word predestined means: “something determined in advance by divine will.” There are two things in this passage that have been predestined or set in advance: 1) the purpose of believers; and 2) the position of Christ. Maybe we should read the passage like this: For those whom God knew would believe in Jesus, God gave the purpose of becoming like Jesus. Why? So that Jesus would be glorified as the firstborn among God’s children. Who are God’s children? We, the believers in Christ, are His children, adopted into His family as legitimate sons and daughters, and therefore brothers and sisters of Christ.

God’s purpose or predestination for us as believers is our moral and spiritual conformity into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

It is out of our purpose that we receive our calling, “and these whom He predestined, He also called.” Now if our predestination or purpose is to become more and more like Jesus, then our calling will reflect that purpose. God’s calling will look different for each of us, as God has a different and unique call for each of us. God’s calling will also transform as the seasons in our life change. The call I received was to minister by serving and discipling my fellow believers, specifically teenagers. I have friends who received the call to be missionaries and evangelize in other parts of the world; or to become teachers to help children learn how to read; or to become doctors to help those who are sick. Sometimes our calling becomes our career; other times, our calling is something we do apart from our career and stems from a deep love for God and from a passion or talent He gave us, such as music, art, athletics, or even creating. It is important to remember, our calling is based on a task God wants to achieve through us. Since our task will always involve helping others realize and advance in their predestination of becoming more and more like Jesus, our calling will change over time as God leads us into new ways of walking along side of others.

Beware of the disobedience of your heart. Our pride can be extremely dangerous and put us at odds with fulfilling our purpose. In my ministry, I had ambitions of being the next big thing in youth ministry. I wanted to write books, speak at events, and be a recognizable name in the field. So, after getting fired from 3 churches and finding myself in a small church that drastically underpaid me, my pride was becoming inflamed. I became discontent with what God had given me. I was losing site of my purpose by slowly letting pride take hold of my life. When we are living in disobedience to God, we stop becoming conformed to Christ and fail in the things God has called us to. Our disobedience does not just prevent us from becoming more like Jesus; it prevents us from receiving the blessings God intended for us in our calling.

When God removed me from where I was serving my calling, I felt I would never have purpose again. I was confusing my calling and my purpose. How great is His love and mercy that He never leaves us where we are. Because we are a new creation in Christ, the predestination we have in Jesus never changes. Our predestination or purpose of becoming more and more like Jesus remains in every circumstance and situation, no matter what! Praise God! Because we have purpose, God will also call us anew. When He calls you, you better believe He will justify you to do that which He has called you to do. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (NASB)