Understanding the Purpose and Power of Men

Seven Principles of Purpose

meeting — instead of what he should be doing. Yet Nehemiah wasn‘t fooled. He told them, “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (Neh. 6:3).

Reinforce Your Purpose

I can‘t emphasize strongly enough that knowing your purpose is crucial for your life‘s course. Every young person

comes to a time when he or she leaves childhood and enters adulthood. That pe riod is called adolescence. This is the time in which young people are trying to discover who they are and why they are. This is also often the time when we lose them or gain them — lose them to a de

Jesus’

purpose was

reinforced

from His

birth.

structive lifestyle and a wasted life or gain them for a posi tive, fulfilling future. Purpose, therefore, is key to a young per son‘s effectiveness and happiness in life. Did Jesus have an adolescent problem? The answer is, very simply, no. Why? His purpose was reinforced from birth. His earthly mother and father were told why He was born. Somehow I believe that God would love for all parents to know Him so well that they would have an idea of the life purpose of their children. The angel of the Lord said to Joseph, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Joseph shared this message with Mary. When Jesus was born, Mary could talk to Him about His purpose. Even though, at the time, she didn‘t fully u n derstand the implications of His name, she could tell Him, ―You‘re going to be a Savior.‖ The Hebrew meaning of the name Jesus is ―Jehovah saved,‖ or ―the Lord is salvation.‖ In essence, Jesus‘ name means ―Savior.‖ When He was a boy, His friends would say to Him, ―Savior, come out and play with us.‖ His parents would say to Him, ―Savior, come in for supper.‖ When people h eard Him coming, they‘d say, ―Is that you, Jesus? How are you doing today, Savior?‖ All His life, He heard

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