What is my Purpose?
Finding Purpose in Loving
God and Others
What happens when you accomplish everything you thought would make your life meaningful—and still feel empty?
Leo Tolstoy seemed to have it all.
Born into an upper-class family in 1828, Tolstoy grew up surrounded by opportunity, although his childhood was marked by the loss of both parents. Faith was an important part of his early life, but as he grew older and pursued his education, that faith began to fade.
He turned instead toward intellectual achievement, personal improvement, and success.
And by nearly every worldly measure, he succeeded.
He wrote War and Peace and Anna Karenina, became one of the world's most celebrated authors, acquired wealth, and enjoyed the privileges of an extraordinary life.
But something was missing.
In his book A Confession, Tolstoy described a growing emptiness that interrupted his seemingly successful existence. Again and again, he found himself asking two haunting questions:
“Why? Well, and then?”
Why make more money?
Why become more successful?
Why accomplish anything if none of it ultimately matters?
Eventually, he felt as though the very foundation of his life had disappeared.
Tolstoy had discovered something many of us eventually confront:
Success can fill your schedule without filling your soul.
We feel time passing. We work harder, accomplish more, chase opportunities, and try to make something meaningful of our lives.
But urgency without a destination eventually becomes exhaustion.
And underneath it all is a question we cannot escape:
Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life?
Jesus gives us an answer.
The Greatest Question
In Matthew 22, Jesus was approaching the final days before His crucifixion.
Tensions in Jerusalem were rising. Religious leaders were threatened by His influence, and different groups were trying to trap Him with difficult questions.
The Herodians questioned Him about taxes.
The Sadducees challenged Him about resurrection.
Then a legal expert among the Pharisees stepped forward with another test.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”Matthew 22:36 (NKJV)
It sounds like a straightforward question.
But the Jewish religious leaders had identified 613 commandments in the Law of Moses—248 positive commands and 365 prohibitions. Rabbis debated which commands carried the greatest weight and how they should be understood.
They hoped Jesus would give an answer they could use against Him.
Instead, Jesus went straight to the heart of everything.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)
Jesus wasn't simply answering a theological question.
He was revealing the purpose of human existence.
We were created to love God.
But to understand what that means, we first need to understand what love actually is.
Love Is More Than a Feeling
We use the word love for almost everything.
We love our families.
We love our dogs.
We love Boise State football.
We even love Taco Bell.
Somewhere along the way, we've stretched the word so far that it can mean little more than enjoying something.
Our culture often defines love through emotion, attraction, excitement, or personal satisfaction.
It becomes about how someone or something makes us feel.
We see something.
We desire it.
We pursue it.
We consume it.
And when the feeling disappears, we assume the love has disappeared too.
But that's not the kind of love Jesus was describing.
To understand His words, we need to return to the passage He was quoting.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (NKJV)
This passage is known as the Shema, one of the most important declarations in Jewish faith.
And it reveals something essential:
Biblical love is rooted in covenant, not simply emotion.
God had delivered Israel from slavery, protected them, provided for them, and demonstrated His faithfulness.
He invited them into a covenant—a sacred relationship built on trust and loyalty.
They were called to choose Him because He had first chosen them.
Think about marriage vows.
For better or worse.
For richer or poorer.
In sickness and in health.
Those promises aren't based on feeling wonderful every day.
They're based on commitment.
Imagine love as the land and emotions as the weather.
The weather changes. Some seasons are beautiful and warm. Others are cold, difficult, and unpredictable.
But the land remains.
Real love is built on faithfulness, trust, loyalty, and sacrifice—not just feelings that come and go.
Loving God With Everything
When Jesus tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, He isn't asking for a small portion of our lives.
He's asking for everything.
The original Hebrew language of Deuteronomy helps us understand just how complete that love should be.
With all your heart.
In Hebrew thought, the heart represents much more than emotion. It includes our thoughts, desires, decisions, and inner identity.
Loving God with our heart means surrendering the very center of who we are.
With all your soul.
The Hebrew word nephesh describes our living being—our whole life, not merely an invisible spiritual part of us.
God isn't interested in having only our Sunday mornings.
He wants our entire lives.
With all your strength.
The Hebrew word me'od is often used to express intensity or abundance. It carries the idea of muchness—everything we have available to give.
Our resources.
Our abilities.
Our relationships.
Our influence.
Our time.
Our possessions.
Everything entrusted to us.
Put it all together, and the meaning becomes clear:
You exist to love God by offering your whole inner self, your whole embodied life, and everything entrusted to you.
There isn't a category we get to hold back.
We can't surrender our finances while refusing to surrender our relationships.
We can't give God our careers while keeping our personal decisions off-limits.
We can't claim to love Him completely while insisting certain areas of our lives belong only to us.
Loving God means offering Him our all.
But Jesus wasn't finished.
The Same Love, a Different Direction
After identifying the greatest commandment, Jesus immediately added another.
Interestingly, nobody had asked Jesus for the second greatest commandment.
He included it because the two are inseparable.
You cannot fully love God while refusing to love people.
Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18, but the verses leading up to that command reveal what loving others actually looks like.
In Leviticus 19:9–18, God gives His people practical instructions about how to treat those around them.
Leave part of your harvest for the poor and the stranger.
Don't steal or lie.
Pay workers fairly.
Don't exploit people with disabilities.
Treat people justly regardless of their wealth or influence.
Don't hold grudges or seek revenge.
And then comes the command:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
In other words, God didn't leave love as an abstract feeling.
He showed us what it looks like in action.
Love People Where They Are
Biblical love is not simply something we feel.
Love is something we give.
Sometimes that means giving someone what we have.
Sometimes it means offering patience, forgiveness, understanding, or the benefit of the doubt.
Sometimes it means giving someone another chance.
And sometimes it means choosing to love someone who hasn't made it particularly easy.
Leviticus shows us two important expressions of that love.
Justice for the vulnerable.
We are called to care about those who are struggling, overlooked, disadvantaged, or unable to protect themselves.
Our instinct might be to keep our distance until someone's circumstances improve.
But Jesus calls us to love people where they are.
Not where we wish they were.
Not once they've gotten their lives together.
Right where they are.
Grace for the difficult.
This one can be even harder.
What about the person who hurt you?
The person who disappointed you?
The person who continually frustrates you?
Our natural response is often to judge, withdraw, hold a grudge, or wait until they change before offering kindness.
But biblical love calls us to something different.
It doesn't mean pretending wrongdoing is acceptable or ignoring healthy boundaries.
It means refusing to let resentment have the final word.
We can speak truth without hatred.
We can offer grace without excusing sin.
We can choose forgiveness instead of revenge.
And importantly, loving your neighbor as yourself doesn't mean loving your neighbor instead of yourself.
Jesus calls us to recognize the value of others while also recognizing our own.
Love people where they are—not just where you want them to be.
Everything Hangs on Love
Jesus concluded His answer with a remarkable statement:
“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”Matthew 22:40 (NKJV)
Think about that.
All the commandments.
All the teaching.
All the instruction about living as God's people.
Jesus says it all hangs on two things:
Love God. Love people.
This isn't just one more responsibility to add to an already crowded life.
It's the reason we exist.
It's the foundation for our decisions, our relationships, our work, our generosity, and our mission.
And it gives direction to the urgency we all feel as time passes.
Give Your Life a Destination
Remember Tolstoy?
He had wealth, fame, intellectual achievement, and extraordinary success.
But none of those things could answer the deepest question of his existence.
Why?
Because finite accomplishments cannot carry the weight of infinite purpose.
We can spend our lives chasing achievements that feel important in the moment, only to discover that the satisfaction doesn't last.
Another promotion.
Another purchase.
Another milestone.
Another accomplishment.
And then what?
Jesus gives us something greater than another goal to chase.
He gives us a purpose that reaches into every part of life.
You exist to love God, love people where they are, and help others follow Jesus.
That is your why.
The clock is still ticking. Jesus doesn't promise to slow it down.
But He tells us what to do with the time we've been given.
Take the First Step Toward Purpose
Knowing our purpose and living it are two different things.
So where do we begin?
1. Give God what you're holding back.
What part of your life isn't fully surrendered to Him?
Maybe it's your finances.
Maybe it's your future, career, relationships, or reputation.
Maybe it's bitterness you've been holding onto.
Maybe it's an area where you know God is calling you to obedience, but you've been resisting.
Ask yourself:
What part of my “all” isn't actually His?
2. Choose to love someone where they are.
We all have someone in our lives who is difficult to love.
Someone who has hurt us.
Someone we don't understand.
Someone we've kept at a distance.
Someone we're waiting on to change.
But what if we stopped waiting?
What if we chose to demonstrate love first?
Maybe that means praying for them.
Maybe it means sending a text.
Maybe it means offering forgiveness, apologizing, or doing something kind without expecting anything in return.
At Bridgepoint, we made this challenge tangible by inviting people to write the initials of someone difficult to love on a ping-pong ball and place it in a stand at the front of the room.
It was a simple action with a powerful meaning:
I'm choosing to find ways to love this person.
Not because they've earned it.
Not because it's easy.
But because that's what God has called me to do.
What Is Your Why?
You don't have to spend your life wondering whether it matters.
You don't have to find your identity in achievements, possessions, or recognition.
And you don't have to wait until you've accomplished something extraordinary to begin living with purpose.
Jesus has already told us why we're here.
Love God with everything you are.
Love people right where they are.
Help others follow Jesus.
The question isn't whether God has given your life a purpose.
The question is whether you're living it.
So today, consider two simple questions:
What am I still holding back from God?
Who is God calling me to love right where they are?
Your next step toward a more purposeful life may not be another accomplishment.
It may simply be an act of surrender.
Or an act of love.
Because at the end of the day, the greatest purpose isn't found in what we achieve for ourselves.
It's found in how completely we love God and how faithfully we love the people He places in our lives.
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