Our Purpose: Doing vs Abiding

If you’d asked me a few months ago what my life’s purpose was, I would have told you with full conviction: it’s to know God and make Him known.

It’s a belief that has guided me for years, rooted deeply in my faith. But as days pass and I find myself ever more convicted, I see how this purpose—clear as it may be—can sometimes lead me down a path more focused on “doing” than “being.”

I’m reminded of when Jesus gently corrected Martha when she scolded Mary for sitting and listening to Him rather than working saying, “...Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful....”(Luke 10:41-42). I see now how easily I, too, can become troubled by my own desire to do for Him rather than simply to be with Him.

In this conviction, I’ve found that abiding in Christ is more than just a task on my list; it’s the foundation of my relationship with Him.

It may be a small difference in grammar, but I find this difference is essential. To abide in Him places the focus on relationship, not on works. Yes, knowing Him and making Him known is crucial, but when I let those aims consume me as tasks, my purpose can become something I “do” rather than Someone I “dwell” in. And abiding, I’ve discovered, means allowing my work, my actions, and my purpose to flow as an overflow of my time with Him.

Abiding, I’ve discovered, means allowing my work, my actions, and my purpose to flow as an overflow of my time with Him.

The joy and satisfaction I find in this relationship do not come from piling on work for God, and any who try to find their satisfaction in the doing alone will soon find themselves wearied. Satisfaction is found in Christ alone, and all our doing must come as an outpouring of abiding in Him, rather than as a means to fulfill our own need for purpose.

Abiding in Christ keeps us from laboring in vain.

Without it, all efforts become like building a house without a foundation, fragile and easily undone. As Psalm 127:1 reminds us, “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it….” This way, our work springs not from a need for recognition, but from the pure joy of fellowship with Him. It is through Him, and by His grace alone, that we can find rest for our souls and clarity for our purpose.

Our goal is to live out this truth in our business.

We want to be a people who abide first and act second. When we focus on abiding, the doing will naturally follow, shaped by His desires and not our own ambitions. This doesn’t mean we have an excuse to sit idly by, but rather that when we truly dwell with Christ, He will work through us to accomplish all He desires. Our goals, our priorities—they all become clear in the light of His presence. I remind myself of His promises in Scripture even in those times when the Lord feels far off by trusting His Word over my feelings and knowing that His closeness is true even when silence seems to reign.

When we focus on abiding, the doing will naturally follow, shaped by His desires and not our own ambitions.

As I reflect on this journey, I invite you, to join in the call to abide. It is the heart of worship, the foundation of faith, and the source of true satisfaction. Abiding in Christ centers us on the eternal instead of the fleeting, rooting us in a relationship with the One who is Life, Light, and Truth. May our lives be filled not with doing for the sake of doing, but with a love that overflows from our time with Him. And in abiding, may we naturally reflect His love and make Him known, as He leads us forward in joy, peace, and fulfillment.