Helping students succeed means more than providing academic support—it also means helping them understand who they are in Christ. That’s why at Sevenstar, we believe a biblical worldview should be woven into every part of learning. This article was written with students in mind, but parents can also use it as a tool to guide their child in discovering their God-given identity and calling. When students realize they were created on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose, it changes how they approach school, work, and life. Want to go deeper? You can explore more on this topic in her book The Caller, the Called, the Calling by Erin Forrest Johnson.
God created you on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose.
Our souls all stir with a longing to live life fully and well. We need to know that we matter and our life matters. This truth—that God created you on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose—is at the very heart of living a well-lived life. Embracing this truth is, in fact, the foundation of understanding your purpose in life and the gateway to knowing your calling.
Think about it: A calling is given to the called by a caller. To understand your calling – your purpose – you must get to know the Caller and what He has to say in His Word, the Bible. The Word of God has much to say about God—the Caller; you—the called; and His purposes, which define your purpose—the calling.
One scripture passage in particular teaches us three things about Christ that orient us to our purpose:
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. -Colossians 1:16-18 (ESV)
First, we learn from these verses that God is the Creator of all things. This means that He created you. Verse 16 tells us that “all things were created through him.” It further explains that He didn’t just create visible (physical) things; God has also created what is invisible. When He designed you, He gave you aptitudes, interests, motives, abilities, strengths, talents. God didn’t just determine your eye color; He also determined your favorite color. Genesis 1:26-27 says that you were made in God’s image, and Psalm 139 says that He knit you together in your mother’s womb and knows all of your days before a single one of them happens. Your hair type, the day you were born and the times in which you live, your personality, the things you enjoy doing and the things you’re not good at—God made you that way. He designed you to be exactly who you are. You were created on purpose.
Second, we see that God made everything for a reason. Look again at verse 16: “All things were created through him and for him” (emphasis mine). This is your why.
Why were you created? You exist for God.
Notice that Scripture does not say that you were created for yourself. The chief end of man, as answered in the very first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. This is a hugely counter-cultural truth: You don’t exist for your own glory, to live for yourself, and to “follow your heart.” Rather, we read this in verse 18, “[Jesus] is the head … the beginning … that in everything he might be preeminent.” This all-powerful God who made you, He made you for Himself. You were created for a purpose.
Third, we see in this passage that God is active and working in the world today. Verse 17 tells us that God is holding all things together. Note that the verb—hold—is present tense: “In him all things hold together” (emphasis mine). God is presently at work in His world. He is continuously sustaining all things in His active sovereignty, working them out for His good purpose and for His glory (Romans 8:28). As His image-bearer, one of the ways in which you present His image is through work. Yes, work! God wants you to actively participate with Him in His world. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (ESV). The Greek word for works in this passage—ergon—literally means labor, toil, occupation. God designed you to work, and He is glorified through your work. You were created with a purpose.
God created you on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose.
God has a plan for you: to be someone that only you can be; to do something that only you can do; to influence people whom only you can influence. He intentionally designed you so that you can accomplish these plans, and He determined your times and places for working alongside Him, empowered by the Holy Spirit to do His work in His world, for His glory. This is your calling.
What is your calling today? First and foremost, you are called to know and love God more deeply by spending time in His Word and in prayer, and by participating in the community of believers in a local Bible-believing church. You are also called to steward well the gifts and abilities that God has given you, growing and strengthening them while also paying attention to the doors that open and close while you trust God to unfold His sovereign plan. And you are called to faithfulness in all the work He’s given you to do today—from doing your chores to obeying your parents to finishing your homework. Choose to complete all your work with a good attitude (joy) and to the best of your ability (excellence).
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
– Colossians 3:23 (ESV)
Do you hear Him calling you?
Sources
Forrest Johnson, Erin. The Caller, the Called, the Calling: A 100-Day Guide to Understanding Your Purpose. Be Strong + Courageous, 2023.
“The Westminster Shorter Catechism – The Presbytery of the United States | The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing).” Free Church of Scotland, https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/confessional-standards/the-westminster-shorter-catechism/. Accessed 25 July 2025.
“Strong’s Greek: 2041. ἔργον (ergon) — Work, deed, action, task, labor.” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/greek/2041.htm. Accessed 25 July 2025.