Serving St. Louis: Why Helping Others Could Be Key to Finding Your Purpose

Refresh Others. Get Refreshed.

Have you ever felt like there must be more to life than this? For so long, many of us have been told that we need to go to college, get a good corporate job, find a cute spouse, buy a nice house, make lots of money and be happy. However, many have discovered that when you get to the end of that path, while it may be comfortable, it does not feel meaningful. Somehow, even when everything is going well, life feels mundane, boring, purposeless. You question if this is really all there is to life. Even when you have everything in life that you wanted, you are left feeling depressed, alone, uninterested, exhausted, and feeling like you are missing out on your true purpose.

 You were made for something more. The Bible tells us that, “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, New International Version). You were not just built for yourself, to build up your own empire. You were built to help others. Until you realize this is foundational to fulfilling your calling in this world, you will struggle to find the joy and satisfaction that you are longing for.

Many people struggle today with feeling exhausted. Maybe you understand that feeling. Even though you got enough sleep, ate enough food, drank your coffee, you still just feel tired on the inside. I have found that many of those times that I am feeling that way, my solution is to turn into myself more. What do I mean? I mean, I will tell myself that I am exhausted because I need to work out more, or because I need to have a more consistent sleep schedule, or because I need to finish this work project first. I can believe that my solution to my exhaustion is solving my problems. But what if that was the opposite of what I needed to be doing?

In Proverbs it says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25, NIV). The key to being refreshed instead of exhausted is not to turn inward, but instead to turn outward. By refreshing others, you will be refreshed yourself. Have you ever helped someone and left feeling better? Maybe you volunteered somewhere like a nursing home or food bank or gave money to someone in need. Whatever it was, you probably felt refreshed afterwards. Why? Because you were fulfilling the purpose you were made for. Your purpose in this life is tied helping others.

Jesus told a parable and said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, NIV). In Jesus’ eyes, He takes how you treat others personally. You were not built just for yourself. No matter how much comfort and security you build up, it will never be able to achieve the level of purpose and refreshing that you were intended for.

So what can you do? Start serving others. You can start small.  You could pay for someone else’s food in the drive through. (Check out local station Joy FM’s free Share Some Joy notes: (https://www.thejoystore.com/free-joyd-mini-notes.html). You could rake your elderly neighbor’s yard or shovel their driveway. You can begin to experience that refreshing and start fulfilling your purpose today.

However, do not stop there. St. Louis has no shortage of people in need. There are homeless and refugees all throughout the city who could use your help. There are racial and socioeconomic divisions throughout this community that could begin to be mended through serving others. There are people without the hope of Jesus Christ who are hoping someone will step out and volunteer to serve others through preaching the Gospel.

Revelation Church STL has partnered with many organizations in the St. Louis area who are already working in these communities to help those in need. If you want to partner with Revelation Church STL in helping make an impact in St. Louis, then sign up to be a part of our outreach team below. We host gospel events throughout the city, as well as partner with local outreach organizations to best help those in need. By signing up below, you will play a key role in helping others, fulfilling your purpose, and making an impact that could last for all of eternity.

Outreach Team Signup: https://revchurchstl.churchcenter.com/people/forms/700393

Want to stay up to date on new blog posts? Subscribe below to be notified when new posts are released!

Like This Post? Share it on socials using the quick links below with others who need to read it!