Hi. My name is Ray. I'm a husband, father, and an animator at a video game studio, living

just outside Raleigh, North Carolina. I've been a Desiring God Ministry partner for five

years. You're listening to the Ask Pastor John Podcast with John Piper.

That was Ray, a friend of ours, who animates video games. He has an interesting story to

share, as you can imagine, and that's going to be up here in a moment. But first, Pastor

John, we have talked a lot on this podcast about personal productivity, and that leads us

to today's question from a listener named Paul, who lives in Surria, Spain. Paul writes

this. Hello, Pastor John. Thank you for this podcast. Way back in episode 839, you mentioned

the importance of writing out a personal mission statement for our lives with the aim of enhancing

personal productivity. I agree completely, and I find this task entirely daunting. So

how do I as an average Christian layperson go about coming up with a personal mission

statement? Should we be strengths and talents oriented about it? Should we focus on roles?

Should we mostly focus on spiritual needs in the church, both locally and globally? And

how do we avoid letting this statement grow so broad that we get overwhelmed to the point

that such a statement does nothing actually to help us focus our energies? Any help would

be appreciated. When I read the Bible, I cannot escape the relentless teaching that God

has purposes. He has goals in everything he does. He's not a God who is coasting aimlessly.

He's not going in circles. The God of the Bible is pervasively pursuing accomplishments

of his own counsel. So Isaiah 46, I am God. There is no one like me declaring my counsel

shall stand. I will accomplish all my purpose. So there it is. I will accomplish all my

purpose. God has purposes. He has plans. Isaiah 14, 24, as I have planned, so shall it

be as I have purposed, so shall it stand. Plans, purposes, I determined it long ago. Isaiah

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