Students applying to graduate schools or universities are sometimes required to write their Statement of Purpose (SOP). Statement of Purpose talks of who a person is, what he or she has done, and what they hope to do after the new training they are seeking. In the graduate school of life, some form of statement of purpose is equally relevant. Without this, we will not be able to distinguish between what is tactically important from the trivial ones; the main from the mundane. Inability to grasp a statement of purpose can get someone drowned in an endless sea of activities, wasting energy and other vital resources. The other danger of not having a clear purpose is that people will keep assuming about you.

The true identity of a man is his mission, and that mission can only be found in God. When you locate yourself in God’s overall plan, life takes on a new meaning.

In our text, the Jews sent the priests and Levites to John to enquire about him. Before now, they had assumed he was Elijah or the much-awaited Christ. John told them he was neither. When they pressed harder to know about him, he declared that he was the voice that Isaiah prophesied about whose duty was to announce to the people to prepare the way of the Lord. It is interesting to note that he did not describe himself as John the son of Zechariah. He did not even bother to put any prefix or title to his name. He defined himself in the context of God’s purpose for his life. The true identity of a man is his mission, and that mission can only be found in God. When you locate yourself in God’s overall plan, life takes on a new meaning.