I have good news for you!
11/24/2009 1:21:17 PM
October 25,2009
I have good news for you today~
You have been born with a purpose—a unique one.
Purpose is defined as ‘the object toward which one strives, or
For which something exists’
The tiny, yellow canary. . . what if she didn’t sing? She wouldn’t live out her purpose.
The little sailboat on the waters of the Pacific. . . if its sails were never used, it would be
no more than a rowboat with cloth and pole attached.
Eric Liddell, gold medal Olympic runner. . . took a stand for God by not running on
Sunday. “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast.
And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” What if he hadn’t?
Young Billy Graham. . .if he had never dare to preach his first sermon about the God who
loves us, and bids us ‘Come, just as we are. . .’ What if he hadn’t preached?
I could give you example after example, of course, of those who discovered their purpose, and lived life fully because of it, but those suffice to make the point.
Sooner or later. . . the question comes, ‘Why am I here? What is my purpose?’ For some, it comes earlier than later—for instance, my Amy started asking me those questions at age seven, when I was tucking her in bed. She has never stopped thinking deeply, that girl. . . ‘Mommy, can you tell me the meaning of life? Can you tell me why I am here?’ How do you answer that question for a young child—did I really even have an answer then? Probably, but not a good one. I remember saying, ‘Oh, Amy, can’t we just play Barbies?’ These questions come at different life stages, mostly at obvious junctures.
Most people—men and women alike—hit midlife, and begin to think, “Is this all there is? Is this all I am ever going to be? Am I missing something?” If you are asking those questions, chances are that you are unsure of your purpose. Why am I writing this now? Because once again, the subject has come up in several of my spheres of influence, so it is time to explore~
In light of that, please carefully consider:
¨You were made in the image of God ~ Genesis 1.26 ~ What do you suppose that
means for you?____________________________________________________
¨As God’s created, you are body, soul, mind, spirit. . . Since nothing is wasted in God’s
economy, all of those are encompassed in your individual purpose.
Psalm 63.1 Matthew 26.41 Mark 12.30
¨Why did God create you? For relationship with Him.
Before the Garden of Eden was corrupted by sin, God even came down and walked
in the garden with Adam and Eve ~ Genesis 3.8 (How amazing would that have been?)
¨So, what did the Designer/Creator have in mind for His creation?
~He cares for us……………………………..Psalm 95.7
~He gives us good gifts…….………………………..Matthew 7.11
~He takes delight in us…………..………………...Zephaniah 3.17
~He will be a Father to us…………..………….2 Corinthians 6.18
~He loves us enough He would give us His Son…..….1 John 4.10
~Before you were born, GOD had a PLAN for your LIFE……….
à He said, “For I know the plans I have for you. . .
plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29.11
àThe Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. Psalm 138.8
What are the steps toward finding your purpose? Consider your relationship with your Creator. Do you have your own relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you surrendered your will to his? (For this is where you must begin in finding your purpose~) If not, you are invited to do so now, by praying a simple prayer of faith, something like this:
‘Dear God, I want to know you more. I recognize that I sin regularly, and that since no unholy thing will be in your presence, my sins must be covered—and Jesus Christ did that on the cross. Since I want to spend eternity with you, please forgive me of my sins, and come and lead my life. Amen’ If you prayed that prayer, you are part of the family of God. . . welcome!
Jesus said the greatest commands were, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul…mind…strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.’ Accordingly, stepping into our God-given purpose involves serving others. Serving is first a heart attitude toward people, issuing forth from the second command above, ‘love your neighbor as yourself,’ and then it is a demonstrated act. How are you gifted? What are your talents and experiences? Use those to define how you will serve.
More tomorrow, as I share with you how JOY and living out one’s purpose are closely related—in fact, linked. Remember, you were created with the Creator’s purpose imprinted on you~ and that my friends, is empowering! That is good news.
Christine