Our Purpose

          Devotional for January 28, 2011

 

”(For it is He) Who delivered and saved us |and called us with a calling in itself holy
and leading to holiness,

not because of anything of merit
that we have done,

but because of and to further
His own purpose and grace

which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began.”

II Timothy 1:9

It was hard for Jesus to walk to cross. He stumbled. He was mocked. He was laughed at and misunderstood. He must have felt very alone, and it would have been natural for him to have felt discouraged. What I love, though, is that he never gave up. He never quit. He continued on, until his purpose was complete.

At times it will be just as hard for us to “walk out” our purpose in this life. We may stumble, and people may laugh at us. Chances are that we might feel very misunderstood. Perhaps there will be times that we will become discouraged and we may even want to quit. We may feel very alone, even in the midst of others. If we are to continue on in our journey, all the way to completion, we will need to take a closer look at the One who went before us. We need to look at Jesus.

What was it that caused Jesus to continue on in his journey to the cross? I believe Jesus was able to continue because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was the plan that his Father had for him. His Father had made his purpose very clear to him, and he also knew that His Father loved him. I believe that above all else, that Jesus’ desire was to please his Father, because he also, loved his Father in return.

Whether we know it or not, it is easy for others to look at our lives and see who or what it is that we love also. Jesus’ love for his Father was apparent for all to see. All that he did in this world was a result of that love. When others look at us, are they able to see that we love the Lord with all of our hearts, or do they see that we are distracted by the things of this world? Could it be that we are seeking after our own ways of becoming “worthy” in this place, either by way of wealth, beauty or status? Have we become too busy trying to please others, or even too busy trying to please ourselves? Have we become so wrapped up in our own ideas and desires that we have allowed them to take the place of our first love?

There is something else that I see when I look at Jesus, and the way that he walked out his purpose in this life. I see that he trusted in his Father’s plan. I see that no matter what it looked like, that Jesus continued to trust his Father. It is plain to see that no matter how many other voices there were shouting at him to be heard, that Jesus chose to listen to and to believe his Father’s voice, above all of the others.

What about us, do we trust Jesus in our lives? Yes, it is easy to trust in him when things are going well, but what about when things aren’t going so well? What about the times when everyone around us is telling us something different than what we know the Lord is saying to us? What about when everything seems to be falling apart at the seams and it looks to us as if Jesus is nowhere to be found? What happens to our trust in these times? Do we continue to trust in the One whom has gone before us, or do we look around us frantically, trying to find our own way out? The answers to these questions are important to us. They will not only show us where our heart is now, but they will determine where we will be in the future. Are we going to trust in Jesus and in the path that he has set before us? Are we going to trust in him, even if we are left standing alone, or will we listen to the voices of others? Will we listen to the voices of doubt that are shouting to be heard from inside of us, or, do we choose to listen to and to believe Jesus’ voice above all else?

The last thing that I want to bring to your attention is that Jesus was passionate about fulfilling his purpose in this life. He simply had to be. It takes passion to propel us forward when fear comes in to hold us back. Some may say that it is courage, but I believe that passion and courage go together. Passion “sees” beyond all reason, and once its direction is set, it is very hard to deter it. Passion comes when we believe in something so strongly that it “sets” itself in our hearts, and totally refuses to be moved. Passion helps to “stir” us up, and to “keep us going” when our strength has been otherwise exhausted. I believe that passion is the “cheerleader” of our cause, always reminding us of why we should continue and always cheering us on. A person without passion is a person without a cause. Jesus cared deeply for others. He loved the ones (us) that he was called to save.

Do we love those around us? I mean, deeply love them. Do we love them when they’ve hurt us? Do we love them when they’ve disappointed us? What about when they’ve even turned their backs on us, or perhaps said things about us to others? This is not an easy kind of love. This kind of love comes only from Jesus, and it is he that “works” this kind of love into our hearts. You see, this is part of our purpose, to love those around us, and to love them deeply. The Word says that each one of us is called to be a disciple of Christ. That is our purpose, and in order to do complete this purpose, we will need all of the things that I have spoken about above.

Jesus fulfilled his purpose. He knew that it was he, that His Father had chosen, to become the one perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. He did this in order that we might be saved and because he wanted us to have eternal life. He did this because he loves us. It was not an easy task for him to complete, but he did it anyways. He not only completed all that his Father had called him to do, but he completed it perfectly. He gave up his own life, in order that we might live. I can think of no greater gift or any deeper inspiration in my life than this.

written by Beverley A Napier