We are still early into the new year, so let’s talk about dreams and goals. Ever wonder what your purpose is in life? And how do you know what plans to make if you don’t know what your purpose is? What is your purpose in life? How do you find out?
Don’t Make Me Do That!
For many, they think of God’s purpose for them as something scary, and difficult. There are some who are afraid that God is going to turn them into a missionary in some remote part of the world. Others are afraid that He will stick them in a job where they would be miserable. And maybe have to relocate to the middle of some frozen tundra.
Some even think if they fulfill God’s purpose, that might mean becoming a martyr, being isolated, or being stuck somewhere they never wanted to be.
There are those who have decided that they are going to do their own thing. I’ll just be that good (quiet) Christian doing that thing that I’ve decided suits me. They are afraid that God is going to make them do or be someone they don’t want to be, so they avoid it.
God Wants You To Be You
It’s interesting. We see people doing the same type of thing in every different type of way you can imagine. Everyone can be at the same starting line of life, but some go left and some go right. Some go up and some go down. Others go over and some go under while others choose to stay right where they are. Be you, become better at who you are – see my blog post on Becoming Better At Who You Are.
I want to share the first part of Proverbs 19:21 with you…
“Many are the plans of man…”
Proverbs 19:21a
God nailed that one on the head didn’t He? Oh, I can’t tell you how many plans I’ve had. Most of those plans I never pursued. A few of those plans I did pursue, but they failed or how I like to say it, they didn’t pan out. And then a few of them did pan out.
And I am just one person. Can you imagine all the other plans that are out there in the world, past, present, and in the future? That’s a lot of plans. So God’s word is right, “many are the plans of man.”
What about God’s Purpose <<brakes screeching to a holt>>
Let me share the second part of that verse in Proverbs:
Proverbs 19:21b
“…but it is the purpose of God that prevails.”
I propose to you that God’s Purpose for me, for you, and for all that follow Christ is the same. And it’s this:
That all (others) would come to the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I Timothy 2:4-7 MSG
He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.
Concluded and Proposed
I conclude that you, I, and others have a lot of plans. Be and do YOU!
I propose that whatever those plans are that we use those plans to fulfill the purpose of God.
In other words, whatever you do let it be something you are passionate about. And in whatever it is you are doing that you are passionate about, let it reflect Christ in what and how you do it, and in the words you say to others as you do it.
Listen to this as Toby Mac sums it up, I was Made to Love and to be loved…
Challenge of the Week
God created you with special gifts and strengths. When you are using those gifts and strengths in what you do, it gives you passion. In that, reflect Christ. In doing so you are fulfilling the purpose of God. Now you know God’s purpose for your life. Be you. Go do it. So be it!
