Fulfilling Your Purpose
1. It's A Joy To Fulfill Our Purpose
As I was thinking about writing our last devotional "For Such A Time As This", I thought about how Esther and the other Bible characters in our study found their purpose. I am so happy when the Lord shows me a new theme for our devotionals and I started thinking of the possibilities under the caption, "Find Your Purpose." Then I realized that we need to do more than just find our purpose, we need to fulfill our purpose. I am always so excited when God leads me in a new direction for our daily walk in His Word.
2. We All Have A Purpose
I have quoted Romans 8:28 many times. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Each time I was thinking about how good God is and how He continually works things out for our good. This verse is an encouragement when life doesn't seem to be going as good as we would like for it to. Today we are looking at the last part of the verse, "...to them who are the called according to his purpose." When God calls us, He has a purpose for our lives. That is really an amazing truth. God calls to you, and He calls to me, and He has a plan and purpose for us! We should never believe that God calls us, and then lets us fight it out on our own, to survive in this world. And not only is He helping us each step of the way, He has a purpose for us. Most of the things I buy at the grocery store are bought for a purpose. I buy bread flour to put in my bread maker for yeast rolls. There are very few things that I will just randomly put into the shopping cart, without a purpose. In the same way, God doesn't mean for us to randomly go through life, without a plan or purpose. It is so wonderful when we find God's purpose for our life, and then it is even greater when we fulfill God's purpose.
3. An Important Purpose
It was many years ago, early in my role of adulthood, that I was sitting on a church pew watching a group of my peers rehearsing for a Christmas play. I thought about how great it was for each person to be chosen for the role he or she would perform, because every role was important to the message of the play. I actually felt a little left out, and wondered if I would ever have an important role to play, in my future. It was forty years ago, but the feelings and emotions are still clear in my mind. I know when it was, because I was holding my firstborn. What I didn't know was that God had already chosen me for the most important role of my lifetime... motherhood. For all of you mothers who feel like you might be missing out on fun and excitement with your friends... for all who feel like you have been left behind, caring for your young child,... don't search around for a bigger purpose for your life. Right now, taking care of the precious life God has placed in your arms is the most important purpose you could have. As my children grew older and married, and moved into their own homes, I began to have a little more free time to think about God's purpose for my life. I had a part in a play one Christmas, and I had several little jobs outside the house, but I am sure that my greatest purpose, was being a mother to our five children. At least it was... until, my first grandchild was born! Being a grandmother may be my favorite role yet! "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:28 & 30)
4. Using Your Talents For The Lord
My Grandmother used to tell me a little story about when my Mom was a toddler. She picked up a piece of thread and handed it to someone who said, "She is going to be a seamstress!" And my Mom is the best seamstress I know. She made most of the clothes that my sisters and I wore growing up, and she sewed for special occasions, like weddings. But, I can also remember her making clothes for different ones that she knew needed something to wear. My Mom used her talent, which was a gift from the Lord, to help our family, and help others. She is still giving of herself to be a help to others. She reminds me of Dorcas...
We have only a few verses about Dorcas, but we can tell that she made a difference in the lives of others during the time of the early church. We see a description of her in Acts 9:36. "Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did." She was charitable towards the poor. Let's continue... "And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them." (Acts 9:37-38) In their great love for her they sent for Peter. "Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord." (Acts 9:39-42) She had used her talents to make a difference in the lives of others as she sewed to make coats and clothes for them. And God used Peter to bring her back to life and be a witness for the Lord. We may not have much money to give to others, but we can use our time and talents to make a difference in their lives.
5. We All Have A Gift
We began these devotionals talking about God having a purpose for our lives. One of the ways we can fulfill our purpose is to use our gifts for His glory. Just as we each have a purpose from God, we also have a gift. You may feel like you don't have any specific talents that you can use for the Lord, but there are several verses that tell us that God gives us all a gift.
"Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." (Ephesians 4:8)
"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (I Peter 4:10)
"For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that." (I Corinthians 7:7)
A few of the gifts are listed in the New Testament.
"6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality." (Romans 12:6-13)
If you can't find a special gift, then maybe God has blessed you with the gift of helps. "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." (I Corinthians 12:28)
6. Sometimes God Says To Wait
I took my daughter to a Uhaul place when I was helping her move, and it doubled as a furniture store. We have had our sofa and loveseat 20 years and Michael and I have talked about replacing them but I don’t enjoy shopping for big items. Well, when we stepped inside the store there was a sofa and loveseat that looked like they were made just for me. The color would go well with my room and curtains, and was on sale for a good price. That evening I told Michael about it and he told me that I could get it if I wanted it. I prayed that God would show me if It was the right thing to do the next day. After we unloaded the truck the next morning we took it back and I took time to sit on the sofa and see if it was comfortable. My daughter was telling me to get it, and I wanted to, but I realized that I had picked up little Lici to put her in the car seat and forgotten to get my pocketbook. I didn’t have money, checkbook, or credit cards with me. I remembered my prayer and decided that God was showing me that I needed to wait on the furniture. I still like the set but I am thankful that God answered my prayer. I will probably check back later, but for now, God told me to wait. Sometimes things may seem to be working out just right, when God tells us to wait. There may be something we really want, but God says to wait. God’s Word tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son, but they didn’t wait on the Lord and wars are still being fought between Abraham’s descendants. When we think about our purposes in life we need to follow God’s will and His timing. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
7. Sometimes God Tells Us "No"
In addition to telling us to wait at times, God sometimes tells us, "No". This is a story of a time when King David wanted to do something good, but God told him, "No."
"1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?" (II Samuel 7:1-5)
God didn't let David, "a man after his own heart", build the temple. But, God told him that his son would build the temple and "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." (II Samuel 7:16) This promise was carried through in Israel until King Nebuchadnezzar carried them away to Babylon. And when Jesus was born, of the lineage of David, He established His throne for ever. "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." (Matthew 1:1) "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:16-17) When God told David that he could not build a temple, He had greater things in mind for David. We don't know what God holds for us in the future when He tells us, "No" in the present.
8. A Little Maid With A Purpose
Our lesson today is from a little maid who had a purpose from the Lord.
"1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." (II Kings 5:1-3)
This little girl was taken away into captivity to a far land where the people served different idols. But this child knew the God of Israel and she knew the prophet Elisha. Let's continue with our story...
"4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (II Kings 5:4-8)
Elisha told Naaman to dip in the Jordan River seven times and he would be clean. Naaman wanted the prophet to do a great miracle, but his servants advised him to wash and be clean, and he did. Because this little girl had been taught about the God of Israel, she was able to be used by God. We need to teach our children the things of God, because God is able to give them a purpose to be used by Him.
9. A Little Boy Had Faith
Our house was full with four little boys. One day, little David, told me that he was praying for a baby sister. I told him that I didn't think we would have any more children, not knowing that I was actually expecting at that moment. As we neared the time for our little baby to be born, David wanted to buy little dresses for the new baby. I told him that we didn't know if it would be a girl. David looked at me and said these three little words, "But, God knows!" I could not argue with the faith of this little boy. I took him shopping and we bought a small doll and wrapped it up. Five days before his fifth birthday our little daughter was born and he carried the doll to the hospital to give to his new baby sister.
The miracle of Jesus when He fed the 5,000 with two little fish and five loaves of bread is recorded in all five gospels. We are reading from John 6:5-11.
"5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would."
John tells us that the five loaves and two small fish belonged to a lad, a little boy. Jesus took the small lunch and broke it into enough pieces to feed 5,000 men, and there were probably women and children not included in that number. Do you think that this little boy was the only person among so many who had a little food with him? If there were other men or women who had some food with them they probably thought as the disciples did, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little" and "... but what are they among so many?" But, this little boy had faith that if he gave what he had to Jesus, it would be enough. Jesus used this little boy to fulfill His purpose because this little boy had faith that Jesus could use what he had. I often watched my children's little lips move while they stood with their eyes closed and I knew that they were praying. How much more could God use us if we had the faith of a small child?
10. Another Lad Fulfilling A Purpose
Can you fulfill a purpose for the Lord without even knowing it? Certainly. When I was thinking about our little lad from the story yesterday, I remembered another lad who fulfilled a purpose. When King Saul was trying to kill David, Jonathan, Saul's son, helped David escape with the help of a young boy who never knew that he had a part.
"35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37 And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter." (I Samuel 20:35-39)
This may be like a simple little story in our eyes, but we have another greater example of someone being used by God, and he didn't even know it. Micah 5:2 foretold that the Christ child would be born in Bethlehem. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." God used a pagan emperor to lead Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to fulfill His prophecy.
"1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)" (Luke 2:1-4)
God can use us to be a part of His divine plan and we may not even be aware of it. We don't know who is watching our lives. We don't know when a word we say can lift someone up, or tear them down. We need to live for God and serve Him and let Him use us for His honor and glory.
11. Sometimes We Want To Make Sure Of Our Purpose
There have been times when I felt like God was leading me to so something for someone, and I knew it was the Lord, and I felt so blessed to be used by God to bless someone else. But there have been other times when I thought that maybe the Lord was leading me to do something and I hesitated, or didn't do it and the moment passed and later I realized that God was indeed leading me and I missed it. It may be hard to know if an inclination is just something that we thought of doing, or if it is a nudge from the Lord. I think Gideon is a good example. An angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon as he was threshing wheat (which should be done in the open so the wind can carry away the chaff) down in a wine pit to hide it from the Midianites. He told Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites. First, he was to throw down the altar of Baal, which he did. Then we have to story of Gideon's fleece.
"36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground." (Judges 6:36-40)
After God answered by the fleece, He reduced Gideon's followers to 300 men. To ease Gideon's fears God told him to go down to the enemy camp and listen to what they were saying.
"12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian." (Judges 7:12-15)
You can read the rest of the story in the seventh chapter of Judges to see how Gideon's army defeated them with trumpets, empty pitchers, and lamps in the pitchers. God did not rebuke Gideon for wanting to be sure of his purpose. And Gideon went forward for the Lord once he was sure God was leading. When we feel like God is possibly leading us in a certain direction, it is good to pray and make sure. Then, after we are sure, we need to follow through in God's purpose and we will be blessed!
12. Sometimes Our Purpose Is Fulfilled With Others
We are still talking about fulfilling our purpose, and sometimes we are called to a task which is greater than we can accomplish alone. Some jobs require many working together to get the job done. When King David was old he numbered the Levites to do the work of the Lord. As I was reading in I Chronicles I noticed that 4,000 had the purpose of praising the Lord with music. "Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith." (I Chronicles 23:5) When King Solomon dedicated the temple the singers and musicians "were as one, to make one sound to be heard praising and thanking the LORD..." They all had the same purpose and as they worked together "as one", each one was just as important as the others in fulfilling their purpose.
"12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God." (II Chronicles 5:12-14)
13. Sometimes We Fulfill Our Purpose Alone
A task may be easier when someone helps us, but there are times when we are called to fulfill our purpose alone. There are several examples in David's list of mighty men. Eleazar and Shammah are two who each stayed in the battle after everyone else fled and had great victories.
"9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:
10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.
12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory." (II Samuel 23:9-12)
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul speaks of working alone... but he adds, "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me..." When you feel like you are bearing the burden alone, remember that the Lord is with you to give you strength. "...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)
"9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." (II Timothy 4:9-17)
14. Hiding Your Purpose
I was driving down a different road and I saw a long line of systematic, bright, storage units. Over the top was a huge sign that read, "Lifetime Storage". There are times that you may need a storage unit. My daughter and her husband just sold their house, so they had to put their furniture and most of their belongings in storage until they close on the house they are buying. I understand that, but the term, "Lifetime Storage" didn't set well with me. The first thought that came to my mind was, "Why keep something if you are going to keep it hidden away in storage your entire lifetime?" Then, I thought, maybe it means you rent the building and you can keep using it your whole life. Maybe you have one of these and you have a good reason to keep it. I am not trying to ridicule you or question your needs. I know that I have stuff in my garage storage room that I need to get rid of. And I am slowly working on it. If something is in storage it is hidden and not out for use. I thought about the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25. Notice in verse 15 that "every man" was given "according to his several ability." God has given us all talents or gifts according to our ability, or purpose. The man who received one talent hid it. God doesn't want us to hide our talents away. Use what God gives you!
"14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents." (Matthew 25:14-28)
15. Don't Lose Sight Of Your Most Important Purpose
For several years after the kids were older I worked at a bank preparing mortgage loans. That was one of my most time consuming purposes at that time. When our department was moved to another city I lost my job and I went back to being a homemaker. Our purpose can change as we grow older and our direction in life changes. But, we should never lose focus of our main purpose as Christians. No matter what job we have, or where we live, or who we spend our time with, we should glorify God in all that we do. I hope to look at some of the things we can do to fulfill our purpose as children of God next week, but today I want to look at someone in the Bible who started out right, but lost sight of his purpose. King Solomon built the temple. Solomon had a dream where God asked what he wanted and he asked for wisdom to lead the people.
"11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days." (I Kings 3:11-14)
King Solomon married many wives and they turned his heart away from God. Later in life he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes which tells of all the vanities and vexatation he discovered in life away from God. I believe the king was looking back in regret when he wrote, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;" (Ecclesiastes 12:1) He realized that he had strayed away from his most important purpose in life and turned away from God.
16. It Is Not My Purpose To Judge
Before we continue with our look at some of the ways the Bible tells us to fulfill God's purpose, I want to talk about one thing that we are told not to do. In Luke 6:37 we have the words of Jesus, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" I try hard not to judge other people. I have been wrongfully judged at times and it has left scars that cannot be healed. I don't want to hurt others by judging them. My purpose in writing these devotionals is to tell what Jesus has done for me, and continues to do in my life. I try to share what the scriptures mean to me, and the gospel message that "Jesus Saves!" When I use terms like, "we should", or "we shouldn't", I am trying to relate what I think the Word means. I am not judging those who are reading. I am not trying to lift myself above others. I have a hard enough time with my own faults and failures. I try to write what I feel like the Lord wants me to say, and since these thoughts came to my mind today, I want to assure you that my words are not spoken in judgment against you or others. God is my Judge. And one day we will all fall on our knees before our Righteous Judge.
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;" (II Timothy 4:1)
"10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." (Romans 14:10-13)
17. What Does God Require?
To finish out our devotions on, "Fulfilling Your Purpose", I want to look at some of the things in God's Word that we are told to do. In the Old Testament the people lived under the law and had to offer up sacrifices to cover their sin. Jesus came and died for our sin and He is the spotless Lamb of God so we don't need the Old Testament sacrifices, but I want to share these verses from Micah 6:6-8.
"6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
God doesn't want us to offer up sacrifices. Here are three things He requires of us... "do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God..." Oh, what a difference it would make in the world today if people would do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God! This would take care of most of the problems in the world! This is our first step in fulfilling our purpose in the sight of God.
18. "Ye Must Be Born Again"
The first thing we must do in order to fulfill the Lord's purpose in our lives is be born again. Jesus told Nicodemus, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)
"3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:3-7)
Let's continue with their conversation...
"16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)
We must believe on Jesus, God's Son, to have everlasting life. We must also be saved in order to live up to our purpose designed by God.
19. The Greatest Commandment Is Love
If we asked what we could do that would be our greatest fulfillment of God's will, then we could go to the scriptures and see the first and greatest commandment.
"28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question." (Mark 12:28-34)
Love. Love God with all you have... your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength! Then, love others as much as you love yourself. We could do many things for the Lord, but if we don't do them in love then it is nothing.
"1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (I Corinthians 13:1-7)
20. Be Thankful
Many times I will make a list of verses or thoughts I want to include in the current theme, so last weekend I wrote down ideas for the remainder of this week. I had so many ideas and verses that we could use, but I decided to listen to the Lord each day and see what He would have us hear. And the thought that came to my mind for today is, "Be Thankful". We set aside a special day in November to give thanks to God, but hopefully we also thank Him all through the year. I remembered the verses, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thessalonians 5:18) "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 107:1) Jesus, knowing what was to come, even gave thanks when He established The Lord's Supper, "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:... And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:17 & 19) Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned to give thanks. I wonder if even one in ten gives God thanks today. In the description of the last days, we read that people will be "unthankful."
"1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (II Timothy 3:1-4)
I looked at all the verses I could find about giving thanks, and being thankful, and more than one hundred times the scriptures tell us to give thanks to God. I finally found two examples of thanking another person. Let's take time to be thankful, most of all to our Lord, but also to one another. Say, "Thank you!"
"Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." (Romans 16:3-4)
"And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant." (II Samuel 14:22)
21. Be A Witness
After Jesus' death and resurrection He appeared to the eleven disciples and gave them the great commission, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) I believe that it is God's will for us to be witnesses for Him. I was of a shy and quiet nature growing up and I have a hard time striking up a conversation with someone I don't know. And witnessing to someone is very hard for me and I know that I will have to face my failures when I kneel before the Lord. I try to be a witness in my writing and I pray that God will use these devotionals as a witness for Christ. I have also tried to witness in my personal writing and I send "Thank you" notes when someone may not really be expecting one so that I can try to witness in the card. I try to keep gospel tracts in my pocketbook so that I can hand one to someone when the Lord leads me to do so. We need to be a witness. We celebrated Easter a little while ago and I noticed that even the thief on the cross was a witness for Jesus.
"38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:38-43)
I believe that we are living in the last days and it is very important that we tell others about Jesus. It is also important that we live for Him and let them see Christ through us.
22. Bear One Another's Burdens
We are closing our devotionals on "Fulfilling Your Purpose" with Galatians 6:2, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." The individual purposes that God has for our lives are as diverse as we are. But I feel like our lives are woven together as we live, and work, and worship, day by day, each in some way, touching the lives of others. "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself." (Romans 14:7) Thoughts such as these may have been the inspiration of the sermon by John Donne, 400 years ago, that became a well-known poem, "No Man Is An Island."
"No Man Is An Island"
No man is an island,
entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were.
as well as if a manor of thy friend’s
or of thine own were.
Any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
As we seek to fulfill our purpose in God's will, we need to reach out to others in love and kindness. We are living in hard times, and people are troubled, weary and torn. Let's do what we can to ease the burden of others.
