I’m back to continue my discussion re: my life’s purpose, after having been rudely interrupted last night by Explorer, which felt the need to shut down in the middle of my post. (Hmm, was this Satan’s way of interfering w/my search for a deeper relationship w/God?)
In between then and now, I called a Christian woman I know and asked her if wanting to believe in God to get into Heaven was selfish? She didn’t believe so, as long as I had believed in Jesus’s resurrection, His pardoning of my sins, and His governing of my life. (I still capitalize the pronouns referring to Jesus, even though I realize that is now considered unnecessary. I’ll have to research who decided that.)
During our discussion, I mentioned that developing a relationship w/God is something I must make a concerted effort to do since I didn’t grow up in a home where Christianity or any religion was a priority so everything I learn is from scratch. While I believe in in Jesus, his resurrection, his forgiveness of sins, etc. intellectually, I haven’t had the big “God” moment experienced by other Christians. What helps me carry on in my faith is that Mother Teresa felt the absence of God for 40 years after moving to India, although she felt his presence initially. Yet, she didn’t allow her lack of emotional response hinder her work for the Lord, and she truly accomplished a tremendous amount in His name. Perhaps if I stop wanting and waiting for such an outpouring of Divine revelation to wash over me, it’ll arrive unexpectedly. Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, today’s ? from Pastor Rick deals w/the fact that God planned everything about me, from my sex to my parents to what time in history I would be born, and that it all is part of his plan for my life. Additionally, my creation is an expression of God’s love for me and that He will guide my life if I let Him. Knowing this, what areas of my life am I struggling to accept?
Well, knowing this means I should be accepting of ALL areas of my life, yet as a human, I realize this isn’t the case. What I am dealing w/is aging, the lines/wrinkles that are appearing on my face and the brown spots on the backs of my hands. This isn’t much to be concerned w/in the great scheme of things, I know, yet they bother me as they remind me that my life is growing shorter as is my time to figure out what I’m supposed to do w/it.
What else do I have difficulty accepting? My past, and some of the stupid mistakes I made. Yes, I know there’s no way I can change them, yet it still doesn’t mean I have moments when I think, “What if I had done such and such differently”. Whenever regrets surface, I recall Jesus’s admonishment to “Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past.” What can be more clear?
One key regret is that I wasted years toiling in a dept. where, for the most part, I was not appreciated, openly bullied, and discounted. If this was part of God’s plan for me, I’m curious to see what else he has in store. The only plus side I can find is that I did discover that I’m a stronger person that I realized and, on a tangible level, I did retire w/medical and dental coverage and a small pension.
Was I a weak Christian when I complained about the situation to others? Only God can judge that–all I know is that I needed a way to vent my frustration and it helped to share w/people who had an idea of what I was going through. Also, it helped to know that I wasn’t the only one going through it.
Oh, I thought of another area I find a hard time accepting–my ability to procrastinate when tackling something I don’t really feel like doing, i.e., balance my checkbook. Writing this, I realize I really have to make an at-home schedule, w/time to do my paperwork, declutter, write my blog, read, exercise, etc. Then, I can get more accomplished, and not feel as if the days are passing like a vapor.
Til next time…
August 22, 2008 at 2:16 am
Thus saith the Lord: “Every one that is called by my name: I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
How’s that for a purpose? What’s more, Jesus said, “herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit.” By his words we learn that he as the vine will exert himself in producing the fruit through we the branches. I want you to understand that we are not able to independently produce something whereby glory is bestowed upon God. He does not dwell in a temple made by hands, he is not worshipped with men’s hands as though he needed anything from man. We cannot exert ourselves in glorifying god because we can of ourselves do nothing. But Jesus explained that we did not choose him, rather he chose us. He tells us our part is to abide in him the vine. He tells us our part is to keep his word abiding in us. He tells us our part is to love one another according to his commandment.
Peter advises us that the whole world will be consumed in fire. That certainly puts the meaningfulness of what we set ourselves out to do in perspective. Some people might spend their whole life “empire building” on whatever scale – whether it’s a nation or just their personal fortune, their company or their house. Considering that in the end it’s going to burn, we should be mindful not to think of it as too important – nevertheless we don’t want to become careless to the point of irresponsibility.
Therefore, keep earthly matters in the perspective of what you know from the scriptures. I do not believe the counsel of the scriptures is to ignore earthly matters or to neglect them or to despise or condemn them. Rather God’s word warns us not to trust in uncertain riches, not to serve mammon, not to be ignorant of the end of these things. The endeavors we have “under the sun” as Solomon writes, these are our portion – whatever they are. There is no ultimate purpose in and of themselves – Solomon concludes they are all vanity – but they are nevertheless our portion to be worked out. Think of them as our journey and not the destination. The Lord says we are “sojourners with him” in this strange land. In our endeavors, we’re adjured to fear God and keep God’s commandments.
The coming day of the Lord is certainly a sobering thought, but until then what do you suppose to do? When you think about the purpose of God’s people, his church, do you suppose that our chief end is?
I preach and I actually tell people the gospel because I know that my character, prosperity, and sentiments of love alone are not sufficient for their salvation nor for my fulfillment of the commission given unto me. You can tell someone the truth without loving them, but you cannot love someone without telling them the truth. As much as I do not want to fail to tell the truth, neither do I want to be one who tells the truth without loving. We are commanded to love one another, to love our neighbor, even to love our enemy.
My love is feeble. Let’s face it, Compared to Jesus, what can I say about “my love?” Therefore I conclude that the love Jesus spoke of is not a character feature which I possess, but it is an action to which I am adjured. Jesus is not so much telling me “be like this with these sentiments,” as he is saying “do this.”
“Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”
This is a difficult parable because Jesus uses an unjust steward of unrighteous mammon to establish an example of how we ought to be, though he does not mean we ought to be unjust or unrighteous, but that we have already been unjust and are shortly to be put out of our stewardship (sin, and so death). Jesus says the worldly people are wiser in the context of their worldly lives than the godly people are in the context of their eternal lives. He’s saying to look at how the steward prepared for the future he could see coming, and consider how we have neglected to prepare for the future we ought to know is coming.
Jesus says to make use of this world’s stuff so as to make friends – not by buying friends but by helping others so as to commend ourselves to God, to make friends with Christ, and with those whom we help.
I would like to extend the teaching of this parable beyond simply debt, money or commodities and consider that the commodities over which the man had stewardship represented the product of human enterprise. Therefore I think we can see the godly purpose of human enterprise is to “make friends” through both the revenue and the occupation therewith. Therefore I conclude that whatever godly human enterprise there is under the sun, the purpose of it and the products thereof is to make friends of the one who will receive us into everlasting habitations, even Christ who said in as much as we have done it unto the least of these his brethren, we have done it unto him.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
August 22, 2008 at 2:33 am
What do you believe that you must do to be saved?
August 23, 2008 at 3:32 am
dont be discouraged, keep up the good fight, press on toward to the goal, and you will reap the rewards!
Can I suggest a good challenging book I am currently reading:
The Man God Uses, by Blackaby
Get the workbook version and go throgh that, will really challenge you to look at your self and what your walk really means!
And Happy Birthday (remember Moses was 80 when he was called to go to Egypt, its never to late for God to use us)!
GBY,
-R