For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)
Make you purpose
Some people will talk about finding their purpose. They talk about it as if it is something that is missing. It might be buried under a rock. Or it might be hidden in a closet. They feel they need to look in the right place to discover it. When they finally find it, they will be able to do what they were made to do.
But if you are looking for your purpose, you will be looking your whole life. Purpose is not something to be found. It is not something that is hidden. It is something to take hold. You don’t find your purpose. You create your purpose. You have already been given it. It is before you.
That is a different mindset. You are not a victim of fate. There is not some mystical destiny that you happen upon. God has empowered you though his Holy Spirit to do immeasurably more than you imagine. God will take you places you never dreamed. But it starts with doing something today. It is taking hold of what is before you. It’s following him! Stop waiting and start doing. There are things that you have the ability to do, but you don’t even realize that you have the ability because you have never tried.
When Jesus called his disciples, he said: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19, ESV) The text says they immediately left their nets and followed him. They were fishermen of fish. What did they know about fishing men? But when Jesus gave the invitation, they didn’t question it. They went.
There is a saying that God does not call the qualified, but he qualifies the called. Here is what I know. There are opportunities before you right now that God has given you to serve your purpose. I also know that you probably feel unqualified to step up to these things. This is where faith comes into play. You trust that God will equip you. You trust he will give you the strength, the knowledge, the people, and the resources to make it happen.
A God Thing
I have seen this happening for me in the last few days. I have shared with you about our effort to pack 20,000 meals for the children of Haiti. When I came back from Haiti in early March, I felt led to host this event. I also felt confident our team could make it happen. It did not seem like much of a stretch.
We shared the vision for this event and yesterday we reached the fundraising goal of $6000. It only took two weeks of fundraising. We celebrated fulfilling this goal and even had our church choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus during Lent. I never expected us to cross that threshold so fast. But God has a way of showing up. A big thank you goes to all of you at Greater Things who help to support this effort.
We still have two months till the event, so I know there is more that can be done in that time. It would be easy to double the goal. I would be comfortable with that, but I believe that God would have us go beyond what is comfortable. So we have now have a new goal of 80,000 meals. That is quadrupling our original goal! I am excited to think about the possibility of that many more childen being provided a meal.
I don’t know how that will happen. There are the fundraising and the coordination of logistics to consider. But I believe God is leading us to this place and if it is his will, he will make it happen. We are trusting him to make it happen rather than relying on our ability.
Your purpose will change
Finally, know that gets you up in the morning will change. Before I was married and before I had children, my purpose was different. Marriage and children changed my life purpose. My priorities shifted from career to marriage and family.
One day my children will leave our home. I will still be their father, but I will play a different role in their life. My purpose will change. The point is not to think that you have one ultimate thing to do in your life. Every day we all serve multiple purposes. Every day there are multiple opportunities. It’s time to go. Let’s do it.
Reflection
- List some purposes God has given you.
- How do you recognize when God is calling you to serve?
- Where is God stretching you beyond what is comfortable?
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