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purpose

If You Feel You Don’t Have a Purpose…

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“For now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 3:8, NASB

sunset, If You Feel You Don’t Have a Purpose…

Something dawned on me last week.

I feel most alive when I invest in someone’s spiritual well-being.

And I think that’s what God intends.

“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, Nasb

The Lord God created our bodies and intricately wove distinct personalities, talents, intelligence, and more within us. As if that’s not awesome enough, God made us new when we placed our faith in Christ for salvation. Twice born–once physically and once spiritually–we’re living, breathing, walking works of God. With a purpose.

Almighty God blueprinted a purpose for each of us long, long ago. Isn’t that incredible? You know, sometimes we sense a lack of purpose, which causes us to drift uncertainly. That’s not God’s plan. I believe He developed a purpose for us before we even existed. And it doesn’t revolve around the physical–our purpose lives and breathes and moves in the spiritual realm. While those two realms often intersect, investing in someone’s spiritual well-being should be our ultimate motivation.

This doesn’t mean we preach at people or care only for spiritual conversations. It doesn’t mean we overlook physical needs to concentrate on spiritual needs. On the flip side, neither does it mean meeting physical needs without spiritual goals. Many humanitarian organizations exist and do an outstanding job helping people. But as Christians, we possess something more: God’s love. The Spirit of God. Hope. We’re “created in Christ Jesus for good works,” acts that demonstrate spiritual truths so others can know Christ too.

Living our God-designed purpose pairs who we are with doing what He’s prepared for us.

Though this looks different for each individual, the final outcome stays the same: building God’s Kingdom. This is God’s heart. He reaches peoplethrough His people--whether we serve soup, lead Bible studies, rear children, or work in an office. God made us in Christ to communicate eternal truth in various capacities. He longs for others to know what He’s graciously revealed to us:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

When we invest in someone’s spiritual well-being, we fulfill what God created us to do … and we feel really, truly alive.

Let’s live BIG. Let’s live with PURPOSE. Let’s be flooded with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we serve our mighty God!

“‘He who believes in Me,’ as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38 

I’d love to learn from you. How is God using you to reach people for Christ?

Much love to each of you in Christ,

Emily

Bring on the Glory

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“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:8

fruit_of_the_spirit_BLUE_GREENSWhat is your goal? I mean, what is the end game for you? I know at the end of my life, I want to stand before the Lord and hear Him say, “Well done.”

I also know I fall short of this every single day. I know I want to show myself to be His disciple, and I want to show His love to everyone I meet. But I know I don’t. I know I can be testy, irritable, impatient, and unkind. I know when I’m overwhelmed and frustrated and busy – in need of pruning.  I don’t exhibit the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, forbearance, gentleness and self-control.

This fruit that Jesus talks about in John 15 is never specified in this chapter as the same fruit Paul mentions in Galatians, but the word “fruit” is used in both instances. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think Jesus meant those traits when he said that bearing much fruit would show us to be His disciples and bring glory to His Father. Jesus tells us that if we allow the “Gardener” to prune us, and we remain in Him, the True Vine, this fruit will be produced in our lives, bringing glory to our God.

After all, that is what we were created for. To worship and bring glory to God. Isaiah 43:6-7 (NIV) reads: “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

You were not a cosmic accident. You were not a random mass of cells that somehow formed a human. You were created on purpose, for a purpose. You were created by God to bring Him glory. Allow Him to prune you. Remain in Him. Wait for Him. Rely on Him as your source. Exhibit His fruit in your life so that you may bring Him glory and one day hear, “Well done.”

Remaining in Him,

Amy