Blessed Life
Doing The Work
Doing the work in the context of fulfilling your purpose in life is portrayed in the life of Jesus. When praying to God toward the end of his days on earth, he was able to say, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4, NASB)
Inevitably, we will all stand accountable to our Creator at the end of our days on this earth. We must balance the joy of living with the wisdom to know that we have been placed in this particular century for “…such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14b NASB)
God, in His wisdom, did not create us with the capability to know what our life span would be; but He has wisely instructed us to know that we have all been assigned a number of days. In his season of severe trials, Job declares the finality of our lifespan on earth:
“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass…” (Job 14:5 NASB)
If we take our cues from Jesus, He not only taught us how to live a godly and fruitful life, but that His work on this earth was to glorify God. We know that in His final days Jesus clarified God’s assignment by declaring in John 17:
- that all that God had given Him were given eternal life, that they may know God, the only true God and Jesus Christ (vs 2-3)
- the Words that were given Him from God, were given and received by His followers (vs 8)
- His followers understood that He came forth from God (vs. 8)
- That God would keep His followers (vs 12)
God has a good plan for our lives. When we choose to keep Him first, knowing Him and discovering His will for our lives becomes a delight through the highs and lows of life. When our hearts are solely devoted to fulfilling His will, His favor abounds.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4, NASB)
Let’s live on purpose!
The Good Soil of Faith
Gardeners understand the process of planting seeds in good soil, knowing that the harvest will be as great as the time taken in preparation. We learn that fertile soil is properly cultivated for its crops, or yield as illustrated in the parable of the sower in the bible:
“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)
In this parable, the soil is representative of our heart and how the condition of the heart effects our receptivity of the seed (or word) that God desires to sow in us.
We can all be hearers of the Word, but all will not be sowers of the Word based on the condition of our hearts. Some will receive the Word with joy, yet will not allow the Word to take root or to bear fruit due to the trials and afflictions of life. (Matthew 13:20-21)
Others will hear the Word, but will allow the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth to choke the Word, and it will become unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)
But, for those who desire to live an abundantly fruitful life on this earth, he (or she) is the one on whose heart soil has been prepared to hear the Word of God with understanding and the wisdom and trust to live it out daily, and a result, will live a fruitful, blessed life.
“…who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23b)
May you choose to be the one on whom seed is sown on the good soil of faith!
Letting Go
Fulfilling our purpose can get complicated at times as we move through seasons of life that inadvertently take us off track in fulfilling our destiny. During a demanding and impressionable season in my life (during my early thirties), I had a moment of insight about my future and felt compelled to pause and take the time to reflect on and pray about the path that I had chosen and of which made sense to me to be on. The nagging question that I could not answer at the time; where my priorities God’s priorities for my life and was I on the right path towards accomplishing His purpose?
What I discovered through prayer and seeking God’s will was a clarity that would guide the projection of all my major life decisions from that time to the present. It brought me to a place of surrender, of letting go of what my limited perspective could bring when measured up against the wisdom of God.
To give oneself up to or willingly yield your life to the power of another is what it means to surrender, and as a Christian, we have been given this choice by a gracious and loving God who desires the very best for our lives. He knows how limited our understanding is in the pursuit of fulfilling the purpose that He has assigned to our lives; and He also knows that we lack the wisdom to know how.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares 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)
Letting go of your life as an act of surrender towards fulfilling God’s purpose places you in a position of strength with an eye towards eternity. This one sacred act of surrender sets you apart from the worldly focused battles for achieving temporal victories that are built on temporal circumstances to a position that is built upon the solid foundation of Christ that will withstand any and all adversity that comes your way.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
I believe that its in the heart of human nature to want to end life well during our time on this earth, and in order for that to happen, we need the wisdom of God to know how.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
Don’t waste another minute living life without Him, let it go!
Photography | Pixabay
Courage
Courage is displayed in many facets of life in and through activities that are visible to the eye, but unseen courage of the heart, however, is another matter altogether. This is the stuff on a personal level (unseen courage) that makes life worth living, powered by an eternal hope that never dies.
“The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:24)
Setbacks are real, and they have the tendency to knock us off track of pursuing life goals. Courage is real, and it has the power to get us back on track toward pursuing life goals, the hopes and dreams that we desire. As a Jesus follower, or Christian, we are encouraged to finish the course that God has set before us, to the point of being able to say to God in the end;
“I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” (John 17:4)
It takes courage to stay on the course of life that leads to accomplishing what you set out to do. It takes a heart completely devoted to the One who not only assigns your course but provides the courage and inspiration you will need to complete it. After Jesus fed the five thousand He instructed His disciples to get into the boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He knew that they would encounter a storm while at the same time knowing that the storm would give opportunity to make them aware of their need for courage that could only come through a relationship with Him in order to fulfill His assignment on their lives.
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14: 27)
Purpose, hope and courage weave together in such a way that sets us apart from the average mindset of “what will be, will be” approach to life; these three attributes enable us to face difficulty, danger and pain with a bravery that we’re given through our relationship with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
Take courage my friend!
Scripture Quoted in ESV, NIV
Patience
“There is no patience equal to the patience of God.”
Patience is not an attribute that is embraced whole heartily for most individuals or seen as the virtue it once held in society. It is often criticized in our fast-paced world by those who embrace the “just do it” mentality.
Oswald Chambers, author of My Utmost for His Highest, penned this powerful insight (quoted above) based on his journey of learning how to embrace a life of patience as he sought to fulfill God’s purpose on this earth.
When we become impatient with waiting for the promises of God on our lives to be fulfilled, or begin to question the way that He is going about bringing it to pass, we must remind ourselves of His perspective on time and waiting.
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2Peter 3:8)
“…but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
In the waiting, God is doing a transforming work in your heart and life that makes no allowance for shortcuts or lack of integrity in your heart, mind or soul. The process of preparation, however long it takes, leads us to a life of total dependence and surrender to the God which sets us apart for His glory and not our own.
If you are a follower of Christ, you have been given patience as a gift, it is a fruit of the Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is … patience…” (Galatians 5:22)
Let patience have it way in your life and you will be thoroughly prepared, called up by the Lord, who is faithful to fulfill every promise He has placed on your life.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” (1Peter 5: 6-7)
Scripture Quoted in ESV
Eternal Hope
Like a vapor in the backdrop of eternity, life can seem to vanish before our eyes from our first breath to our last just as the Bible describes it.
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14, NASB)
With the recent passing of my mother, her 85 years of life seemed to pass so quickly now that heaven is her home. She was an influencer of her faith in God to those around her. She lived out the assignment on her life in a most sincere, loving and courageous way. Her gift of encouragement and quiet reserve veiled her fierce faith and steel-like determination to pray things through. She was convinced that God could do the impossible for others just as He had done for her. Her faith was contagious and present, as a result of having survived many seasons of suffering that taught her not take her lifespan for granted. She understood what it meant to live out her trust walk day by day, depending on God’s provision for each moment of life.
“Give us each day our daily bread…” (Luke 11:3, NASB)
She lived with an eternal hope that was anchored in the promises of God and His vision for her family which she spoke over us numerous times. She never stopped believing, persevering right up to the end of her life.
To those she left behind, the many lives she impacted, she passed along her baton of faith. Now its our turn to carry on the mission of passing along the eternal hope that sustained her through the travel of life. Let’s pick up where she left off by not only living out our faith with a steel-like tenacity but with the desire to leave the fragrance of Jesus wherever He sends us.
“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2Corinthians 2:15, NASB)
Her life was a sweet fragrance of eternal hope, a hope that is needed in our world with all its tribulations. The world is waiting to see this hope lived out. The world is waiting for you.
“…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b, NASB)
New Beginnings
Do you live with an awareness that your days are numbered on this earth and that it is unwise to believe that you will always have another day to get on with the business of living with purpose?
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
This was a prayer of Moses who was encouraging us to make the most of our lives since our days on earth are so few in the light of eternity which is God’s perspective.
No one but God knows the number of days that have been appointed to each of us therefore, we must view life through the lens of His wisdom, purpose and fulfillment of His call on our lives.
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)
Jesus, while on earth embraced this teaching as well. He lived a life focused on fulfilling the call of God on his life to the point of being able to say at the end;
“I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” (John 17:4)
What have you been given to do while on this earth and are you focused on accomplishing it? Living and walking in this truth is the mark of wisdom. May this year be a year of new beginnings for better living in all arenas of your life.
Lord, teach us to number our days!
Image: The Heavenly Pastures, EU Scoop
God & Holiday
Have you ever wondered about how the holidays have evolved into such a frenzied and hectic time of year? Well, celebrating Christmas did not start out this way, it began as a proclamation of peace and wonder to the whole world.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
When it came time for the fulfillment of this prophecy the people who received the announcement were so moved with awe and wonderment that they stopped what they were doing to go and see this newly born Savior.
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:15-16)
Celebrating Christmas began with receiving a gift from God in the birth of His Son, Jesus and it caused the people to pause from their daily routines to take time to worship and praise God for sending a Savior into a needy and lost world.
This holiday let’s join in with the multitude of the heavenly hosts who praised God by saying;
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:14)
Take time to celebrate the Gift of Jesus more than the gifts we expect to receive this Christmas!
“He is the radiance of the glory of God…” (Hebrews 1:3)
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loretta j. willis, author 