Purpose

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December 11

Wednesday, December 11th, 2024

Have you noticed how hard it is to listen to the news these days? It seems like the media relishes in giving us the bad news, the awful news and the really awful news.  True, we hear of heroes who saved lives on subway trains or of men and women who are serving our country or communities.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  Sadly, especially in our cultural times, that is true. No matter that our civilization is privy to ideas, inventions and conveniences that previous generations didn’t even dream of and if they did, they were either seen as crackpots or “out there.” But seriously, think about the advances we have seen in just the past 5 to 10 years. I can remember when my dad was a computer operator and the computers were in a frigid room and were as big as a house. (Okay, slight exaggeration, unless you consider a mini-home). 🙂 In spite of our technological advances, we still see far too many men and women who wander aimlessly, with the no particular direction to go. These people are purposeless. I liken it to two things I believe we can all relate to. One is a pinball machine. I’m sure we have all seen them in action. Pull the lever and watch the ball take off. And then we watch it and it goes from bumper to bumper-once, twice, three times-and eventually drops to get slapped back into action again. The other picture is of the person wandering in the woods, seemingly lost. They can do one of two things: either continue wandering willy nilly  in a “whatever strikes your fancy” way (which shows no purpose), or follow a path until it either leads you out of the woods or burns itself out and you have to backtrack and start all over again (at least there is a method to the madness). 

Have you ever considered the idea that the Christmas story has the stories of two men who knew their purpose and knew why they came? One was John the Baptizer. Zechariah said about his son: “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High because you will prepare the way for the Lord.” (Luke 1:76). The following 3 verses tell us more of John’s purpose. The other was Jesus. We know why He came. He even tells us over and over throughout His short ministry that He came to “seek and save the lost.“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10)

So, the question we all must face is “Why am I here?” What is my purpose in life? Hopefully, you know what yours is. Live that purpose to its fullest.

{All Scripture from the NLT}

August 5

Monday, August 5th, 2024

“Every man has a battle to fight; an adventure to live; and a beauty to rescue.”

That is the moniker of a ministry called Wild at Heart that I latched onto in the early 2000s. The ministry was started and led by John Eldredge and I must have read that book 4-5 times.  I led men through that course 3 times. It reached into the depths of who I was and where I lived. As I aged and matured, I sort of settled into a pattern, a routine, of what was “expected” of an aging, maturing man.  I settled for “safe.”

  • I settled in as a husband.
  • I settled in as a father.
  • I settled in as a pastor.
  • I settled in as a man.

For lack of a better way to put it…I became predictable, reliable, and as much as I hate to say it: B-O-R-I-N-G. Not that there is anything wrong with being predictable and reliable, but give. me. a. break!

I lost my sense of adventure. I became, as I have stated, S.A.F.E. Too safe. Even though I loved watching and reading of adventures like Lord of the Rings or even Titanic or even the early MacGyver, I was too safe and too sedentary and too entrenched and too “logical” to be adventurous.

One of the teachings of Wild at Heart was the idea of finding what makes you come alive and go do that. Find out what ignites my heart- my passion- and go do that.  The world needs people today who are fully alive, not those who play at life, play it “safe,” and walking around with their heads in the ground. 

So…what makes you come alive? Do you find yourself engaged or withdrawn? Find what makes you come alive and go do that.

April 30

Tuesday, April 30th, 2024

TROUBLE WILL VISIT ALL OF US!

What I just wrote is nothing new to anyone. To borrow a common phrase: “Stuff happens.” (I don’t talk the other way. 🙂 ) We ALL KNOW that sooner or later we are going to hit a rough patch.

Recently, while reading another book, I read about CURE Hospital, a series of hospitals established in places like Kenya and other hard hit areas.  Sort of like Doctors Without Borders and Mercy Ship, CURE was established for doctors to help “the least of these.” One such person was Michael Panther. Michael was an active boy who would soon be training for the Sudan army when his legs grew weaker, then quit working. The civil war in South Sudan displaced him, and to make a long story short, he ended up in a CURE hospital where he was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the spine. To make another long story short, Michael spends his days in a wheelchair. But he has not allowed that to stop him following God’s direction, help and work. Michael now makes wheelchairs available to people in other countries who need them through his non-profit, Living With Hope. (You can read his fascinating and inspiring story in his book Living With Hope by Michael Panther).

During his “expansion” period, when the dream was born in his heart, he met Joni Eareckson Tada, the “champion” for the disabled who was paralyzed as a teenager from a diving accident. He had the chance to not only meet Joni, but to work with her ministry, Joni and Friends. In his book, Michael wrote down some of Joni’s statements that day. Here are three:

“God permits what he hates, to accomplish that which He loves.”

“I realized that God does not take pleasure in my spinal cord injury, but He loves the way He is changing me in it and encouraging others through it.”

“God has not abandoned those with disabilities. No, He is working through them.”   (All quotes from pages 141-142)

All of us-no matter our lot in life-have a purpose. Healthy or whole. Mobile or in a chair. Unencumbered or disabled. We all matter and we all have a purpose. Find yours. Fulfill it.

March 27

Monday, March 27th, 2023

Why do you exist? What is your purpose in this life? Seriously, why do you live on this planet?

Are you just taking up space?

Are you living for yourself, seeking personal fulfillment?

Are you trying to make a difference in the world, and more specifically, in the life of others?

I recently read about a poll taken that asked Americans what they thought was their main purpose in life. You might think the main results would be “To make a contribution to society” or “To have a meaningful life.”

Nope.

The majority said, “Life is enjoyment and personal fulfillment.”  So…in other words…live for yourself.  Sounds like the old Grassroots song: “Sha la la la live for today.” (A ’60s song…look it up).

Years ago Pastor John Piper wrote a book entitled “Don’t Waste Your Life.” That about sums it up.  You can waste your life pursuing trivial pursuits and living for yourself or you can live it for the benefit of others. There is a quote which has made it rounds and no man really knows where it came from. It was used by Harry Emerson Fosdick in 1942 but it had circulated for years before he made it popular.

A man who is all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package.

Benjamin Franklin said,

A self-centered person is not very appealing to others.

A person who lives for himself is indeed a very small package. As a follower of Christ, my life is to be lived for Him and for His glory. Jesus Himself said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Don’t waste your life on yourself. Spend it by giving it away to others.