Are we the followers of Christ? The living God? Yes, indeed we are! Should we be timid and afraid? Should we look to the things of the world for happiness? No! Should we seek after Jesus and Him only? Yes absolutely! Should we be silent? No! Should we be loving, humble, kind, generous, and forgiving? Yes!
Are We Appeasers?
The church today too often has become an appeaser. That is a word you don't hear much anymore. When you appease someone, you say what they want to hear so you make them happy. You don't create conflict. Why does Jesus say He brings a sword (Matthew 10: 34)? Because Jesus speaks words that are truly counter cultural. His words tell us to love those who hate us. His words tell us to forgive those who hurt us, over and over. His words tell us to not be like the world. His words tell us to speak truth in humility when no one else will. His word requires us to NOT be appeasers.
What Does Jesus Promise Us?
Does Jesus promise us wealth? No! Does Jesus promise us a care free life? No! What we see is a world where some missionaries are saved from certain death and yet some are martyred for Jesus's sake. What we see is a world where some die as infants and some live to an old age. What we see are places where people who love God live in abject poverty and some live a comfortable life. Why? Even Paul, at some times in his life he was saved from ship wrecks and imprisonment and at another time he was slaughtered for the cause of Christ. We have a purpose known to God.
Living According to God's Purpose
Most telling is something that was recorded about King David's death in Acts 13: 36,
"Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed."
So according to Acts, when David had served God's purpose he died. This doesn't mean that David couldn't have done greater deeds or continued doing good for God, what it does mean is that God's specific purpose for the life of his servant David was finished. A greater joy awaited David than he could ever imagine. On his death bed David told Solomon to walk in obedience to the Lord (I Kings 2: 2-4). What greater advice can we give our children?
The Bigger Picture
We don't often see the big picture that God sees. Will our healing bring others to Christ or will people seek Him when they see us die with faith? Will our ability to accept poverty lead others to Christ or will we make His word known more by our ability to give from our wealth? Will our suffering help us to see what Jesus endured for us? God only sees the bigger picture. A person I know had a child die and donated many organs to others. This child's death gave life to several children who would have died. Only God sees the big picture of life. Only God knows the "why".
What Can We Offer?
We often find ourselves in a place where we feel we have nothing to offer God. Can we still pray? Are we laying in a sick bed teaching others the lesson of true serving, true giving? Can we do the job that no one else wants to do? The job that is looked upon as unimportant but to God is just one of many roles necessary for the body of Christ to function. No part of the body is more important than another.
Living God's Purpose
We pray more than anything that like David our lives will serve God's purpose in our generation. Will we stand for Christ when no one else will? Pray that God gives us Holy Ghost strength to live out our lives in His service - no matter the cost. We are a holy nation chosen to declare the praises of the One who called us out of darkness (I Peter 2: 9)!
Enjoy this hymn, God of Purpose by Metro Life Worship. For more on this topic go here.
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