“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5
nWhat would you say if I showed up to your house, opened my car door and said, “Jump in! We’re going on a trip?!” Now you want to know how to pack and prepare so you ask me, “Where are we going?” Imagine now that I reply, “I don’t know! We’ll figure it out along the way!” And if you took me up on my offer, how would you feel if after a few days, I still offered no clue as to our destination. Now I’m all for fun, but if you showed up at my house with a similar proposition, I’m sorry, but I would have to respectfully decline.
As crazy that sounds, the truth is that there are way too many people who live this way. They go through life without a sense of direction or purpose and, as a result, bounce from job to job or change careers almost annually. You almost fear seeing them come your way because they are always sharing some new scheme or “business idea” they’ve invented. The truth is all of these changes reflect a lack of direction or purpose in their life.
The Bible teaches us that God created us with a purpose. In Ephesians 2:10 (ESV), the Bible says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Imagine that! God not only knew us before we were born, but He created us with a purpose in mind, and He expects us to walk in that purpose!
When confronted with this truth, many people ask, “So how do I know what my purpose is?” We can actually find a clue to that answer in the first chapter of Jeremiah. After God tells Jeremiah that He has given him a purpose, and that purpose is for Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah objects claiming that he is too young and doesn’t know how to speak (1:6). God responds to Jeremiah by urging him not to be afraid and then, in verses 9 and 10, Jeremiah records, “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’” We learn two truths from this passage. First, God will gift you according to your purpose and, second, He will set the boundaries of your influence according to that gift.
Regarding the first truth, God appointed Jeremiah a prophet to the nations and then said to him, “I have put my words in your mouth.” In other words, God gave Jeremiah what he needed to accomplish his purpose. So, let me ask you – How has God wired you? What gifts, talents, and experience do you possesses? We often find our life’s purpose and calling through identifying our talents and areas of giftedness.
The second truth – God sets the boundaries of our influence relating to our gift – is also helpful in identifying our purpose. God seems to always put us in situations where we can exercise our giftedness. If you are a singer, for example, isn’t it interesting that you frequently find yourself in situations where you are asked to sing? One of my other favorites is the reluctant leader – that person who says they don’t want to lead but always seem to be in charge of something. God created you for a purpose and gave you the gifts you need to fulfil that purpose, and then He will place you in situations to exercise that gift.
Consider the following questions:
- What have you done to identify your gifts? What steps have you taken to know the way God has wired you?
- Have you noticed that there are certain activities that come more natural to you than others?
What can you learn from Jeremiah’s experience?
Published on Jan 10 @ 3:00 AM EDT
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By Loretta Shelton and Pastor Marlin Harris
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7
The Apostle Paul uses an illustration in 2 Timothy 4:7 reminiscent of competing in the Roman Olympic games in order to demonstrate the Christian believer’s life of faithfulness. He says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
What is remarkable is that Paul makes these comments while imprisoned in a Roman jail knowing he is at the end of his life, and consequently at the end of his God-given mission. Throughout Paul’s Christian journey, he remained steadfast and loyal to his calling, despite the unimaginable obstacles and perils that he faced. Paul remained faithful to his ministry for the sake of Christ by fighting what he called “the good fight of faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). This means he maintained a godly character, lived by Biblical principles, and was unwavering in his faith and trust in God. This characterized Paul’s life regardless of the unpleasant circumstances that he was often attacked with. He did not rely on his past service, but he persevered and served God until crossing the finish line at the end of his ministry on earth.
Like the Apostle Paul, we must live this Christian life with the same convictions and fortitude as the athletes who were competing in the Roman games. Christians must run the race, fight the good fight, and endure hardships valiantly, in order to receive the prize of an incorruptible crown that never fades away. The qualifications required to receive this coveted prize are to run lawfully and diligently until we finish. Running this race means honoring God with our hearts and bodies, developing a character that looks more and more like Christ each day, and living a life that pleases our Father, and is worthy of the great redemption that we have been graced to receive. We must start, run, and then finish the race. We will finish, because no believer ever runs the race of his life alone. The Lord Jesus Christ runs with us, and He will get us to the finish line, if we stay the course and “finish well and finish strong”.
When you are running the race of life there are a few things you want to be sure to do. First of all, you must be spiritually prepared for the journey. This spiritual preparation is impossible without being filled with the Holy Spirit, for which there is no substitute. The scripture is clear that we are to be empowered by the Holy Spirit if we hope to accomplish anything in this life that brings glory to God. The Spirit of God empowers us with wisdom, strength, and godliness that causes the blessings of God to rest upon our journey. He alone conditions our hearts to endure the pain of the race, and to not turn back or give up before we reach the finish line.
Secondly, we must endure the necessary disciplines needed to prepare us for the rigor of the race we are to run. When runners prepare for lengthy marathons they will often spend months preparing themselves physically for that one race. They will attempt smaller races and work their legs and test their endurance with exercise regimens. They do this so that when they are in the ‘big’ race, they will have the strength to finish. Finishing our Christian race is more about the strength of our spirit than it is about the desire we may have in our hearts. Many people start out with Christ, and they desire greatly to finish, but they have not developed the spiritual strength to endure the trials and tests that befall them along their journey and they, sadly, fall away.
Jesus speaks about this reality in Matthew 13:1-9 when He shares the Parable of the Sower, where he outlines four different scenarios of seed-planting. One of his 4 scenarios involves a farmer who sowed his seeds in soil that was cluttered with rocks. He says that the soil received the seed quickly, but because the ground had not been tilled and prepared, the rocks were too numerous in the soil and made the soil depth shallow. Soon the seed died in the soil because there was no depth created by tilling. This is what happens to any of us who set out to run this Christian race, and we have not had the hard, stony rocks in our hearts, minds, and habits broken up and tilled away. Without the discipline of dedicated study of the Word of God, the daily practice of prayer, and regular worship and thanksgiving to God, we will not be able to break those hard rocks that have settled into our hearts and have made them resistant and impervious to the convictions and truths of the Word of God.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, every sincere believer must have an ardent and passionate desire to finish their race well. God placed that desire in your heart when you gave your hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to satisfy that aching and longing in your soul to finish well is to daily discipline your life with the Spiritual practices of prayer, worship, and time in the Word. As you attend to the things of God, He will attend to the cares and desires of your heart. Let’s lay aside the weights and the many distractions, and run this race with all we have so that when we are finished, we will feel our Master’s embrace and hear him say, “Well done”.
PRAYER
Holy Father, we all have our own individual race to run. May You grant us the strength and the conviction to run our race well. Remove the hindrances from our path, and unchain our feet from the heavy weights and burdens that have weighed us down. Lord, grant us the freedom to run and not get weary, and to walk and not faint. In Jesus’ Strong Name, I pray. Amen.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
Spend today surveying your life to determine what are those weights and distractions that make it difficult for you to finish your race well. Consider those challenges, temptations, and tests that you are engaged in daily, and actively name them before the Lord, and make the decision to do whatever is necessary to lay them aside. Seek the Lord for His strength and lean upon the Holy Spirit for His guidance.
Published on Jan 31 @ 12:38 AM EDT
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Deborah Russell
Lord help, lesd, guide and direct me. At 68, I know u saved me , but to what purpose, I don't know.
Posted on Sun, Jan 10, 2021 @ 7:22 AM CST
Contessa
It took me a while to recognize my purpose and gift. Like Jeremiah my purpose is to spread the word of God to others through my prayers to them, for them, worshiping and praising God with others, and just being a positive presence, an ear to hear and to bring comfort when needed.
Posted on Sun, Jan 10, 2021 @ 9:04 AM CST