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Tuesday,
March
9,
2021
Two weeks ago I
shared the fulfillment of thwarting the squirrels who feed
on our birdfeeder by placing the feeder seven feet high on a
PVC pole and spraying it with WD-40. Well, it only worked
for about a week and now this squirrel is looking right at
us inside our bay window gloating. I
think I'll just start enjoying watching persistent
squirrels!
"The Joy Of
Purpose"
Message
summary: God has a
purpose for each of us.
There are aspects of this purpose common to all
who follow Christ. But I believe God has also
specifically equipped us for the unique purpose He
has for our individuality. This purpose varies
depending on the gifts, life's experiences,
challenges, and callings God has granted us.
Listen to this message on your audio player.
Listen to this message on your audio player.
"When
he [Paul] came and saw the grace of God, he was
glad, and he exhorted them all to remain
faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose"
(Acts 11:23). "For David, after he had served
the purpose of God in his own generation, fell
asleep and was laid with his fathers" (Acts
13:36). "You,
however, know all about … my purpose" (2 Timothy
3:10).
Today
is Ester's birthday. We are celebrating her 32nd
year as we also look back on the day she was born
in a tiny village along the Rio Dulce. Ester's
birth mother spent the last three months of her
pregnancy at the Casa Guatemala orphanage right
off the Rio Dulce River, where she volunteered and
awaited the birth of her infant, all along
planning to give her up for adoption. When her
mother went into labor, she was rushed to the
nearest village via speedboat where the local
doctor successfully delivered Ester, but it was
soon determined that she was born with a critical
heart condition later diagnosed as Pulmonary
Atresia.
Pulmonary
Atresia is a life threatening congenital heart
disease where the pulmonary valve that lets blood
out of the heart to go to a baby's lungs doesn't
form correctly. Instead of opening and closing to
allow blood to travel from the heart to the lungs,
a solid sheet of tissue forms. Blood can't travel
by its normal route to pick up oxygen from the
lungs. Instead, some blood travels to the lungs
through other natural passages within the heart
and its arteries.
Fast
forwarding - Five heart surgeries later, at four
years of age, Ester was finally done with open
heart surgeries and long, long recoveries at
Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA though
she would have many other major surgeries and
procedures over the years. She knows that God
saved her life for a reason and finds purpose in
knowing that God has used her for His glory and
for the common good of others.
This
past Sunday Ester assisted Sandy Robinson, the
instructor of the Shepherd's Class, where
physically and cognitively challenged children and
adults gather each Sunday. Over the years that
we've attended Calvary Church there are frequent
requests for helpers to come alongside these very
needy individuals, and Ester decided to give it a
try. We don't know if this is where God is leading
her, but she volunteered this last Sunday, as the
Lord prompted her following the baptism several
Sundays ago of a 20 year old student from that
class. What a blessing to meet her after the class
and sense her joy in having a purpose!
"The
two most important days in your life are the day
you are born and the day you find out why." - Mark
Twain
What
is necessary for life? Physically we may say
oxygen, water and food. Emotionally we need hope
and love. Spiritually we need Christ! But another
very necessary component of a fulfilling life is
finding our purpose.
Paul is often considered the greatest missionary
of all time. Toward the end of his life he wrote
in confidence to Timothy, "You, however, know
all about … my purpose" (2 Timothy 3:10).
God created us with a purpose. One of the greatest innate needs common to all people is a purpose for our existence. Many aimlessly drift through life with little sense of direction or purpose. As a young Christian I learned to share my faith using a booklet called "The Four Spiritual Laws" which begins with the phrase, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." Of course the noun "plan" can be equally understood as "purpose" and truly God has a purpose for each of us.
2 Timothy is considered the last letter that Paul wrote. The first nine verses in chapter three list over twenty-three godless characteristics evident in a period that Paul describes as "terrible times in these last days". In fact it could easily describe the world in which we now live! He sums the list up with the phrase, "these men oppose the truth". My, oh my, isn't that the case.
God created us with a purpose. One of the greatest innate needs common to all people is a purpose for our existence. Many aimlessly drift through life with little sense of direction or purpose. As a young Christian I learned to share my faith using a booklet called "The Four Spiritual Laws" which begins with the phrase, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." Of course the noun "plan" can be equally understood as "purpose" and truly God has a purpose for each of us.
2 Timothy is considered the last letter that Paul wrote. The first nine verses in chapter three list over twenty-three godless characteristics evident in a period that Paul describes as "terrible times in these last days". In fact it could easily describe the world in which we now live! He sums the list up with the phrase, "these men oppose the truth". My, oh my, isn't that the case.
But
beginning in verse 10 Paul lists a number of
positive personal characteristics that he was
confident Timothy had observed in his life and
thus was well acquainted with: "You, however,
know all about my teaching, my way of life, my
purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things
happened to me…the persecutions I endured…".
Paul demonstrated these characteristics day by
day, during periods of peace and during times of
testing, when he had plenty and when he was in
need. It wasn't just the words Paul used to teach,
but it was his way of life that reinforced
that which he professed.
Among the characteristics he listed was "my purpose". The word purpose means a "plan" or a "resolve", denoting that a decision has been made. Another reference states this purpose to be "the guiding motive of my life and work".
God has a purpose for each of us. There are aspects of this purpose common to all who follow Christ. Although we may not choose to word it the same way, it would be very similar to my "personal mission statement" that I wrote many years ago. This, of course, could also be called my "personal purpose statement". I purposefully place it in the footers of each daily encouragement message.
Among the characteristics he listed was "my purpose". The word purpose means a "plan" or a "resolve", denoting that a decision has been made. Another reference states this purpose to be "the guiding motive of my life and work".
God has a purpose for each of us. There are aspects of this purpose common to all who follow Christ. Although we may not choose to word it the same way, it would be very similar to my "personal mission statement" that I wrote many years ago. This, of course, could also be called my "personal purpose statement". I purposefully place it in the footers of each daily encouragement message.
It
reads,
"I
am created by God to bring Him glory. Through
God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and
I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My
mission in life is to honor God through my faith
and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom
I may influence for eternity."
But I believe God has also specifically equipped us for the unique purpose He has for our individuality. This purpose varies depending on the gifts, life experiences, challenges, and callings God has granted us. In Acts 12:36 we read, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation". My goal is to fulfill God's purpose for my life in my generation. What about you?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, to find lasting satisfaction
and personal reward we must look to Your blueprints
for our lives since we are Your creation. You have
shown us by Christ's example what is good and that
which You require of us; to do justly, to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with You. As we do that we
will find great purpose, the kind of purpose that is
not just for our earthly existence but that which
lasts for all eternity. May we be faithful in making
choices today that reflect Your purpose in our lives
and fulfills our spiritual calling. In the name of
Jesus we pray. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Grace
So Glorious" Video Highpoint
Collective
Ester's 32nd birthday
testimony in her own words as she has
updated her original testimony. She worked
on this over the past few weeks since she
knew her 32nd birthday was coming.
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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