Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Finding Your Purpose


God put you on earth for a purpose, to be a unique agent of His creative love.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2 
If you have put your life in the hands of Jesus and made the Son of God the centre of your life, you are also recreated in HIS image. You are a son or daughter of God. You are in the image of Jesus but that does not mean you are a photocopy of the man Jesus of Nazareth. You are not called to die on a cross to save the world. You are not called to obey all the laws of Moses and live as a perfect Jew.
Just as Jesus had a unique identity, you too have a unique identity.
Jesus had special abilities that you do not have. I am sure Jesus was a very talented carpenter and he had a very strong resonant voice that he could use to preach to enormous crowds without a microphone. He had unique abilities to equip Him for His unique mission. He could speak fluent Aramaic, Hebrew and probably also fluent Greek. He memorised the Hebrew Scriptures, probably the entire Old Testament.
All followers of Jesus have unique gifts and talents to do special things for God. Many have abilities that Jesus did not have in His brief mortal life. For example women have some abilities which are not given to men. Jesus was limited by his male gender.
Jesus was not called to be a musician. It is probable that the great musicians of history had greater musical talents than Jesus had, although Jesus is no longer restricted by the limitations of mortal human life. Jesus in His Eternal Glory is the source and creator of all mankind and the Giver of all gifts and talents.
You cannot declare like Jesus did, that you are the perfect Son of God but you can share a message that Jesus could not and cannot preach. You can tell people how God forgave your sins and restored your lost and broken life. Jesus could not do that and He cannot do that now. He is and always was perfectly holy, totally good and He was never in need of forgiveness.
What is your identity and what is your story? There never was and never will be anyone quite like you. God made you for a purpose. God will not send angels to tell people about Jesus. He is sending you to tell your story. People can argue with your beliefs but they cannot argue with a story.
What unique qualities did God give you to reveal to the world?
But what if you have already ruined your life, or other people through cruel abuse have left your life in a mess?
That is no problem for God.
In Mark Chapter 5, Jesus recruited a most unlikely person to be an evangelist. This man told many thousands of people what Jesus had done for him and ten towns were won over to Jesus.
He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. Mk 5:3-5
Jesus drove hundreds of demons out of this man and immediately sent him out to be a missionary, with amazing results.
No human church leader would ever immediately appoint such a man to evangelise a region but Jesus did.
What is your story? What are your talents and gifts? Maybe other Christians think you are not gifted enough, not good enough, not mature enough, not experienced enough or not trained enough to bless others with your love and faith but God does not think like men.
Ask God why He put you on this earth. Then DO something and keep acting in faith. He wants to change the world through you, one step at a time.

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