Purpose
Today’s Reading: Matthew 28:16-20
One of the universal desires of every person is that their life has purpose. All of us want our life to have meaning. Many of us have grappled with this idea of purpose throughout our lives. In different seasons of our lives, our circumstances make us question our purpose. We might think we will find our purpose in our jobs, but when things are not going well – when we lose our job or have a toxic work environment – we feel like our purpose is slipping away. Then there are some of us who believe we will find our purpose in relationships. We look for validation of our purpose in significant others, friends, our children, and our bosses. But eventually people let us down and make us feel less than, and it damages our sense of purpose. There are many places where we can look to find purpose. If it’s not work or relationships, it’s in our hobbies or dreams we have for ourselves. When everything is boiled down, all of these things and people we try to define our purpose from are faulty and cause us to begin to question why we’ve been placed here. And if we are being honest, that’s an awful feeling.
However, there is another answer. There is hope. When we experience salvation through Christ, we not only receive redemption from our sin, we receive our purpose. There is no need to look any further because our ultimate unwavering purpose comes through Christ.
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life? “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”’ (Luke 10:25-28)
On a few occasions during his ministry, Jesus is very direct about the purpose that his followers carry. In our reading today Jesus commissioned his followers to go and make disciples, or in other words, share the good news about him to the world. In this passage in Luke 10, Jesus simply calls all people to love God and their neighbor. No matter where you are, who you are around, or what your life circumstances are, you have purpose. We all have a collective purpose – Jesus calls us to share his good news and walk in love in all we do.
We do not have to wait to get started, we can start this second! We no longer need to question if we have a reason to live. We no longer have to wonder if our lives have meaning. For as long as we are on earth we have a mission every moment of every day! When we begin to live with this focus and mission, our eyes are suddenly opened to see that no matter how the circumstances around us change, we always have a reason to keep going.
Use the PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) acronym to spend time in prayer.
Have there been times in your life when you have struggled with purpose?
What are some places where you have tried to find purpose and come up short (relationships, work etc.)?
How does knowing what your purpose is as God’s creation affect how you live day to day?
