“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
“Work” – that one little word can conjure feelings of dread, of joy or of accomplishment. My work today seems to be the endless pit of laundry that is calling my name loudly. (Our house is filled with guys, you’d think that there just wouldn’t be that much laundry!) My hope is that I have a greater purpose today than just laundry. My prayer this morning was that God would give me purpose today, purpose in His kingdom work. Accomplishing His will today is the most important work that I can focus on. It’s not that my household duties are not His work. His Word tells us that we are to do everything as if we are doing it for Him, even the things that may seem trivial to us. (Colossians 3:17; 3:23)
My point here is that I believe that we were all put on this earth for a particular purpose. God has a plan for our lives. One of my favorite verses reminds me of that very thing. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” What a wonderful promise! We’re not here simply to live and die, we are here with a purpose and plan. God’s plan. He has work for us to do! We are His hands and feet, “Jesus with skin on” as a friend used to say. That excites me!
Twenty or so years ago, a pastor-friend taught me Philippians 1:6. There were a lot of changes about to take place in our church at that time and some were not easy. Sometimes change is difficult and a little scary. The older I get, the more I realize that sometimes I am not that comfortable with change. I often like some things to stay just the way they are. We all like to get a little too comfortable in our lives, but God often has other plans. He uses change to grow us, to teach us and to remind us that He is the only real Constant in our lives.
I often joke about what I want to be when I grow up, and I’m not really sure yet, even though I am definitely what some would call a “grown up”. I know what I’m passionate about, my Lord, my family, worship, friends, helping people, loving people, sharing the Gospel with everyone I run into, and various other things. Today as I sit in the Pink Room studying and writing, I’m a little fuzzy about my purpose. What I do know is that God is not fuzzy on my purpose at all. He knew it before I was ever born. I believe His Word, and it says that He has a purpose and plan for my life and for the lives of those I love. It’s a little scary sometimes when I start dwelling upon what is to come, but when I remember His promises, I can relax a little and just walk in the steps that He’s given me enough light to see right now. I do not have to worry about the big picture. He’s got that one covered. If I fret over tomorrow, I might miss His what He has for me today. I sense in some ways that He is doing a new thing in my life and I need to make sure I’m listening so that I do not miss it. So, until I have a better idea of what that is, I’m going to spend some time doing what I love most, praying, reading His Word, writing and listening to some of my favorite worship music, (singing along loudly!). Oh…and I guess I’ll get to that laundry, unfortunately, it is still calling my name!
God bless you today and thanks for reading! J
The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001 (Je 29:11). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001 (Php 1:6). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
No comments:
Post a Comment