I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:4
Purpose: The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
Your purpose. These are words that are used often in today’s church. They’re used to describe the place or thing you need to be doing in order to receive the greatest joy, peace, or even recognition. Too many times when we speak about our purpose, we mean the thing that brings us the most happiness or satisfaction. Let me make it absolutely clear what I don’t mean by ‘your purpose.’ I am not speaking of one’s dream, or life’s ambition, or the thing you’ve always wanted to do or be.
There’s a great illustration I found, that speaks in relation to what the Lord has put upon my heart today. I pass it on to you:
Consider a hammer. It’s designed to hit nails. That’s what it was created to do. Now imagine that the hammer never gets used. It just sits in the toolbox. The hammer doesn’t care.
But now imagine if you can that same hammer with a soul, a self-consciousness. Days and days go by with him remaining in the toolbox. He feels funny inside, but he’s not sure exactly why. Something is missing, but he doesn’t know what it is.
Then one day someone pulls him out of the toolbox and uses him to break some branches for the fireplace. The hammer is exhilarated. Being held, being wielded, hitting the branches — the hammer loves it. At the end of the day, though, he is still unfulfilled. Hitting the branches was fun, but it wasn’t enough. Something is still missing.
In the days that follow, he’s used often. He reshapes a hubcap, blasts through some sheet rock, knocks a table leg back into place. Still, he’s left unfulfilled. So he longs for more action. He wants to be used as much as possible to knock things around, to break things, to blast things, to dent things. He figures that he just hasn’t had enough of these events to satisfy him. More of the same, he believes, is the solution to his lack of fulfillment.
Then one day someone uses him on a nail. Suddenly, the lights come on in his hammer soul. He now understands what he was truly designed for. He was meant to hit nails. All the other things he hit pale in comparison. Now he knows what his hammer soul was searching for all along.
Isn’t that awesome? It’s very easy for us to believe, without ever actually saying it, that God is required to make my life go according to my plan, and that He must fall in line with my will.We sort of have a picture of what we want our lives to be, and then fall into the trap of believing that God’s job is to make our pictures become reality.
The problem is, as long as we live with this “God make me happy in my will” mentality, we will find it not only counteractive to our joy in Christ, but it also will not bring any type of lasting fulfillment to our lives. Like the hammer in our story, until we are doing what it is we are created and called to do, there can be no lasting fulfillment.
First of all, there is an individual or specific purpose and there is a common purpose. By common, I mean those things which are understood and shared by everyone in the kingdom. If you don’t know your specific purpose, go about doing what you know. These things are at best, quite basic and should be obvious:
* Proclaim the gospel (be a witness) * Love/serve one another * Read your Bible * Pray at all times
Above all, Christ must remain the absolute center of our lives. All things will flow from here because everything we have or ever will have is a direct result of what Christ accomplished through the Cross. This includes His will and purpose for our lives.
When we take a look at the word purpose in the original language (Greek), we see that it means, ‘to set forth a thing’ or ‘to place a thing in view.’ The Lord has set forth His purposes; laid them out in plain view–they are not hidden. However, in order to get access into His purpose, sacrifice and submission are necessary; and that means setting aside our own dreams and desires. Remember that His will is always the perfect fit for our lives.
Jesus said in John 17:4, ‘I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.’ Has this been your experience? Is this your goal? Has the overpowering trajectory of your Christian life been to be active in, about and accomplishing God’s purposes? My friend, until you are busy doing the Father’s business and not your own, you will chasing after peace; but never able to grab hold of it.
Someone once stated that there is a ‘God-shaped hole’ in everyone. I believe it. This void is responsible for the restlessness that persists in the soul of man. Man tries to fill it with all sorts of things, people, plans and parties, only to find that nothing works.
There’s an old song from many years gone by, that moves me whenever I hear it. Even though it’s not a Christian song, I believe that it conveys perfectly the idea of the endless restlessness that exists in the hearts of men without Christ. The words go like this:
Like a long lonely stream I keep runnin’ towards a dream Movin’ on, movin’ on Like a branch on a tree I keep reachin’ to be free Movin’ on, movin’ on
‘Cause there’s a place in the sun Where there’s hope for ev’ryone Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run There’s a place in the sun And before my life is done Got to find me a place in the sun
Like an old dusty road I get weary from the load Movin’ on, movin’ on Like this tired troubled earth I’ve been rollin’ since my birth Movin’ on, movin’ on
There’s a place in the sun Where there’s hope for ev’ryone Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run There’s a place in the sun And before my life is done Got to find me a place in the sun
You know when times are bad And you’re feeling sad I want you to always remember
Yes, there’s a place in the sun Where there’s hope for ev’ryone Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run There’s a place in the sun Where there’s hope for ev’ryone Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run There’s a place in the sun Where there’s hope for ev’ryone… Gotta find me a place, in the sun.
So have you found your place in the Son, Jesus Christ? Is your heart restless? Are you seeking Him? Are you doing His will? Seek Jesus. Come to the Cross. There is a place for you there. He waits for you there.
That’s the Word! Take it with you. God bless you.