40 Days of Purpose

We can oly imagine what it was like to walk with God in the Garden of Eden. That close, tangible relationship with God must have been awesome.

But yet, the presence of God is here today as it was then. The friend part means true or best friend. You would be loyal to a friend, you would trust a friend and you would spend time with a friend.

“Praying without ceasing,” includes God in all the things you are doing. When you consciously put God in the things you do, they take on a new focus and meaning.

Since reading this I’ve set my watch to beep on the hour as a reminder to myself.

I’ve also found keeping a small diary a good way to keep memory verses on hand. I can look over tham and it’s a good way for me to have a small reminder.

Habits come with time, and although they are hard at the beginning, continue, even if you forget or fail sometimes, or often. The goal remains the same. Keep in prayer and meditation throughout the day.

I actually read this part over again as it really touches on deep matters.

The heart of worship, that total surrender is something I’ve realised is needed, but those, “fear, pride and confusion,” often kick in.

The trusting of God and accepting of limitations admits our humanity and our falability as well as the ultimate love and power of our master, who knows all and knows best.

That surrender, which seems so much like weakness or defeat in our eyes is the complete answer. When we do, we give God the chance to shower us with his blessings and share in his wonderful grace.

So, keep up your worship and prayer and surrender your life and evergies to him. As Christ himself did while here in the flesh.

Just imagining it is kinda funny. I imagine a character that looks kinda like the stereo typical white haired long bearded guy of Jesus’ time letting out a Santa sized laugh.

Imagining that God has emotions like we do and feels things like we do seems a little unbelievable, but they are expressed in scripture.

Supreme love.

We need to love God with allour being. He is completely deserving of it because he is our master, we owe our everything to him. I often thought that if we were always at church, we couldn’t love everyone as we would never see them. But in fact true love of God allows us to love others even more. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. – Matthew 22:37-38

Complete trust.

If we don’t trust completely , we don’t really trust. It’s not conditional. Believe and trust completely.

Wholehearted obedience.

Half-hearted obedience is disobedience.
Continuous praise and thanks is essential for the one who gives us everything.

Use our abilities.

And in essence, be human. When we use those abilities for his glory and to help others, we fulfill the “and love your neighbor and yourself.”

“The LORD is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love.” – Psalm 147:11 (CEV)

Worship is bringing pleasure to God.

It is sometimes hard to imagine dedicating everything in our life, everything we do, to him. But God requires no less.

Having a heart for God involves putting God at the heart of all you do.

What would you do differently if you knew you were doing it in honor of God?

Imagine, if instead of focusing on how tough your job is, you rather focus on God, knowing he is in control and is pleased with your efforts that aim to please him.

The next time I get angry at soemone’s bad driving on the road, I need to realize that how I react reflects who is in control of my life. A few bad words, or a prayer for safety and protection.

So let’s “fall in love” with God, and realise that we are here for God’s pleasure.

“Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory.” – Romans 11:36 (LB)

It’s all for him.

From yesterday’s reading this should now be quite clear. God needs to be glorified.

Sometimes we may think that we glorify God be “acting holy” and giving the impression that you’re a great or perfect person.

God is the creator and master of everything, to show him glory is to obey Him and do what He wants you to do.

The five ways are…

• Worship Him
• Love others
• Become like Christ
• Serve others with our gifts
• Tell others

So as we dive into the main part of this book, the challenge and choice for us is, “Do we serve the master, or something else?”

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

Death is inevitable, we were born, and we will die. Our bodies will fade away. But our soul, which is unseen will last for eternity.

“For we were born but yesterday… Our days on earth are as transient as a shadow.”

We are simply caretakers, who are assigned here for a short while. We are ambassadors of Christ here on earth.

“We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be!” So whay do we keep seeking ways to make ourselves happy?

True happiness is realizing what our master intended for us in our short stint here on earth.

And, “At death you won’t leave home – you’ll go home.”

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anais Nin

We really do have so many different perspectives on life.

If life really is a test, surely I would want to score as high as possible.

With this in mind would I ever think twice before doing a good dead or service for others?

If God is watching all that I do see how I do, would I ever be happy with a half hearted effort? Would God?

Our time here on Earth is limited. The Earth was created by God, and so we are just the caretakers for our short stint in this world. We need to take care of it and make sure we follow the rules of the Almighty Landlord.

God seeks to trust us to do his Will. We need to be faithful in following Him and doing His will before we will be given huge tasks, we need to show we are trustworthy, remember, we are the servants, He is the master.

“Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones.” Luke 16:10a (NLT)

“God has… planted eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

Everything we do now, all the problems we have simply evaporate when I realise that there is still forever.

Take the longest thing you can think of. The most pleasant, like a warm day by the sea with friends, cannot compare to the wonder of being in heaven, which will last forever. On the other hand take the most unpleasant airplane trip, add two people who snore really loud on each side of you and a rude cabin staff and half-sized economy seats, multiply by infinity and you won’t even come close to the pain and suffering of hell.

Our spirit lives forever, we live on forever.

Oh, how my miniscule problems just fizzle away when I think about how awesome that is.

So live life in preperation for the wonderous eternity that is waiting for you. Make sure that you spend it in the right place.

“The world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.”

What would my family and friends say is the driving force in my life? What do I want it to be?

This question is one that is sometimes very difficult to answer, because I know that many times the answer, if I am completely honest, is not the answer I would like to give.

The first part of today’s reading looks like a crash course in psychology.

I remember my mother, who is a social worker who specialises in counselling people in depression using cognitive therapy, and what she told me. What she did came down to looking at faulty thinking patterns. All of the things mentioned in the first half of the reading strike home as the very things which people who have depression have fallen into the trap of believing. Believing that those other things mean everything.

Guilt, resentment and anger, fear, materialism and need for approval. Jesus dealt with all these things and taught about them. The story about the man who wouldn’t give up his possessions to follow him, materialism. He often said to his disciples, “Fear not.” Forgiveness frees you from the grips of resentment and anger.

The complaints of Isaiah touch very close to home, as I have been there before.

The life driven by God, is one that is focused on the most important thing. That is God.

Knowing your purpose will give meaning to, simplify, focus and motivate your life and prepare you for eternity. Now if that’s not a good pitch for serving God, I don’t what is. But seriously, all these things are promised by God, and what a great hope for our lives.

And to end…

“You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (TEV)

“I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” – Isaiah 44:2a (CEV)

It’s amazing to think that everything about me, absolutely every little thing was prepared in advance.

We were prepared for a special purpose, and no matter where you are or who you are, God thought about everything before you breathed your first breathe.

I was watching a new TV show called “In the womb,” which takes a close look at the full development cycle of a baby. Along the way they tell how each individual part knows how to put itself together. Each knowing how it should become and ear or a leg. And every part is put together in such a unique way as to create us, even part of our personalities and our temperment.

Now that’s the plan of a God who is in control.

Makes you feel pretty special and unique, doesn’t it?