BORN INTO PURPOSE!

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV).

This well known verse is a wonderful promise, rightly so. But it is also taken out of context too often. Just because we are a Christian, doesn’t mean “everything will work out good”, or, “everything that happens will be God’s will”. There are some conditions to the promises.

God will intervene in our circumstances in response to our loving Him with all our heart soul and mind. He will change life for us and bless us immensely when we understand something of, and live in, the purpose He has for us. I believe there are two aspects to the purpose God has for us.

The first part has to do with our knowing Him and walking with Him in intimacy. Paul’s passion was to “know Him”. Our primary calling and purpose is to know God! End of story! To be forgiven of our sins, to know His grace, His justification, His mercy, His Word, His empowering presence with us every moment! Everything of what we’re to do specifically, (the second part of God’s purpose), or, what we would say is our calling, our destiny, or our ministry, is to come out of that walk with God.

God’s Word says, Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NKJV). And again in John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NKJV). I often read those portions and can’t get past it like this; Genesis 1:1 In the beginning GOD…! God is the foundation of life. God is the starting point, the reference point for everything!

Discovering that revelation, will change everything. Being people of Purpose and Destiny will affect your work, your marriage, your relationships, your working, your walking, your waking, your sleeping, your worship, your service, your leisure, your everything! Because we then do things with a different mind set, a different motive. We know our first and foremost purpose is to press into God, to know Him more and more, to grow into Him, to live as a constant song of worship to Him.

There’s an interesting phrase in the story we know as “The Prodigal Son”. It says in Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (NKJV). Notice those five words, “when he came to himself “. He received a revelation. Something happened in his heart. “The penny dropped”. “The light came on”. “The lift hit the top floor”! He suddenly realised where he should not be, and where he should be! As a Jew it must have been hard for him to be in this pig pen. How often do we find ourselves in a place where we realise this is not where we’re meant to be. For him it was geographically away from his father. For us it could be spiritually and geographically away from our Heavenly Father.

This Prodigal son immediately went to the place of his purpose! With his father! In his father’s compound. When he was restored to his father’s presence, he found his purpose! It’s the same for us! When this son was under his father’s loving care and protection, he found his life’s specific mission, secondary to his primary purpose, which was simply to be with his father.

Today God is looking for people who will be available to do amazing things, to extend His Kingdom. He’s looking for available people into whom He wants to pour His Spirit, who can then pour out into a thirsty needy world. This is an important hour. We live in important times. Time can easily be wasted. Lets not concern ourselves overly with the quest to discover our ministry, when in the process we sacrifice it on the alter of our primary purpose, which is to Know God!

The search for the meaning of life and its purpose, has perplexed the minds of mankind for thousands of years. We have every kind of fortune telling including tarot cards, palm reading, tea-cup reading, weggie boards, séances, and blatant occult practices, all to help people with this God-built void, that wants to know the answers to these three important questions: where did I come from, why am I here, and where am I going?

But we’re beginning at the wrong starting point – ourselves! We ask self-centered questions: – What do I want to be? – What should I do with my life? – What are my goals, my dreams? – What are my ambitions, my aspirations for the future? These are good well meaning human questions. But the truth is, focusing on ourselves will never reveal the purpose for which we were made.

You were made by God and for God, and until we understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our origin. We were made for God, not the other way around. “You’re not born to find an assignment, but because of an assignment”. (Author unknown).

2009 is to be a year of fulfillment! We have been born into purpose! When we find that purpose life takes on new meaning.

When life throws at us some rough roads, the key to having it “work for our good”, is to love God, and live according to the purpose He has for us. These two things are important issues, and are tested when times are tough. Its easier to love God with all our heart, soul and mind when things are going great. But when they’re not, if we hang in there and love God with everything we’ve got no matter what, and live according to (still believing in, trusting in, having faith) in who God is, our loving, protecting Heavenly Father, then His promise is that life will work out for good.

God wants to do something in us, something that changes us to be more like Him. Loving Him and consciously living as a purpose person, means living in His compound as it were, and knowing Him in an ever increasing way.

Colossians 1:16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, … everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. (Message Bible).

Have you lost your way a little? Need a renewed sense of destiny and meaning and reason for living? Come (back) to “Father”. He’s waiting, and in fact when He sees us coming toward Him He runs to met us! God the Father loves you immensely and wants you to be with Him! Our purpose is found in the presence of our Father!

You were born into purpose!