Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we
know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope. –Romans 5:3-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance. –James 1:2-3
What is my purpose in life? As I struggled through the
summer of 2014 this was the question I asked. Sometimes I asked it searching
for meaning and sometimes I asked as if what is the point? That was a difficult summer of overcoming
difficulties in my life and mourning the loss of a child. But finally around
September I could stand tall and say the purpose of my life is to bring glory
to God.
Our purpose as Christians is clear, we are to glorify God to
all the ends of the earth (Colossians 1:27). The word of God itself brings
glory to Him and is filled with examples of how we can glorify Him. We were
created in His image and we were commanded to be fruitful and multiply, this
alone is expanding His image throughout the earth. From the plagues of Egypt to
sending Jesus Christ, the word is full of God showing His glory to all people.
But we were not commanded to keep His glory to ourselves but instead to spread
it throughout the earth. The word says we are to be sent (Romans 10:13-15) to
preach the word (Mark 16:15) to all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). This is not optional but a commandment to
every Christian. We are to spread His good news of all the things He has done
to all people for His glory.
In October Jennifer asked me, “now what do we do?” We had
got through the tough times of the summer and in need of direction. We decided
to take three months and pray for God to reveal his will to us. We had no idea
where that would lead. We thought he would lead us to adopt or try for another
child. But this was the first time we had truly surrendered. The first time
would could honestly say “God, what do you want to do?” with no preconceived
notions. Normally when we would seek his direction that would mean we already
had an idea for our direction and we wanted him to confirm it but not this
time. For the first time all bets were off and we could honestly say “God, what
do you want from us? Name it. We’ll do it.”
What an amazing place to be in life when you can completely surrender
your will to His. But I had no idea where that was heading and I could have
never guessed. After three months of seeking and prayer he made it clear that
our direction was missions. I was floored. What? Missions? That makes no sense.
I’m not equipped for that. I have no skills for that. I don’t know the first
thing about missions.
He would soon reveal to me that he had equipped me. That I
had skills. And that he would teach me and lead me where I needed to go. He was
only beginning to do some really cool stuff.
The challenge is have you ever fully surrendered? Have you ever asked God, "what do you want to do?" with no preconceived notions? When we deny ourselves then God can work.
Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23
~Josh
