Laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, bills, work....does this sound familiar? Life can get very busy and it becomes demanding even at times. And then there are goals of achievement to take into account: getting fit, earning a degree, finding your dream job, saving up money to prize yourself with something you have longed for, etc. But in the end...how much of any of this really matters? Really stop to think about that for a second.
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" -Luke 10:38-42.
Are you worried and/or distracted by too many things in your life? Our life here on earth is very temporary. I know that is hard to see because life on earth is all we know, but our life on earth is only a training ground for our eternal destination. What is driving your life? Is it driven by guilt, resentment, anger, materialism, or the need for approval? Your purpose should ultimately be preparing you for eternity. All earthly things will soon perish, but our souls have no end.
When was the last time you attended a funeral? What thoughts went through your mind? Chances are you have experienced at least one loss of a loved one in your life, someone who meant a lot to you. That person could have passed away by natural causes or even by a devastating or sudden death. Life can end in a blinking of an eye. We have no clue the day or time that we will take our last breath. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be next week and we should be living life as if that were so because think about...your last breath could be right around the corner. Life is worthless if we are not living it in the light of our eternity.
Picture a butterfly. A butterfly's life span is usually about 2 weeks. That is it. So, considering you knew your life would only last 2 weeks, how different would your life look at this very moment? Would you be spreading your wings in the presence of God and preparing your kingdom in heaven with every moment spent? Or would you waste your 2 weeks away with trying to inherit meaningless earthly goals and consuming worthless possessions?
"We should be 'realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus'" - Rick Warren
We shouldn't be living life carelessly, unthinkingly, we should be focusing on what our Master wants. Your existence is not an accident, you were created with a unique design with a special purpose. What is your purpose? Well, like it says in the passage from Luke, above, we must sit at His feet and listen
. If we don't do that very thing, we may never know the answer to that one life question and sadly, we will go on wasting our lives away.
But your life is just too busy, you don't have time...right
? Well, let's evaluate: how much time do you spend on facebook, watching tv, reading magazines, indulging in a hobby, etc?
What if your best friend decided to just stop talking to you altogether and stopped being your friend because he/she is just too busy for you? Wouldn't that break your heart? Your friend probably doesn't do that because you are just that important to them. Well, Jesus should matter to us in the same way. If you have a hard time with this because you just don't know how to fit in the time or it just doesn't seem natural start somewhere like having a cup of coffee with Him. Imagine that He is right there with you (which He is even though you can't see Him) and just have a conversation with Him. Tell Him what is going on in your life. Tell Him what you like that is happening in your life, tell Him your struggles. Sure, this may seem silly, but He seeks friendship in just the manner you and everyone does. You will be surprised at how amazing your conversations can get if you take the time. Another thing you can do it practice replacing something you normally do that isn't very important and use that time to read some passages from the Bible, perhaps even pick up an inspirational book that uses that Bible hand-in-hand. God will speak to you, I can guarantee that. He will baffle you and you will wonder how you ever went so long not hearing Him, you will be hungry for more and the things that seemed to matter to you before will soon transform into something less important.
"You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you."- Isaiah 26:3
What is holding you back? Who is hurting you, what are you struggling with that is making your focus on your purpose in life seem not important or driven
? Try to find out what those things are and take the time to address them both with yourself and with God. Nothing is too small or silly to take to God. He understands better than anyone, He will never mock you, you can trust Him because He created you. He knows you better than even you do. He knows exactly how many hairs are on your head!
I know it is hard to comprehend because our nature and our culture has taught us that life is about us. Well, to be honest and blunt....life is not about me and it is not about you. We were made by God and for God and until we understand that, life will never make much sense. If we focus on ourselves all the time, how will we ever want to take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to hear the calling and purpose He has for us? When we focus on ourselves our life's purpose will never be revealed. I know it doesn't really sound logical because it goes against our flesh, but when there is obsession with self you will only find a dead end. A genuine relationship with God leads us into a free life that is in His power. In His power ALL things are possible. How amazing is that!
In spite of every thing around you, how can you remind yourself that life really is not about you and that it is about living for God? What is the one thing you should stop doing and the one thing you should start doing?
"Nothing matters more than knowing God's purpose for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them" - Rick Warren
Churches are trying too hard at "INREACH" and have lost focus on OUTREACH. According to Webster a church is a body of Christians. Church is designed for Christians to come together in fellowship and to train people to be disciples. Where in the Bible does it say to attract people to come to church? In fact, it says TO GO into all the nations and share the gospel. I don't see where in that statement where it says "Go bring people to church". Think about it, when you invite your friends and family to church is it because you are too afraid to share the gospel yourself and you are putting that responsibility all on the pastor?
