Who am I? Finding my purpose in Christ
Who am I? Finding my purpose in Christ
Acts 26:16-19.
As the popular saying goes “If the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable”. This applies to our life of faith in Christ Jesus. After we are saved, we must discover our purpose for existence in Christ, to find out the very reason(s) for our existence. Failure to do this will result in missed fulfillment in life and ministry and the skewing of God’s vision for our existence. From our text, Paul’s lifetime vision was set for him and he lived thereby throughout his existence.
Finding our footing/rooting in Christ: We must first carry out the prescribed appropriation of Christ’s blood to wash away our sins, becoming chosen children of God before we can approach or receive the purpose of God for our lives- 1 Peter2:9. Any discovery or purpose outside of God only serves humanity or honors an ethnic or sectoral purpose and this holds no eternal gain. A good example was the life of Paul before his conversion- Philippians 3: 5,6.
Discovery of purpose: There are Biblical examples of men who found their God-ordained purpose- Moses (Exodus 3:10,11), Gideon (Judges 6:14), Saul (1 Samuel 9:19,20), the disciples (Matthew 4:18,19), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5), etc. There was something common in all of them, their purposes emanated from God. No person knows the reason for his creation than the creator- Isaiah 43: 7, 21. Therefore, we need to seek God to reveal His divine ordinance concerning our existence through prayers and diligent observance of God’s gift within us- 2 Timothy 1:6.
Exploration and manifestation of purpose: Galatians 1:15, 16. Having discovered God’s purpose over our lives, we must daily seek to fulfill His bidding and demands from us. Anything short of this will make us unfaithful stewards of God’s gift(s) – 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Matthew 25:24-26, 30.
1 Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
2 Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [Refrain]
3 Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [Refrain]
