What is commitment? Do we commit only when there is some benefit to ourselves? Is there a greater motivation to what we do? Why do we get up every morning? Once we identify the motivating factor behind our commitment we will truly know who we are and what we value. Does money motivate you? Do the pleasures of life bring you satisfaction? Can family and friends produce a lasting motivation that carries you through life. Has your faith in God pervaded your life to spur your motives? There are many things that we claim as motivators in life but true motivation can only be found in God. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Purpose
The greatest commitment of your life: Isaiah 27 and 28
Just turn and start that journey of faith before you: Isaiah 19 and 20
Can anything that we hold in high regard give us lasting hope? Can money buy us assurance? Will friendship provide the lasting fellowship we crave? Can the power and renown of our ethnicity, nation, or religious denomination grant us the hope that tomorrow will be better than today? “An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom; and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers; and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord GOD of hosts.” Isaiah 19:1-4 In Isaiah 19 we see how nothing can stand against the will of God. Prowess, power, and cunning are of no use against God when He determines to move.
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In our presalvific state we needed the grace of God: Ecclesiastes 7 and 8
We are apart of a great story that God has been playing out from eternity past. In this moment we are enveloped by God’s overall purpose for creation. We have been greatly blessed by God through the all surpassing grace that was extended to us upon the cross of Calvary. We are transformed when we place our trust and hope in Jesus Christ death on the cross. There will come a day when Jesus Christ will return and all who hold their hope in Him will be completely renewed and restored. “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 We may want to look back upon our lives and think that what we once had was of greater worth than the life of faith in Jesus Christ we live today. When we look back upon our presalvific existence with longing we are believing a lie that God is not sufficient for our present circumstances. ”Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” Ecclesiastes 7:10 Continue Reading…
The all surpassing provision of God to save: Ecclesiastes 5 and 6
Do you have a bucket list of things that you aspire to do before you die? What is on that list? Do you want to travel the world, own a specific home, earn a prestigious title, or make an exact sum of money? Do you have any hope of crossing off items on the list? Anything that we strive to accomplish will be a fleeting fulfillment that leaves us bereft and wanting no matter how hard we toiled. “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 5:10 There is nothing that we can acquire with our hands that will lift us out of our depravity into the life of fulfillment and wholeness we crave. Continue Reading…
We live, breathe, and endure because of God’s will: Ecclesiastes 3 and 4
Popular culture reflects upon the word and wonder of God without acknowledging His hand at work in creation. In the song ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ by the Byrds they sing “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 The song by the Byrds is a melodic tune that easily gets caught in our minds but how often do we think about the true meaning to the words? What was Solomon imparting to us with these words in Ecclesiastes? Continue Reading…
Our inherent need fulfilled in the sovereignty of God: Ecclesiastes 1 and 2
Solomon, the son of David, was imparted with great wisdom beyond measure. This king of Jerusalem did not lack anything in his life. This life of Solomon is truly what many people today are striving to obtain. If I could just have more money, family, friends, and fulfillment I would be complete. We desire to surround ourselves with items that promise satisfaction for our every desire. Will you listen to the words of the man who had everything? What did Solomon think of life? ”Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 The length and breadth of mans life is but a small ripple in the ocean of eternity. How do we reconcile the futility of our lives with the vastness of creation? What are we living for? Continue Reading…
A foundation for hopes, dreams, and your future: Psalm 128
What is the foundation of your life? Why do you get up and go work? Why do people get married and have children? At the core of every event and action in life there needs to be a greater purpose. We cannot continually press on in this life just because it is what we have always done. What will your purpose for pressing on in life be? Will God be your purpose for everything in life? “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you.” Psalm 128:1,2 When God is placed at the core of your existence the burdens of life that you have carried will become blessings. Your work will have a purpose that is greater than the acquisition of wealth. You will cherish your family as the blessing they truly are. What is your foundation? Will you build your hopes and dream upon God’s foundation? Continue Reading…
Pressing on with excellence through the doubt and fear: Psalm 90
What lasting purpose exists for us with life so terribly short? Is there any value to our daily tasks that we repetitively complete? When we look at all that we accomplish from day to day, week to week, year to year and culminating in our life we tend to feel infinitely small because we truly make little to no lasting impact. It is only when we focus upon God and His working throughout time that we can see our true purpose. “For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due to You? Do teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:9-12 Continue Reading…
O God, glorify Your name that all nations may know You: Psalm 83
Why do we desire for God to act on our behalf and deliver us out of the troubles, trials and tribulation we continually face? Are we pleading with God for Him to deliver us out of trouble because we deserve it, we need the help, or we have been afflicted and oppressed a little too much recently? When we focus on ‘we’, the focus is completely self-centered and not upon God and His glory. Can we plead for God’s help so that everyone around us may see His glory and goodness? Will the people who are persecuting us be drawn to know God because of His delivering hand at work in our lives? Continue Reading…
Approach the King of glory and find rest for your soul: Psalm 24
Why do we believe that we are our own possession? How does the idea of freewill come into our relationship with God? Do we really have any ability to impose our own will? There are many varied moments where I believe that I can do anything but as I read Psalm 24 I am reminded that I am ill-equipped for this life. Everything in all the vast creation that surrounds us belongs to the Lord because He made it all.The only trait we display wholeheartedly is our collective desire to rebel, sin and worship idols. How can anyone get the clean hands and pure heart mentioned in Psalm 24:4 so that we may ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place? How can we be made holy when the bar is set completely out of our reach?
