I heard a young man (11 yo) speak these words about his father. "One of the things my father has taught me is to walk in life with a purpose."
That's a great phrase. Great words to take to heart this Lenten season.
It is the walk that defines us, gives us our identity and energy.
It is the walk that forms us in the image and likeness of the god we worship.
It is our faith; what we truly believe and live.
How many can say our walk in life with a purpose is the one given
to us by our Heavenly Father?
Truthfully, probably only one person has, that's Jesus.
Even in the face of temptation Jesus never forgot his purpose.
But people say, Jesus' purpose was to resist the devil and to walk with the Heavenly Father.
That is our purpose as well. It is why we were created.
The LORD God formed man out of clay and blew into his nostrils
the breath of life. In that breath we
were given our purpose....
Temptation came to the man and woman in the form of a serpent.
Both ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and the eyes of both
of them were opened.
We know good from evil. We know right yet still sin. We know
justice and still allow injustice. We recognize dignity and live with shaming
of other persons.
The reason for these things is that we are tempted. The
devil tempted Jesus with possessions, pride, and honor. Those are same things that tempt us.
The devil, as they say is in the details, because we all want to
be something special, extraordinary, not just some collection of dust or clay,
not just an accidental, anonymous person.
Deep down, whether we admit it or not, we each nurse the secret
of being special. That is when the devil can step into our lives.
We are tempted: I have to have this car, this house, these
clothes, all my friends do.
We begin to believe: I have be in this circle of people, in these
organizations, and at this Church. My children have to be the great athletes,
the great students, and the perfect children.
Our world is built on: What do people think of me? People have to
see me this way. Other people's opinion of me. I have to be the leader.
These are temptations that can promote sin, injustice, and
disrespect for the dignity of others. They often bring to those tempted more
heartaches than happiness.
No matter how much we work to make ourselves special and
extraordinary, there will still be anonymity and ordinariness. No matter how
many possessions, how much pride and honor we have sin brings emptiness.
The temptations of possessions, pride and honor become the things
you worship; come between you and God. One or all of them become the walk of
purpose in your life.
Someone asked, "Deacon, if God knows all our needs, all we
do, and forgives us, why do we have to pray?"
Prayer keeps us focused on our walk with God. Have you ever heard
the saying "out of sight, out of mind?" Without prayer we lose sight
of God and he is no longer part of our thoughts and heart. We get lost and the
devil steps in with temptation and sin.
Jesus came so that we would not forget and lose sight of God. God
became man to walk on this earth with a specific purpose. Jesus' walk of
purpose in life was to bring to us forgiveness, acquittal for our sins, and
redemption, and abundance of grace, and justification; so, that through the
obedience of one many will be made righteous.
Jesus brings focus to our walk in this life, which is union with
God; a purpose we tend to throw away to temptation and sin. Yet in Christ
Jesus, we find it again. Take a purposeful walk in life with the one who formed
us from clay and gave to each of us the breath of life.
"One of the things my father has taught me is to walk in life with a purpose." It is a walk with a truly good and holy purpose.
Do you walk in life with a purpose?
No comments:
Post a Comment