Don't Die Full

As we get older it is natural to take inventory of our life's journey thus far and to reflect on how we have impacted this world and those whose paths we have crossed. God has created all of us with purpose; none of us are here by happenstance.  Everyone who is born into this world is born with purpose even if they don't yet know it or know what that purpose is.  Purpose is given by the creator, God. There are many who are walking around in a state of confusion because they don't understand why they are here on this earth or what they are here to do. We do not designate what our purpose is because the creation cannot give itself purpose.

If the creation wants to know why it was created it must ask the creator.  So, if we want to know what our specific, individual purpose in this life is, we must seek God and ask Him to reveal that to us.  For some of us it comes easier than others, but God is faithful to show us if we desire to fulfill His purpose for our lives.  However, knowing one's purpose is only half of the battle. Once you know your purpose it is still possible not to successfully fulfill it.  How can this be you may ask. There are three ways that a person can fail to fulfill his/her purpose:

1.  Walking in Fear instead of Faith 

2.  Laziness

3. Being Distracted

Fear is the enemy or antagonist of faith.  Faith says I can and will do it even though it does not look like I can.  It says I can and will have it even though I don't and can't see it yet.  This is the application of Hebrews 11:1 that says, "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." [KJV]  So, although you don't see the evidence of the promised purpose that you hope for, you know nonetheless that it is your destiny because God said it is so.  But, when you operate in fear, you cannot operate in faith.  Faith is the currency of the kingdom of God.  Faith unlocks the impossible.  Fear paralyzes you causing you not to be able to move in the forward direction of God's purpose for your life.  Fear steals and kills your faith and without faith it is impossible to please God [Heb. 11:6, KJV].

Laziness is not commendable in God's kingdom.    Laziness is a manifestation of complacency and complacency is a satisfaction with one's state of being ignorantly unaware that there is greater in store. In Proverbs 6:6-11 we are admonished not to be lazy, but diligent like the ant that is relentless in fulfilling its purpose and carrying out its duties. The ant does not have an overseer or leader provoking it to live out its purpose, but it does so with great diligence and haste. When you are complacent (satisfied) with where you are and what you have, there will be no pursuit of the greater that God has in store for you.  There will be no pursuit to fulfill your God given purpose.

There are many distractions in life even from those who have good intentions or those close to us.  In Luke 10:38-42 Martha invited Jesus into her home and while she ran around making dinner preparations for her guests, her sister Mary was seated at the feet of Jesus as he was teaching.  Martha was angry and wanted Jesus to tell Mary to get up and go help her with the preparations.  Jesus refused to disrupt and distract Mary from the important matter of learning how to be a disciple of Christ.  Jesus went even further to point out that Martha was distracted by many things instead of being focused on the principles of Jesus.  Another example of how the well intended can cause us to be distracted from our purpose is found in Mark 8:31-33 when Jesus was telling his disciples about the impending suffering he must endure at the hand of national leaders, priests, and teachers of the law of Moses. Peter did not want to hear Christ speak in that manner so; he rebuked Christ for talking about it.  Christ then turned around and rebuked Peter telling him, "you are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not Gods" [NLT].   Peter meant well, he just did not want to see his leader and master suffer and die, but Jesus had a purpose to fulfill in the earth and he knew that he could not be distracted from that purpose.  Distractions are all around us.  You have to know when to listen to and heed people's concerns and when to rebuke them discerning that they at that moment serve as a hindrance to your God given purpose.  The "good" intentions of those around us are not always for our good.

People who know their purpose don't waste time because they know that time is precious and brief.  Jesus is our best example of this.  He did not waste time.  He was always about his father's busness fulfilling His will through salvations plan.  He had 33 1/2 years to fulfill his purpose and everything he did every day of his life was to the fulfillment of that purpose. Martin Luther King, Jr., whether you agreed with his philosophy of justice or not, was another who understood his God given purpose and did not waste time fulfilling it. What is your God given purpose?  Whatever it is, know that you are full of purpose, but you are not supposed to stay full of purpose.  You are supposed to walk out your purpose every day of your life.  When you breathe your last breath and go to your grave, you are not supposed to be full of purpose.  

My prayer for you is that you will know what your God given purpose is (not your own self proclaimed purpose, but the purpose that God has created you with).  Once you know your God given purpose, may you walk in faith to believe what God has said or shown you, be diligent in pursuing it, and may you remain focused on fulfilling it that the Lord be pleased with your life living.

Live out your God given purpose on purpose every day of your life and Don't die full.

Last thought:  If you fail to pursue and fulfill your God given purpose with the time that God has given you here on this earth, how many people will miss out on what God has for them because it was locked up in the purpose that you were full of?

                              - Dr. DeShonda Bailey

 

Posterous theme by Cory Watilo