Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is other than just existing and going through a routine from day to day? One of my favorite Psalms addresses this. “May he grant you according to your hearts desire, and fulfill all your purpose” (20.4). So, maybe it is tied to your heart’s desire. Is it for personal gain, or maybe it is for God’s kingdom purpose. When you consider that you had no choice as to who your parents would be or where you would be born, there seems to be someone else making these choices. God gave you life and it was, I believe, not to live it for yourself but for his glory. But if that’s not your heart’s desire, and it’s all built around your kingdom, there will be a life lived filled with great disappointment.
One of the truly significant events that happened in Israel’s life was when Esther and Mordecai met to address the king’s decree, and what was going to happen to the nation. Esther was queen and Mordecai implored her to go before the king and reveal the truth about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. She was a Jew also. It came right down to the final hour. Mordecai addressed Esther.“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4.14) Esther boldly responded and asked for prayer and fasting.
And I love her response. “Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law and if I perish, I perish. (vs. 16b). God honored her faith and boldness, thus the Jews were saved once again. We have to ask ourselves; are we willing and ready to lay it all on the line for Jesus? He gave it all, will we? I would say that if we are living mostly for our comfort and ease, and for ourselves primarily, the answer would be no. But if we have truly embraced our calling and the purpose of our lives, nothing is too much to ask of us. The Lord did not give us life with unique gifts to squander on temporal pursuits.
Maybe you’ve been called ‘for a time such as this’. God did not make a mistake when he formed you. All you have to do is read the alphabetical meditations in Psalm 119 to understand your life. “Your hands have made and fashioned me” (vs. 73). What is your purpose in your family, at your work, your recreation, at your church, the ministries in which you serve? Maybe it’s evangelism, discipleship, prayer, preaching, teaching, mission work, serving the least and the lost, in prisons, or with the homeless. God wants you to produce fruit, more fruit and much fruit. Through obedience to his word, and his calling, this will happen. The Holy Spirit will see to it, that it is accomplished.
And what we receive through all of our obedience to his commands and our calling is his joy. By abiding in Christ, we will live fruit-filled lives topped off with the blessings of joy.“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15.11).
So, what is your purpose? You have one or more. May God fulfill it in and through you. Amen.