September 5, 2021 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART
By Cheryl Zamora
A Purpose Bigger Than Yourself – Are you doing it?
Your God-given purpose may not be as big as someone else. Yet, God still expects you to be faithful in accomplishing His purpose. Could He be calling you to smile and greet our guests when you come to church on Sundays? You could look into the eyes of kids and speak Jesus to them by serving as children’s church teacher. Your mechanical skills can help fix women’s cars, which may be vulnerable to being oversold by hungry auto-repair shops. If you’re starting out your journey with Jesus, God’s call to you at this point may be to simply set aside half hour daily to slowly read God’s Word and allow His Spirit to speak to you as you wait in quiet reflection. If you’ve learned about baptism but have not yet been immersed, do you keep waiting until you’re better or is God simply calling you to say, “Yes, Lord!” Or you have been attending CEAC for a long time now and God may very well be inviting you to get involved. God gives you a purpose bigger than yourself – are you doing it?
The above examples may sound simple and small. Where’s that God-given purpose that is bigger than yourself? Whoever is faithful with little will be faithful with much. That is, we get the bigger assignments once we have learned to consistently say ‘yes’ when we are asked to do smaller things. Presidents or Prime Ministers of nations/countries did not get to be where they are overnight. Pastors do not become pastors in a day. They started with little yes-es to Jesus, to go to seminary, finish seminary papers, volunteer for this activity, teach Vacation Bible School to elementary children, give generously and sacrificially, forgive those who hurt you, love the unlovable; others quit a career to retool in seminary, and some leave home to live anywhere the Lord leads.
Maybe you're thinking, but I have no idea what my purpose is. God hasn't revealed it to me yet. Be encouraged! While you are waiting for Christ to reveal His entire plan for you, you can still build on the foundation He is by living out what He says is the greatest gift of all—love (1 Cor. 13:13).
I once read a story about a man who gave his sister a very small gift and God noticed it, too. The man, a high-dollar philanthropist, was also a mover and a shaker in higher education. Unexpectedly, he became ill and was comatose for some time. At this time, Christ appeared to him in a dream to show him scenes from his life. While reviewing each scene, Christ revealed the value He placed on each of the man's actions. Surprisingly, Jesus didn't do cartwheels because the man had given away large sums of money. And He didn't say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," when He reviewed the man's academic achievements. Rather, it was a simple encounter the man had with his sister that pleased the Lord. One day when the man noticed that his sister was heartbroken and in an effort to comfort her, he embraced her tight for a long time. In Christ's book, this was the man's greatest accomplishment. While you are seeking God to reveal your life's purpose, sometimes little acts of love can seem mundane and unimportant. But remember, God notices. So the next time you're beating yourself up because you're not sure of His purpose for your life, think of this man and his brotherly embrace. Then smile, because if you are building your life on Christ with love, what you do will matter for eternity. (paragraph excerpt from Focus On The Family)
God has called us to help people every day to love Jesus and to live for Him more and more – to invite people around us to do the same, one person at a time. Let us serve Him together.