Finding life-strength is most often unlocked by love. Because God IS love, love for Him and others is core to living with a satisfied mind and soul. When God is our purpose and focus, we are truly awake.
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question in order to test Him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and primary commandment. And the second is powerful as well: you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. On these two commandments connect the entire Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:34-40
It is precisely who God is that makes me able to live my life with purpose. This is one of the things the God Story (the Bible) does for us. It is not just the story of mankind but the Story of God as well. Where did He come from? Who IS He? What is He trying to accomplish? Where is all of this heading? How can I connect with the heart and mind of God?! (the deep purpose of the God Story)
If God is merely an unknowable mystery, how will I ever be known? Or if there is no God – and no purpose for all that is – I am left only with deep emptiness?
On the other hand, what if there is not one thing left to chance? What if our individual purposes have all been accomplished without creating us as mere robotic players in a cosmic drama? Perhaps God is big enough to do this. This would make sense if He really IS God, right? He would be without any limitations and the only truly unbound creature in all the cosmos.
How can this kind of power – this kind of authority – exist in one Being? And what am I to do about my limitations regarding perceiving and following such a Supreme Mind and Heart? How do I find my way?
Different me-gods (such as self, possessions, recognition, family, etc.) serve varied self-purposes. However, the Living God is single-minded: He wishes us to share in His glory. Because most of our understanding of glory is self-driven this can be perplexing and to us very self-centered and self-serving, but it is not so for God.
But what if God’s ways really are not our ways and His thoughts not our thoughts? What if they transcend to purposes we can only imagine because we are created in His image but we cannot comprehend fully because we are earthbound? Certainly there must be more than just physical dimensional reality. There has to be.
Is it possible we have been placed in an imperfect environment where faith can generate, grow, and reach out to bless and help others? Perhaps we are on a journey of discovery where learning to love more deeply is the ultimate end. Not to be perfect. Not to accomplish huge feats of bravery or hard work. Rather, what if we are here to follow God through pursuit of being fully present to Him? What if the entire purpose of life is to be tested and to grow stronger? What if imperfection and turbulence are the precise and vital recipe to make faith, hope, and love emerge! Imagine.
So where does this leave us regarding our own purpose? Are we performing or being? Are we growing in our capacity and application of love for our neighbor? Are we being prepared for something we can only imagine right now but will be counting on God to expand for us? We are living in His world – His reality. What if we have been provided the path to find our place in His heart and mind, and what if this is our preview to the very nature of the thing called heaven?
We realize this may seem a little out there, but we owe it to ourselves to think deeply and search with our hearts for how and what God has revealed about Himself. It is key to finding our true selves.
Some ways we can connect with our purpose:
√ Familiarity with the words of God
√ Discovery, development, and applying out personal giftedness
√ Intentionality to make our lives count in a way that pleases our Creator
√ Hang with others who want to be awake spiritually
“After He spoke long ago to the fathers through His spokesmen often and in many ways, in these last days God has spoken to us in His Son, the One whom He appointed to inherit all things. This is the same Son Whose power created the world. He radiates His Father’s glory and exposes the very character of God. He also upholds all things by the mighty power of His commands. When He had purified creation from both the curse and bondage of sin, He took His seat at the right hand of His Father’s Majesty, having won the right to become better than the angels, because He has inherited a more excellent name and deeper authority than theirs.” – Hebrews 1:1-4
Awake and alive together with you. This is our deep purpose!
Dave and Burnadette