Finding Your Purpose -

I held a poll on my Instagram a few months ago asking people what they struggled with most in life. The options were: relationships, careers, or finding their purpose. Can you guess what the most popular choice happened to be? Yes, the top issue people struggled with was finding their purpose. Perhaps, that’s because we go the wrong things to find it, or the wrong people to tell us what it is. God put you here for a specific reason, at a specific time, to fulfill a specific purpose. So how can we figure that out? We go to the source. finding your purpose

You tell him, He tells you.

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by your flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:13-19

Did you notice Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, which was known as the “gates of hell”. They had set up false worship for different idols and Gods. Interesting right? The place full of false worship, an area where people are lost without truth and identity, was there very place Jesus said, “Who do you say I am?”

Friends, I never assume anything in the bible is a coincidence. Take a look around you, what do you see today? We have an identity crisis happening, people rejecting truth, worshiping evil, and seeking the direction of their life based on how stars and planets align. Sounds like the problems back then haven’t changed much. You don’t even have to travel to a place like Caesarea Philippi, these activities are becoming the “norm” in our world. So- in our modern day Caesarea Philippi I’ll ask you, who do you say Jesus is?

NOW WHo are you?

It was when Simon told Jesus who He was that Jesus in return was able to give Peter his purpose. Friends we need to know where to go when looking for purpose, that starts with our relationship with Jesus. Being able to know who he is and his characteristics all tie in to being able to trust who he has called you to be. You’ll realize what your worth is actually built upon and it’s not something that fades away or is contingent upon your work.

It was in the place known as the “gates of hell” that Jesus told Simon the gates of Hades would not overcome what he intended for Simon. Perhaps Jesus knew all that would try to attack the assignment put on Simon’s life just like He knows the negative voices and circumstances that will try to tear our purpose apart. But take heart, we have something to stand firm on, an undeniable truth, a trusting friend-Jesus. Jesus wasn’t calling his disciples to stay in territories that were safe. Oftentimes they were met with darkness, but they were given authority and we know what drives out the darkness. Light.

Be a light

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16

Friends, we were not meant to stay hidden, in our comfort zones, or timid of the darkness that is in our world. We are called to confront that, to show up as the light that can drive out the darkness. Look at the verses above. I like how it says, “…Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” By accepting Jesus you have that light within you and God wants to use it to reach other people.

Called to be a light quote by Emilee Rachelle.

Will you partner with him?

God wants our help. He will reach people through us, but as it says in Matthew 9:35, “The workers are few.”

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to the disciples,

“The harvest is is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.””
Matthew 9:36-38

This metaphor is hinting at the fact that there are people who do not yet know Jesus and are ready to hear and accept him. But there are not enough workers to spread the gospel. Friends, that is an invitation to be apart of a great cause that can save people’s life. An invitation to be apart of something bigger than yourself, now that’s purpose. You want to know the good news in that? Having a massive social media following, living in a huge city, working in a church, or having a perfect background to do so (more on this topic next week), are not the prerequisites. You need to be vulnerable.

The power of Vulnerability

Think back to the metaphor of not keeping a light under a bowl from above. Friends, in the same way do not keep what God has transformed in your life to yourself. That incredible work of God was meant to be shared. People are meant to hear your story. Why? Simply, they may find fragments of themselves within your testimony. And when doing so your light is shinning so bright, not only exposing the darkness in their life, but giving them a chance to say, “Wow, God took someone like them and changed their life? Surely He can do that for me too.”

Your vulnerability enables you the potential to help someone give their life to Jesus. Don’t worry, even if they don’t decide to give their life to Jesus in that very moment, you planted the seed (and obeyed God), He will water it. Keep going. Continue telling your testimony, this battered world needs to hear it.

Continue telling your testimony, this battered world needs to hear it.”
Emilee Rachelle

The commandment Jesus left us

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you may go and bear fruit-fruit that will last- and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

This is my command: Love each other. “
John 15:9-17

We talked about this commandment Jesus left behind for us in last week’s post, Why Did Jesus Come Here? What’s our other purpose? It’s to spread the love that we have received from Christ, which He received from God. What’s incredible is God gave all of us unique gifts and ways that we can share our testimonies and our love for others.

Discovering your God given gift

I encourage you to continue praying and growing your relationship with the Lord, allowing him to reveal your gifts to you. I like how Paul gives us a friendly reminder in Romans before describing the different gifts. He says,

“For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

If your gift is prophesying, then prophecy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
Romans 12:3-8

We were all given different gifts, not because others are more important, but for the purpose of working in harmony to reach others and fulfill the will of God.

Lord, Help me get one more.

Friends, you do not have to work in a church to do ministry, you are the church. My encouragement to you is show up and share Jesus, wherever he may have you go. Be the light Jesus called you to be, shinning bright to provide a way for those in the darkness. Use your gifts to reach others and share the love Jesus has given you. May you see vulnerability as a strength as you share your testimony, allowing others to not feel alone. Lastly, as Desmond Doss said in the movie Hacksaw ridge, as he is finding his men in the war and bringing them back to safety on his own, against the Japanese (without a gun), in World War 2,