Our Purpose
๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ฃ
โข What event or occasion did you look forward to when you were still a child? How did you behave while you were waiting for it?
โข What is something youโve had to say no to recently in order to say yes to something more important?
โข If you were to write an autobiography, to whom would you dedicate it? Why?
๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐
๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ? ๐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต, ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ, ๐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ! ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง, ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด? ๐๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ, โ๐๐ฆ๐ต ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ.โ ๐๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ: โ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ด.โย ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฑ:๐ฏ๐ฌโ๐ฏ๐ฏ
How can we live a holy life in the midst of our fallen world? This is a question that we, believers, wrestle with as we continue to encounter challenges and temptations. Because Jesus rose again, He is victorious over sin and death. In Him, we have eternal life, which gives us the security and the confidence to pursue holy living and our purpose in Christ. The Bible reminds us that our life on earth has eternal implications. Letโs look at the resurrected life we have in Christ that enables us to live a life of purpose in light of what is to come.
๐ญ. ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ? ๐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต, ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ, ๐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ! ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง, ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด? . . .ย ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฑ:๐ฏ๐ฌโ๐ฏ๐ฎ
The apostle Paul encountered many hardships and trials as a follower of Christ. Itโs the same reality we have to face every day. And yet, he declared that the dangers and sacrifices he endured for the sake of the gospel were not in vain. He recognized that there is purpose in suffering if we view it in light of the eternal life we have and others could have in Christ. This is true both for the one who preaches the gospel and the one who receives it. The hope of our resurrection doesnโt call us just to endure, but also, by the enabling power of the Spirit, to press forward and persevere toward a life of purpose and mission. What have you endured or sacrificed for the sake of the gospel? What does James 1:12 say about this?
๐ฎ. ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐.ย
. . . ๐๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ, โ๐๐ฆ๐ต ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ.โ ๐๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ: โ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ด.โย ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฑ:๐ฏ๐ฎโ๐ฏ๐ฏ
(Read also ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฑ:๐ฎ๐ฌโ๐ฎ๐ฏ.)
A life rooted in Christ and His resurrection power is strikingly different from the one driven by temporary and worldly pleasures. โ๐๐ฆ๐ต ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ,โ is how the world lives, without regard for eternity. In Christ, we know and understand that we no longer live for ourselves but for God and in light of the life He has prepared for us. We live not for personal gain and temporary pleasure, but for the glory and pleasure of God. A life of holiness means that by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, we choose Jesus every day by saying no to sin and yes to Him, knowing that His victory has given us the power to do so. It also means being wise in choosing who and what we surround ourselves with. How have you experienced being drawn closer to God through your community?
The truth of the resurrection that we have in Christ gives us the enabling and empowering grace to live in the present with an eternal mindset. This helps us devote ourselves to honoring God as we live a life of mission and holiness.
๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
โข Paul reminds us that in light of eternity, our sufferings are not in vain. How do you think God can use you even in the midst of hardships for His mission?
โข Do you have certain mindsets and behaviors that reflect a desire for self-centered pleasures? What Spirit-empowered choices can you make today to respond more fully to Christ and grow in holiness?
โข Is there someone you know who is facing challenges today? How can you encourage this person with Christโs promise of resurrection and eternal life?
๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ
โข Thank God that in light of His sovereignty, even in challenges and hardships, nothing is wasted and nothing is in vain. Thank Him for turning our trials into testimonies of His goodness and sovereignty.
โข Ask God for the grace to say no to the temporary pleasures of this world and yes to a life that pleases Him.
โข Pray for an opportunity to preach the gospel to at least one person in your community or campus this week. Pray that they will believe and receive the promise of a resurrected life in Jesus.