Want to Know Your Purpose, the Bible Tells You

Want to Know Your Purpose, the Bible Tells You

by | Jun 24, 2021 | If There’s a God, What’s He Like?, Why Am I Here?

Have you ever wondered what your purpose for being on earth is? Did you know that God wrote the Bible, in part, to answer that question?

Second post in the series:

WHY WOULD GOD WANT TO SPEAK TO HUMANITY?

About two months ago while packing our car after a hotel stay, a couple crossed the parking lot to meet our dog. During the conversation, the woman stated she had a new puppy named “Nova,” which means “new star.” She then explained she chose that name because she loves astrology.

 

As she spoke, I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit to pray with them, and let them know that the God who made the stars loves them deeply. As the conversation ended, I asked permission to pray, and she heartily agreed. I then prayed as I had been led.

 

As I finished praying, I saw tears roll down her partner’s face as he commented, “That the prayer affected me deeply.” He then added almost apologetically, “Don’t get me wrong, I believe in a higher power, but I’ve never taken much time to think about it.” I then asked, “But if there is a higher power who made you, don’t you think it would be of great importance to find out if there’s something he wants to communicate to you?” He agreed it would be.

Are you someone who:

  • believes in a higher power, but have never thought beyond that belief to what it means for you?
  • looks at the world and wonders if there’s someone out there who sees and cares about the world’s pain?
  • hopes that you are more than a random combination of chemicals and synapses while questioning if you have a purpose for existing?

Maybe you’ve never entertained such questions, but are you someone who:

  • believe in UFO?
  • spends hours a day playing video games that include deities with super-human powers?
  • enjoys “fantasy” that includes gods, angels, and demons that have other-worldly capabilities.

If you answer “yes” to any of the above, then may I ask what hinders you from envisioning the reality of a God who powerfully exists and desires to communicate something of great importance to you?

God, why am I here?

THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY BOOK THAT FULLY AND COMPLETELY EXPRESSES…

 

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR HUMANITY’S EXISTENCE

The first pages of the Old Testament book of Genesis allude to the purpose for which God created humanity:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….”

Genesis 1:26 (ESV) Emphasis mine

Looking at the original Hebrew for this verse, we discover it means that God created us to represent and model him. (Hebrew for image: tselem, is masculine, and means a representative figure; Hebrew for likeness: damah, is feminine and means similar to or modeled after).

Since God created us to represent and model him, it makes sense then to assume that later verses might outline how and when we are to represent him.

HOW GOD MADE US TO REPRESENT AND MODEL HIM

In Genesis 1:26-31 the Bible expresses three ways in which we are to represent and model God:

In wielding power:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

God tasked humanity alone with dominion over his creation. That means we are to model and represent God accurately in any arena where we have authority whether it be in our jobs, homes, communities, or relationships.

Questions to ponder…

  • How can we model and represent God accurately in these areas if we don’t know him personally?
  • If we’ve never taken the time to figure out how he would do things, how can we have dominion over God’s world and treat it as he would?

Jesus himself claimed to be God and represent him in all areas of his life. Therefore, in looking at Jesus’ life, we see how God wields his power. (John 14:8-10, Matthew 20:25-27, Philippians 2:5-11) Do these verses express a different view of God and power than you’ve envisioned? If so, how?

Because I made you for a beautiful purpose, God

Through our gender:

So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

Questions to ponder…

  • How clear is God about the division of gender?
  • Could it be through both male and female genders that God is best represented? I think the scriptures bear this out:

The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. Psalm 103:13 (NLT) (father in Hebrew: ab, masculine)

As a mother comforts her child, so will I (God) comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13 (NIV) (mother in Hebrew: em, feminine)

  • Is it possible that God’s purposes for us are best fulfilled when we function within the DNA designation we were born with?

What if you long to identify with your genetic DNA but feel unable? If this describes you, then I recommend www.changedmovement.com. There you can meet people who have found change possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ. You may also wish to listen to Rachel Gilson’s story. She speaks with great compassion and empathy toward those struggling with their gender DNA.

If that’s not where you are there’s no condemnation here. But I would be remiss if I didn’t allow those who want change to know there is hope.

God, why don't I see that purpose?

In our sexuality and in raising our children:

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Note that God’s purposes are not only for the first man and woman but to all who would come after them, including us. God’s purposes are unchanging.

To fully understand God’s intentions for our sexuality we must also read Genesis 2:15-25 and other Bible passages such as Ephesians 5 (relationships in general); Ephesians 5 (marriage relationships); Ephesians 6 (relationships between parents and children). Also, if you have never read the Old Testament book, “Song of Solomon,” I’d highly recommend it. It’s a dialogue between two lovers, from early courtship through maturing marriage. It’s graphic enough you don’t want your kids reading it.

These passages all point to a God who is deeply concerned about our representation of him in these areas, for several reasons:

  1. Our sexuality is to express God’s beautiful, sacrificial love for a rebellious world as well as his unwavering commitment to his own people. (1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 4:17-21)
  2. The parent-child relationship is to express God’s commitment to and patience with the children he has adopted into his family. (Romans 8:17)
  3. God’s command to multiply and replenish the earth was given to humanity while their relationship with him was unstained by rebellion. Therefore, God’s command to multiply and replenish the earth equals Jesus’ command to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Thoughts to ponder…

  • If you long to represent and model God but don’t know how, would you be willing to talk to God about it, and possibly utilize some of the resources on this website to help you in your endeavors?
  • What if you aren’t married? Whether this is a goal or not, if you have questions about how to best represent and model God in being single, I found Rachel Gilson’s book, Born Again This Way, to be very helpful.)

Get to know me through my Word and Spirit and you will. God

OUR UTTER DEPENDENCE UPON GOD:

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:26-31 (ESV)

These additional verses are extremely helpful in seeing the truth of our dependency: Hebrews 1:3, Acts 17:28, Colossians 1:17, Matthew 5:44-45

WHAT WOULD GOD’S PURPOSE LOOK LIKE FOR ME?

Everyone is uniquely made and gifted by God. How would your unique gifting and abilities look if you fully yielded them to God’s grand purpose to represent and model him to a very hurting world? Do you think yielding yourself to his design would make a difference? Why or why not?

Blessings, dear one.

Robin

WANT TO SEE OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES?

Post One: The Bible – Historic? Or a Direct Communication

What if You’ve Misjudged God?

What if You’ve Misjudged God?

by | Apr 9, 2021 | Is There Relief for the Pain?, What Does a Relationship With God Look Like?

So often people assume the pain and suffering in the world are the results of either an absent or uncaring Father (God). However, there are so many Bible verses that speak to God’s tender care over his children. Why the discrepancy between what we seem to see and what God states about himself?

Psalm 23 is one of the passages in the Bible that compares God’s tenderness and care of his people to a shepherd. It made me wonder, what this psalm (or poem) would look like if the sheep wanted to choose their own way rather than follow the shepherd? How would this psalm change and how could this help us possibly gain a different view of God?

This post takes a tongue-in-cheek look at what that might look like and then examines the promises God gives for those who follow the shepherd’s voice.

PSALM 23

God my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.

I don’t need a thing? What about all the stuff I want? God, why are you so legalistic?

You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.

But I wanna go where I wanna go. (I don’t understand why I feel so anxious.)

Even when the way goes through death valley, I am not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.

God, where are you now? Why have you allowed this pain? This says you go through it with your sheep, so why don’t I sense you anywhere? Why do I feel so unprotected and vulnerable?

You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.

I like what the world offers better. It tastes better, feels better, looks better. But why do I always end up wanting more? When it gets quiet and I have time to think, why do I feel so empty?

Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of my God for the rest of my life. (The Message Translation)

I have a lot of things chasing after me. Drugs, alcohol, sex, status, and possessions, but nothing ends up like what you say you offer me. What would it look like to have God’s beauty and love chase after me? Is it possible? Would he be willing to welcome me in his home?

Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I am back home in the house of God. Psalm 23:6

WHAT IF YOU’VE MISJUDGED GOD’S HEART TOWARD YOU?

Isaiah 53:6 states, “All of us like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him [Jesus] the sins of us all.”

Could it be that:

  • What you are now experiencing isn’t the result of God’s neglect but your own choices to go your own way?
  • Could it be that your pain is compounded because others in your world have done the same, all focusing so much on their own way they hurt everyone around them?
  • Have your judgments about God come through your longings to go your own way rather than on the reality of who God is?

WHAT IF YOU’VE MISJUDGED GOD’S PATH FOR YOUR LIFE?

Psalm 23 depicts God’s intentions for you. But God’s intentions can only be realized if you follow his personal shepherd. Making a personal choice to refuse results in natural consequences even God may not have chosen for you because makes no promises if you follow another shepherd or venture out on your own. God’s appointed shepherd is Jesus Christ:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for hte money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.

John 10:11-19 (NLT)

Could your current pain be caused by misjudging God and going your own way? Could it also be your pain has been caused by others who have misjudged God and therefore misrepresented him to you? Not everyone who called themselves by Jesus’ name actually know him. You will know someone has met Jesus, the great shepherd, when they speak the totality of God’s Word in love and grace, and when they act like Jesus.

Peace be still...

GOD’S LONGINGS FOR THE LOST AND HURTING

In Psalm 23, God likens himself to a loving shepherd. In the New Testament, Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. He had a lot to say about those who considered themselves shepherds of God’s “flock” but don’t act as God would toward his children, causing others to misjudge him.

One day Jesus told a story to a bunch of religious people who thought they spoke for God, but didn’t, because they had no heart for lost sheep. Many misjudged God because of it. Jesus came to set the record straight:

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people – even eating with them!

So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to sarch for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Luke 15:1-7 (NLT)

Do you think maybe you’ve misjudged God? Do you feel like a lost sheep in need of being found? God’s good shepherd, Jesus, is right here. Right now, So simply tell Jesus that you are ready for a shepherd and you want to become part of his family. He’ll make certain your request is granted. He and his father love lost and hurting sheep.

Want to dialogue further, Comment below or contact me privately at soulcries@rlseaton.com.