Fulfilling Our Purpose

I always want to share my experiences with each of you in order that you will not just read some other form of Christian topic that won't mean anything in our eternal realm of existence, but will have a positive life altering impact that brings hope and fulfills a greater eternal destiny for each of us. I must admit that these past few weeks, I have been struggling with questioning my purpose in life in everything I do. I was able to spend some time with a dear Chaplain I admire and respect and shared with him with a question of whether or not if I am really and truly making a difference in peoples lives in the realm of eternity? Or as Solomon puts it, in (Eccl 2:17), am I just grasping for the wind? In other words, is what I am doing all in vain or am I actually fulfilling a wonderful purpose God has for each of us? I struggle when I think whether I am just living within my bubble just floating aimlessly about, or is what I am doing making a positive difference in the lives of others? If God should choose to take me home, has my life made a postive difference in all I have done? Will the legacy of my life live on or will it just simply vanish? I think of the many old Saints of God whom have long passed away. Even though many have passed away hundreds of years ago, their legacy still inspires people today. I would love to see each of us be able to equally leave a positive legacy that will continue on to inspire others. I do know that God tells us that our labour for the Lord is never in vain (1 Cor 15:58), but is always encouraging to get some form of confirmation not to test His Word, but to simply prove His Word and be encouraged because of it. I believe it is a good thing when we can come to this crossroad so we can examine an important issue. God may be trying to get our attention so we can take the time that is necessary to reflect why we do what we do and not just live aimlessly without having any purpose or vision. In other words, is what we do profitable towards the things of God? If so, this is where we find peace and fulfillment in what we do. It's important to reflect on this because He tells us that His people perish who fail to have any vision or no sense of purpose (Prov 29:18). The question is: are we taking the time to seek Him and are we trusting Him to help us fulfill our purpose in life? When I see how I go through trials, I have to admit that I often wonder "what purpose is all of this?". I hate the thought of just "trying to survive" without finding any true meaning or purpose in everything we do or aspire to accomplish. I do believe,(and hope it is true) that my past trials are helping others through their time of trials and thereby fulfilling the purposes of God by being able to comfort others with the comfort we have received from Him (2 Cor 1:3,4). What good are any of our past trials if it cannot be a message of hope to others? Even though I have struggled questioning about my purpose, I know deep down that there has to be something good come out of what people would describe as just circumstances of misfortune. I realize that what I go through is not in vain when I can share my experiences with many others to give them hope that God can make something good from their lives. One would quote Rom 8:28: "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called by His purposes". I don't want these Biblical quotes to become just another sermon of vain empty promises to anyone, but that what He says is TRUE in all its entirety all because of the testimony we can share. I believe God will do His mighty work through our circumstances and turn everything out for GOOD when we purpose in our heart to give Him the glory by acknowledging His Goodness in what He wants to teach us. When I take the time to examine my purpose, the Lord helps me to understand our temporal troubles in this life will never be compared to our eternal glory that will be revealed in us (Rom 8:18) which is that inexpressible hope that we should carry within us. I also understand that through trials, God often re-directs my heart by setting my affections where they should be set (read Col 3:2). He tells us that where our heart is, that is where our real treasures are (Matt 6:21). I think one of the most tragic things is when people look back on their life and realize that much of what they did was all in vain simply because they fail to take the time to seek God for direction and lived aimlessly with no real purpose of value God had for them. Therefore, when we struggle with issues that question about our lives and our motives, this can be a wonderful turning point to get ourselves on track and know that God truly does have a wonderful plan for our life. I have asked the Lord many times during prayer that the day my life stops advancing His Kingdom and I fail to stop being a blessing to others (fulfilling my purpose), that He takes me to my eternal home the day before that ever happens. Paul states: to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil 1:21). Even though he realized he would be better off to be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8), Paul knew it is better for him to remain alive on earth simply because he understood his purpose God had for him by helping shape lives for many people. Just like Paul and many of the Biblical characters we read about, God is keeping each of us here for His divine purpose in life. REFUSE to ever give up or become complacent about it. God tells us that He is angry when His Children becomes complacent when we should be moving forward with His help (read Zech 1:15)! Start while it is called today because how we use this short time in our present existence will determine our eternal destiny. When we learn to number our days, we will gain a heart of wisdom by realizing we need to make the most of our lives by seeking Him (Ps 90:12) while opportunity still exists. Let's be certain we don't live aimlessly. We all have a purpose. Therefore, lets take the time to seek Him and with His help, believe that we will fulfill His purpose for us in our lives. There is nothing greater than knowing we have fulfilled His divine purposes for us that will give us far greater joy than anything this world can ever offer. In the Matchless Name of Jesus Richard Associate Director Answers2Prayer http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife http://www.answers2prayer.org/