Purpose Driven Life I

I don't think I ever got through the entire book, but the portion I did read evidently had an impact in my life at the time. I thought the author could have spoken more about Christ than just the generic usage of "God" - because there is no getting to God without Christ! - but oh well.

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I'm in the middle of reading Rick Warren's, A Purpose Driven Life. My dad ordered it through this one church and they gave it to him for free! So I stole it from him for a while, and it's really good. The basic theme of the book is a biblical discussion on life's purpose and meaning, beginning with God and His reasons for creating us. (By God and for God.) It's a pretty good read.

We find fulfillment in serving God, and one of those means is by serving others. Matthew 25:40 says, this about service to others, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, 'Truly I say unto you, inasmuch as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.'" That means if I choose to act selfishly or unfairly or spitefully, etc. towards an individual, I have done it unto Christ. If I treat others with kindness and generocity and patience, etc. I have done it unto Christ. I need this reminder more often.

It is comforting to know that God's purpose for me rises far above my weaknesses and inadequacies. Otherwise the moment God saved me He might as well have taken me to heaven right then and there, because I would be no use to Him on my own down here! But that is exactly why I AM still here. God wouldn't be cruel enough to leave His children in this sin-infested war zone (physically AND spiritually) just to torture us. No--I must live for something greater than this world, than living for myself.

That's why I must utilize each new day He gives me to serve God and His purposes. Just to know that my life has the potential to count for eternity gives me teriffic motivation to strive toward accomplishing whatever God places in front of me. Whether that be sharing the message of Christ to those whom He loves, whether that be visiting the elderly in nursing facilities, donating money to the poor, or merely wiping the runny nose of a five-year-old little boy...it is an honor and a joy to serve the Lord. If it's not, it should be. Whenever I find my task undesirable and NOT joyful, I have to readjust my attitude: Am I really serving Him or am I serving myself? Am I living for this life or living for the one to come? Once I come to grips with my purpose on this earth, life instantly takes on a whole new perspective.