God did this (see verses 24-26) so we would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far away from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ (Acts 17:27-28 [NIV])
Imagine you and a navigator use a rowboat to travel over the
waters. You begin the journey with hearty conversation and begin dreaming about
the future. Periodically, the navigator tells you when to veer eastward or
westward. You trust him because he knows more than you, and you and he have the
same agenda. After days of being in the boat with the navigator, you’ve talked all
you want, and the air goes silent except for the splash of your oars as they
break the surface of the water. You can’t hear the navigator, but you keep
paddling. Eventually, you realize you’ve not seen anyone on the water for a
long time. Then you realize you’ve not asked the navigator for directions in a
long time. At that point, you understand you stopped listening to and left him
and you don’t have any way to know where you are. You lose your way and become stranded
on your own, then you don’t know what to do as panic rises within you.
Jesus is like the navigator of the boat. We often see Him as
unnecessary for our journey, then go on our merry way. Still, as we continue,
we realize we had a sure purpose and direction in life when we listened as the navigator
gave directions. We realize we learned about life as we talked with Him
throughout the journey. As children of God, we have a purpose in life.
Jesus’ purpose and calling on earth was to live as the Son
of God as the Son of Man to fulfill prophecies about the Messiah and become the
Savior of the world by dying on the cross. Each Christian has a God-ordained
purpose, too. Our purpose is to let the Son of God live and move and have His
being in us (Acts 17:28) so that other people will seek Him, see Him, and come
to know Him as their Savior. Our purpose as Christians is to bring glory to God
by testifying about Him.
When Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane for the last
time, He entered it already a victor because He is the Son of God. He prayed
intently not to fail in His purpose of dying as the Son of Man. Jesus came to earth
to die on the cross for each person to remove their sins, which caused their separation
from God, and their resultant judgment. God had defeated Satan long before when
He cast Satan out of heaven. As the Son of God living on earth, Jesus defeated
Satan, too, during His forty days in the wilderness when he tempted Jesus, but
Jesus did not yield to sin. The challenge that faced Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane was going through His crucifixion as a man, the Son of Man. Going
through the agony as the Son of Man revealed He accepted the purpose God had
given Him as the Son of God. His agony provided humanity the simplest way to be
saved from their sins. Jesus’ greatest action, dying on the cross, provided
humankind the greatest victory, victory over sin and death. Salvation through
Jesus makes us co-heirs with Him in the kingdom of heaven. As such, we do need
not fear what may happen to us, but instead follow in Jesus’ footsteps with His
strength. The writer of the book of Romans said, “The Spirit Himself testifies
with our spirit that we are God’s children. And if we are children, then we are
heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ-if indeed we suffer with Him, so
that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:16-17 [BSB]) We are co-heirs
with Jesus through His death and resurrection. God’s children do need not fear,
but just follow Him. He has a purpose for our lives that is for our good. God will
always be with us, for us, and in us.
We each face similar challenges in fulfilling the purpose of
God in our lives. The greatest challenge is saying, “Yes, I will give my will,
my life, my all so that the will of God can live, move, and have its being
through me and in that way other people can come to know Jesus and the
salvation He offers.” The challenge is do I want my will or God’s will to rule
my life. This challenge comes throughout our lives as life-choice questions. Should
I take the job offered to me with higher pay so I can provide more for my family,
even knowing it will mean we must move and the ministry in which God has placed
me will suffer? Should I seek safety and comfort closer to family offered by my
employer during a perilous or pandemic time, even though the ministry in which
God put me will suffer and people would turn their backs on God? Should I seek
a degree in a field that offers surety of employment and good money, even if
God has gifted me in the arts and has told me to get a degree in the arts?
These and other life choices arise, and we must decide if we will live as a
person the Son of God lives in, moves through, and in whom He has His being so
other people would seek Him, see Him, and know Him as their Savior.
More is at stake than our own lives and fears when we live
as the son or daughter of God. As heirs of salvation, for that is what Jesus
said we, His disciples, are in Matthew 25:34 and of what Paul reminds us in
Romans 8:16-17, we are the body of Christ on earth to testify about Him and
God’s great love. God calls each of us to tell people about Him so those people
may be saved. Jesus’ salvation was not for a few select people, but for all people.
Jew, Greek, male, female, slave or free, He loves and cherishes every person.
God has a purpose for where He places us and for what He tells us to do. That
purpose may sometimes put us in uncomfortable situations. Thoughts may come to
mind that we can find another job somewhere else. Or, our families need us to provide
more money so they can do X or Y or Z. Or, surely God doesn’t want us to die far
from my family?
If we seek ease, money, or health over God’s will, we hinder
God’s means to reach the people to whom He wanted us to be a living testimony
of Him, so they would come to know Jesus Christ as the Son of God, their
Savior. This does not mean the people He wants to know about Him won’t hear
about Him; it means He won’t use us to do it. Besides this, if we choose to go
our own way and not God’s way, we don’t know if what we sought instead of God’s
plans will occur. Perhaps a job for which we moved will not be a good “fit” for
us, and our families experience more problems in that city. Or, possibly, going
our own way instead of God’s will lead to an avoidable health crisis that we wouldn’t
have experienced if we followed His plan. Considering factors besides
ourselves, the people God meant for us to meet would not hear a testimony of
Christ from us or they would think we don’t believe God can protect us. Finally,
if we seek a degree that “guarantees” a good income, the people we would have
met in the art world might not hear about Jesus, and the income might be too
little on which to live. Making decisions based on self because of fear or personal
desire will often lead us away from God’s plan and possibly into hardships
against which we cannot stand by ourselves.
The purpose of Jesus’ life, the Son of God and the Son of
Man, was to be our Savior through His crucifixion, the most agonizing of deaths.
Similarly, the purpose of our lives, as co-heirs with Christ, is to be a living
testimony to Jesus. Our lives are meant
to show His living, moving, and being through our actions, words, and thoughts.
Considering laying aside our agendas and our ideas of what is best and where is
safest for us is agonizing. Still we must remember, Jesus’ agony on the cross
was the greatest suffering ever experienced by humanity. Jesus, as Son of Man,
probably dreaded the pain of crucifixion just as we dread what might happen to
us if we don’t take our lives into our own hands. Even in the face of
crucifixion, Jesus told His Father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup
be taken from Me. Yet, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39 [NIV])
The Son of Man gave His will entirely to the will of the Father though it would
require a crucifixion death because of humanity’s sins and a separation from
the Father until it was “finished”.
Where is God telling you to be today? What is He telling you
to do today? To whom is God telling you to go? Nothing you can figure out for
your own life is greater than living, being, and moving for Him because nothing
is more important than obeying Him and leading people to know Jesus as their
Savior. Your life choices are not more important than eternal salvation from
hell. Your health, safety, and wealth are not more important that God’s plan to
save each person.
When you choose to do
what you want and ignore what God asks you to do, you choose your desires over
someone’s eternal life.
You could be condemning
someone to eternal separation from God.
Who are you to decide
someone should go to Hell?
God was the navigator of your rowboat as you began your
Christian journey with Him. You enjoyed daily conversation with Him and
learning from Him. You realized you never had to worry about how to get food
and fresh water to drink. God taught you many things and took you to meet
people you wouldn’t have met if He hadn’t been your navigator. He wanted you to
talk with other people on your journey to glean from their journey with Him or
to tell them about your relationship with Him. One day, after having exhausted
conversation topics with your journey companion, you realize God is not in your
boat anymore. He has not navigated your journey for a long time. Now you paddle
in circles without meeting many people and without eternal purpose. You don’t
know where you are or how to get to any place. Think back to when your journey
began. How did you know what to do then? You spoke with God daily. You sought
Him. God promised that when you seek for Him, you will find Him. (Proverbs
8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9; Acts 17:24-28)
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29 [NIV])
Today, you can choose to renew your relationship with God.
Pray to Him. Read your Bible. God waits for you to turn back to Him. He loves
you, has a purpose for your life, and wants to be your Navigator again.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 [NIV])
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4 [ESV])
Choose today who you
will serve – God or yourself.
Lord, forgive me for being blinded by my ego and fear, and considering
You less important than me. Forgive me for my self-centered view of life. I had
never considered my choices could affect someone’s eternal situation –
permanent separation from You or permanent life with You. Lord, I am sorry. I
got into the boat with You to live life with You, but then I put You ashore and
set out on my own agenda. Lord, You are most important in life and eternity.
Your gift of salvation is more important than anything I could ever do for
myself or anyone else. Lord, You are almighty, faithful, and loving, and I am
not any of those things. Today, Lord, I give the oar to my boat, my life, back
to You. Lead me where You want me to go. I will trust Your plans and live Your
purpose for my life to bring You glory as I obey You by telling people about
You and the salvation You offer. I must decrease and You must increase. I
understand this better now. Thank you for Your patience with me. I love You,
Lord. Amen.
