Jesus, thank you for the blessing of a new day. Thank you for the opportunities and the calling that you have placed in my life. Thank you for your sovereign power that you entitle yourself to over everything of the Earth. Thank you for the living offering that you gave in Your Son, and thank you most of all for the grace that you have embraced me in. Amen.
Well, over the past two months I have really been struggling with finding my purpose in life. Where does God want me to be? Why am I even here in Saipan? Little questions pop up, but I don’t see or hear the answer. I have been focused more on listening to the rhythm than listening to the lyrics. The thythm in this case is the world, and the vocalist speaking the lyrics is God.
Last night (September 26), I had a face to face encounter with Him, and He told me right where I am going in my life. It was rather humbling. It was the face to face encounter that had the answers all the questions I have been asking. The answer he gave me was, ‘golf (my passion) comes second to His purpose’. He sent me here to prepare myself to go out into the world and be able to build new relationships with people I have never encountered in my life. Golf is just an add on that He threw in. I had been struggling previously with whether my call was to Golf, Youth, or Missions, etc.. But it is now in bold letters that I’m called to live for something worth dying for, and golf isn’t in the picture. As much passion as I have for the game, God’s passion for my life is so much bigger. He is calling me toward something that will push me outside of my comfort zone and make me to crucify myself daily. I don’t want to settle for anything less than radical abandonment to that purpose.
A lot of my life, I have been disconnecting God’s blessings from God’s purpose, and now I realize what I have never seen. He has blessed me with the opportunity to come to Saipan to show His love to Tommy and the rest of the youth here on the island. As I was reading through Ephesians 1 today, I finally grasped what my job in life is to do with God’s blessing He confronted the world with.
Ephesians 1:5-14 (NIV) - Paul talking to the Saints
“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
In this, I recognize who I am and what I am called to live for. I am to pick of my cross daily and walk. God saves us so that nations will know Him. He blesses us with His spirit, so that all the Earth will know His name and see his glory.
As I got in my car to leave the beach this afternoon, God had his final word in my quiet time when I put my iTunes on shuffle. The song “Follow You” by Leeland ft. Brandon Heath, was the song that came on. Purpose? I think so! The lyrics were the first thing that my mind read, the beat came second. They where beyond overwhelming to hear, but brought me comfort at the same time. Its a song that challenges Christians to follow His command and show the love of Christ to the poor and the needy of all nations.
I have found His LOVE and will be pursuing a career in ministry, pending my return home.
My plan, His purpose. I am Second.
Jesus.
