Purposeful Life

Colossians 1:8-10 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.
 
WHAT is your life’s purpose? I know. That’s a big question. To answer that could take you weeks, even months of study – or would it? Let’s go to Genesis to consider the reason God created mankind. “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)
    God made mankind to bear, to carry and dispense, the image of God on earth. In other words, he made us to be his ambassadors in his new creation with the capacity to rule the earth as God rules over the heaven. You may be thinking, “That’s impossible.” But no, it is possible for you to lead the world in God’s image when you faithfully respond to God’s wisdom, made known through his gospel and his commands. When you trust God’s transforming good news is true for your life, he will fill you with the knowledge of his will. You will take on more of his character to teach, support and lead others through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Saved by faith in Jesus’ resurrection, you will live a life worthy of the Lord. You will please him in every way. Your purposeful life will bear fruit in every good work as you continually grow in the knowledge of God.
    That is Paul’s prayer for the Colossians and the Spirit’s prayer for you today. This is a Christian’s purpose. This is the church’s reason to exist. Jesus’ disciples live in spiritual wisdom and understanding when they pray for these blessings and obey the Lord’s Word. With such knowledge they will “bear fruit”, demonstrating God’s image into the broken world.
    This is the core of Jesus’ Great Command: “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19) as you are a witness to God’s salvation in the way you live and speak. Jesus requires faithful living. Some of his hardest words to us are: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) Be purposeful. Be true to your faith. Make Jesus known in the way you live. I pray that is your first purpose in life.
 
Life Thought: Be fruitful. Multiply the gospel.