Courage
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
The Five Purposes of a Purpose-Driven Life
You were made to live a purpose-driven life! The five purposes of your life are:
- WORSHIP: You were planned for God's pleasure! After all, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey His commands, because this is all that we were created for. Ecclesiastes 12:13 TEV
- FELLOWSHIP: You were formed for a family! It was a happy day for Him when he gave us our new lives, through the truth of His word, and we became, as it were, the first children in His new family. James 1:18 LB
- DISCIPLESHIP: You were created to become like Christ! God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives in Him. Romans 8:29 The Message
- MINISTRY: You were shaped for serving God! We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV
- EVANGELISM: You were made for a mission! Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 NIV
Angels Unawares
Scripture:
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2
We never know when we might be talking to an angel. The scripture tells us to entertain strangers because sometimes it might be an angel and we may not be aware of it. We sometimes will never know on this earth, but there have been times in my life and I am sure in the lives of many others that an encounter with a stranger has left me scratching my head and wondering if I had indeed been visited by an angel. Usually if this happens, it seems that there is a special message that you may be supposed to hear.
A few days ago, such an encounter happened to my son, Tim. He was out running errands and on the way into a business, he saw what appeared to be a homeless man sitting on a bench just outside the business. The man was dirty and smelly, visibly needing some attention to hygiene. Tim had his little dog, Vinny with him, and as little dogs do, Vinny ran over to the gentleman. The man seemed quite pleased and made the comment that Vinny was a good judge of character. Tim went on inside the business to take care of his errand and when he came out, the old man was still sitting on the bench. Tim walked over to the man and talked to him for a while. While Tim expected him to be pretty unresponsive, he started talking clearly about the scriptures. He said, "My name is Harold. Do you know what my name means?" Tim asked him what it meant. He answered, "Bringer of good news." He talked a little longer and said, "Would you wash my feet?" Harold didn't ask for him to wash his feet because they were dirty, but instead in the Biblical sense. Tim told him that he would. Tim had prayer with the man and thanked God for sending him a new friend.
As Tim drove off he reflected on the conversation he had with Harold. Was he just an old homeless man that wanted someone to talk to or was he an angel in disguise sent to remind Tim that he should always show love and humility toward his fellow man because they are all God's creation. We may never know for sure. but this encounter sure made Tim think and search his soul.
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2
We never know when we might be talking to an angel. The scripture tells us to entertain strangers because sometimes it might be an angel and we may not be aware of it. We sometimes will never know on this earth, but there have been times in my life and I am sure in the lives of many others that an encounter with a stranger has left me scratching my head and wondering if I had indeed been visited by an angel. Usually if this happens, it seems that there is a special message that you may be supposed to hear.
A few days ago, such an encounter happened to my son, Tim. He was out running errands and on the way into a business, he saw what appeared to be a homeless man sitting on a bench just outside the business. The man was dirty and smelly, visibly needing some attention to hygiene. Tim had his little dog, Vinny with him, and as little dogs do, Vinny ran over to the gentleman. The man seemed quite pleased and made the comment that Vinny was a good judge of character. Tim went on inside the business to take care of his errand and when he came out, the old man was still sitting on the bench. Tim walked over to the man and talked to him for a while. While Tim expected him to be pretty unresponsive, he started talking clearly about the scriptures. He said, "My name is Harold. Do you know what my name means?" Tim asked him what it meant. He answered, "Bringer of good news." He talked a little longer and said, "Would you wash my feet?" Harold didn't ask for him to wash his feet because they were dirty, but instead in the Biblical sense. Tim told him that he would. Tim had prayer with the man and thanked God for sending him a new friend.
As Tim drove off he reflected on the conversation he had with Harold. Was he just an old homeless man that wanted someone to talk to or was he an angel in disguise sent to remind Tim that he should always show love and humility toward his fellow man because they are all God's creation. We may never know for sure. but this encounter sure made Tim think and search his soul.
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