ExhortationsThe Message

Appreciation

Appreciate – the purpose-driven life.

What is our life purpose? What is our purpose in life? What is a purposeful life? Do you know? Are they correlated, or do they work differently? Why are we here today and tomorrow? We may not be. Where will we be? Do you know? Are we here to be a troublemaker, or are we to be a peacemaker? Are we here to be a blessing to others, or are we here to be a burden? Everyone has a gift to share and a talent to discover; sometimes, we share in our prime and later in life. Sometimes we find out about our talent but are shy enough to let others know, and some are showy to attract attention. We can be a blessing to others by sharing our gifts of the Holy Spirit; as the saying goes, sharing is caring. When we transfer and others receive the skills, the joy of being in one accord will be felt.

More questions can be added, and maybe enough to give us an idea without a doubt that life has a purpose. It could be either us that shape or form that purpose, or it could be the force of nature that comes with human desire or, as Prophet Jeremiah said in 1:5: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” So neither we run nor do we hide; the purpose of life is like a shadow that will follow us.

The purpose of life lies with the beholders. God’s goal must be fulfilled, and a man’s freedom of will can make its purpose that could lead to maybe to destruction. God knows who we are even before we are born, and according to Genesis 25:23, KJV: “And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manners of people shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger.” These are just one of the general purposes of life given to humanity. Are you aware of that? We have to be aligned with the purpose of life, and we will never be wrong.

Is judging part of our purpose or seeking God before seeking other provisions? Who are we in the neighborhood of the righteous? Can finding who we are in this generation help mend all our ignorance in this life? Life is a mystery, though we can also say that life is a given: here today is gone tomorrow. Jesus said: “not to be anxious about what tomorrow will bring, for tomorrow has its trouble.” We live today to be happy and not filled with worries and anxiety that will ruin the day. Easier said than done, but can we do something about it? Yes!

If our purpose is only our body’s survival, we must physically work hard, save something for tomorrow, be the solution and not the problem, and be a loving and caring family and neighbor. An artificial purpose must know oneself before the purpose can be put into place. Planning and designing, execution, and implementation will come next. Do we need to imitate other purposes in life? Why do we have to follow them? Are we not capable of having our purpose? We are all capable of having a purpose in life, and we imitate others’ successes and avoid their failures. If life’s purpose is to get attention, then this belongs to celebrities. If our purpose is to share the word of God, then we belong to those who value the work of the Holy Spirit. To get attention is natural, while to share the gospel is spiritual. There are many different purposes, and all are natural. The harvest is seen, while the spiritual, the actual yield, is unseen. The relations are between God and us.

We live in two worlds using the narrow road that leads to eternal happiness or the broader road that leads to destruction. If your purpose is to share the good news, you should not cast your pearl before swine, as mentioned in Matthew 7; these means do not offer precious things that you treasure to someone who will not appreciate it. The word of God is more memorable than silver and gold; when their hearts are hard on God’s word, they can keep the gold of destruction.

Psalm 57:2 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”

The will of the Father is that no one will perish and be with Him. Therefore, the easiest and most profound way to do the will of the Father is to believe the Son as the Son said; the word that comes from his mouth is from the Father. “Jesus answered and said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me..” John 14:20-31

Peace I leave with you, The peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Let’s respect one another and work together to achieve the purpose of God in our lives.

God is all in all

Bishop Joseph

Dr. Joseph Vitug, Ph.D. - Bishop Emeritus

Related Articles

Back to top button