Tag: serve others

Identity: Purpose

Continuing on with our theme of identity for this week, today we will talk about purpose, of which there are two kinds: collective and individual.

Having a collective purpose means that we all work together to achieve a common goal. In relation to God, our collective purpose is to evangelize and make disciples of all nations as Matthew 28:18-20 tells us. We also have the responsibility of serving others (1st Peter 4:10-11), and both of these things apply to brothers and sisters in Christ and those outside of our faith.

Let’s discuss some practical examples of how we can love God and love people while striving to make disciples and further the Kingdom:

Most importantly, we are to love each other! (1st Corinthians 13:2, 1st Corinthians 16:14, John 13:34-35). We are also instructed to gather together in fellowship (Acts 2:41; Matthew 18:20). Additionally, we must confess our sins and hold each other accountable (James 5:16, Proverbs 27:17). Finally, Galatians 6 tells us to bear each other’s burdens, lovingly correct those who are struggling with sin and to work for the good of all.

In Jeremiah 1, we find a beautiful example of individual purpose. Let’s look at verses 4-8:

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah’s individual purpose was to be a prophet and be a vessel for God to speak through, though there are many examples of individual purpose in the Bible. We have the Apostles. We have John the Baptist. We have Jesus himself! All of these people had a different individual purpose, but their unique purpose all worked toward the common purpose of furthering the Kingdom. Just like Jeremiah who was chosen, set apart, and appointed before he was even born, God created us with the same intention. Just like He did for Jeremiah, God will be here guiding our steps as we fulfill whatever He has called us to.

Maybe you don’t know what your individual purpose is yet, and that’s okay. But if you continuously trust in God’s plan for your life, you will find out what your purpose is in His timing. However, I challenge you this week to ponder and pray about how you have seen God’s love displayed in your community and/or how people have ministered to you. I also encourage you to seek God’s guidance about what you can do in your personal life to show His love to others in the spirit of bringing our Father’s lost children back to Him.

-Caitie Wood

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading plan passages at BibleGateway here – Ecclesiastes 11-12 and Galatians 6

2021-seekgrowlove-bible-reading-plan-1Download

For Others not For Yourself

2 Samuel 5:11-6:23; 2 Chronicles 13-16

2 Samuel 5 12a NIV

 

Have you ever been in class, at home or with your friends and you start to get the impression that the people around you don’t necessarily have your best interests in mind? In fact, I think one of the most heartbreaking things in life is that moment that you start to realize that you have to look out for your interests. You start to realize that people will talk behind your back, they will say nasty things about you, they may try to take advantage of you. It’s truly heartbreaking for me to see someone have their trust betrayed.

The reason why this is heartbreaking for me is it leads people to have a cynical view of the world. This view can be seen all over the world. People looking out for themselves instead of caring for those around them. In some ways, this is a natural behavior for humans. Inside all of us there is this innate desire toward self-preservation. This isn’t entirely a learned behavior. I can see this in my 2 and half year-old nephew as he interacts with his 10-month-old sister. He doesn’t want to share his toys with her. When she is holding one of his toys his desire is to take the toy away from her. Even if he isn’t playing with that toy or even wanted it before she started to play with it. As a parent or adult, one of the things you are supposed to teach your child is how to share or how to look out for the interests of others. Putting others wants and needs above your own is unnatural but that is the way that love works.

One of our passages for the day is 2 Samuel 5.11-6.23 but as I began to read this passage it was the second verse that struck a chord with me. I encourage you to read the whole passage; it really is a great passage. That being said I really want to just hone in on this verse today and get all we can from it.

5:12 “And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.”

To give you a little backstory David at this point had overcome Saul and was no longer a “criminal” on the run. God had established him as king of Israel through all the trials that he had to overcome and endure through. This was a long time coming for David but God finally gave him the victory.

The first statement gives us an indication of David’s heart when becoming king. David knew and gave the credit to God for when he assumed the throne. He didn’t try to say it was because of all he endured that he was now the king of Israel. He gave the credit back to the one who actually put him there. Even then as the king of Israel David was humble before God.

The next line though is really what I want to hone in on. David knew that God had exalted his kingdom for the sake of the people of Israel. God put David on the throne because God and David loved God’s chosen people, Israel. David was given the responsibility of the kingdom, not for his sake, or for his own self-interest, David was climbing the ladder from shepherd to harpist to giant slayer to mighty warrior to king but for God’s and his people. He was seeking the people’s best interest and this is where God put him. God put him there because he knew he cared for his people and that he would seek God and seek the people’s interest above his own.

David had unlearned that natural tendency towards self-interest and preservation and learned to put other’s interest, safety and good above his own. He put on the heart of a servant. The world and our own minds have taught something that may be the way that this world works but it isn’t the way that God works. He works through people who have laid themselves aside and serve and put others ahead of themselves.

The fascinating thing about David in this is he didn’t have Jesus telling him to love others as he had loved them. David just had a heart for people and I don’t think this was something special because of who David was. I think David had this because of his relationship with his heavenly father.

Here is my exhortation for us today—go serve people. Go out there and lay aside your own self-interest and seek someone else’s good. Seek the good of those around you. In the same way that David wasn’t given the kingdom for his own good, the things that we are given whether it’s our money, time, attention, or work—what has been given to us is meant to serve those around us. Whether we acknowledge it all the time, or not, ALL that we have, including this very day, has been given to us by God. So, let’s lay ourselves down to serve those around us.

Daniel Wall

 

Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+5%3A11-6%3A23%3B+1+Chronicles+13-16&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be Psalm 1-2,15, 22-24, 47,68 as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan