As we have discussed, the Lord has a specific plan laid out for
your life. He planned it while you were still in your mothers'
womb. He was excited when He thought about you and carefully placed
you in a position with the exact right talents to achieve what He
wants you to achieve. You are perfectly equipped for it and have
everything you need to make a success of it. You simply need to
take the first step towards it.
Now, whilst you have a specific goal, we all have collective
goals as well. And that is what I would like to discuss first, the
collective goals that all of us have. We are the body of Christ and
each of us is a different part of it, with a different function to
fulfill, but the body as a whole also has functions to fulfill and
goals to achieve.
1.
Our purpose is to have a close relationship with
God
God created us in the first place to have an intimate
relationship with Him. We were His companion, the one He loved. But
then you all know the story of how we messed up the relationship by
being disobedient to Him. (I have blamed Adam and Eve several times
for the predicament that we find ourselves in, but when I pause and
be truly honest to myself, I would most probably have done the
same.) And even though we messed up, the Lord didn't leave us or
forsake us. He didn't just let us be. No, He continued to reach out
to us. He continued to love us and He continued to help us. We
would definitely have ceased existing loooooooong ago if He didn't
continue to love and nurture us. He even devised a plan to rescue
us from the grip of sin by sending His only Son, Jesus, to die for
us on the cross. He longs for us to be with Him, and not only one
day in heaven, but now here on earth too. He longs to be with us
and wants us to spend time with Him. He wants to be your
everything. He wants to be the first one you greet in the morning
and He wants to be the one you run to when you have a crises. He
wants to be the one who shares in your joys and He wants to be the
one who dries your tears. He wants to help you to raise your
children and He wants to be your career counselor. In short He
wants to literally be your Spiritual Mate. He wants you.
Jeremiah 9:23, 24 - "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the
wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or
the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they
truly know Me and understand that I am the Lord who is just and
righteous, whose love is unfailing and that I delight in these
things."
It saddens me to think that the God of the Universe desperately
wants an intimate relationship with us, but we are too concerned
with the cares of this life and with the prestige of this world,
that we don't make time for Him. Be totally honest for a moment.
How much time do you spend with the Lord alone? How much time do
you dedicate to your relationship with Him? Is it a quick five
minutes before you hit the bed, deathly tired from running around
all day? Or are you like most people: you spend an hour on Sunday
in church hearing His Word preached to you?
Now I don't even have to tell you, but that is not a
relationship my friend. Imagine you called your wife five minutes
every day and you tell her exactly the same thing day after day.
Then on Sundays you listen to her for about 20 minutes (the
approximate time of the sermon), and without answering her, you
stand up and leave only to call her the next day and recite the
same thing to her you told her last week. Would you have a healthy
thriving marriage? I don't think so.
Now you are probably going to tell me that I don't understand
your work schedule and the demands on you and that I don't
understand that your children takes up all your time and that I
don't understand how tired you are. You know what, I do. I really
do, I have been so deathly tired that I almost fell asleep whilst
on the highway driving home from work. But one thing I do
know is that the relationship with God is actually the only real
thing in this life. What you see all around you will one day
disappear and only this relationship will remain. Only this
relationship will stand the test of time and then you will be so
embarrassed that trivial things took up all your time.
The Lord wants you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants
you to get to know Him, get to know His Heart for you and this
world. And this does not mean that you spend hours on end every day
with Him. He understands that we have responsibilities; He gave it
to us after all. He simply wants to be part of your day. If you
need to make a decision at work, involve Him in it, if you need to
make a presentation, take Him there with you, if you are busy with
your kids, tell them about Him and how awesome He is, if you are on
the sports field, ask Him for strength and the ability to do your
best, if you need advice, run to Him first to ask for guidance.
Involve Him in literally everything. He wants to be there for you,
He longs to hear from you, let Him. Join Asaph in saying:
Psalm 73:25 - "Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more
than anything on earth."
Dear Lord, it is wonderful to realize that You want to be our
best Friend. Forgive us for not being the friends You want us to
be. Please take us as your children and teach us Your ways and help
us to grow closer to You. We truly love You. Amen