What are you willing to give up?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
The world offers us many ways to spend our life. We have opportunities to affect change, gain status, advance in a career, and find success. The question we must pose is this, “At what cost?”
As Jesus invites us to follow him, he later explains that following him comes at a cost. Truthfully, not all are willing to bear that cross…perhaps even us at times.
Last week in our small group we were reading part of Jesus’ crucifixion which included the portion where Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross the rest of the way to Golgotha. My daughter asked, “I didn’t realize he was forced to carry the cross. I thought he volunteered.” The Roman soldiers didn’t ask for volunteers for Jesus cross and I don’t think many would have volunteered to willingly do that. Carrying a physical cross is hard and those that carried one were not the best liked in the community!
So would we be willing to take up Jesus’ cross? Perhaps the better question is, “ARE we willing to take up Jesus’ cross and follow him?” Jesus is not forcing us. He is inviting us. Yet he is also being truthful with us to say that following him does mean taking up the cross, the suffering, the challenges that come as a result of being a follower of Christ. You can’t do one without the other.
And it can be hard.
When we take up the cross and follow Jesus, when we embrace his purpose as our own, it often means giving up things maybe from a secular point of view seem more important. If we are committed first to following Jesus, we may encounter times in our pursuit of a career that we have to give up a promotion or a job because it conflicts with our ability to practice the Christian life or impedes too heavily on our time to spend in worship with others. As we follow Jesus, we may have to give up friendships and relationships that are pulling us in a direction that is not honoring to the Lord. As we take up the cross of Jesus, we may be in a position to speak an unpopular truth about behavior done by society or individually which leads to discipline or termination at our employment. Sacrifice for the purpose of following Jesus and changing lives with the power of the Gospel is a given. Are we willing to embrace it?
To make it easier, Jesus reminds us that if we gain everything in the world and forfeit our soul, our relationship with him, we lose eternally. If we make our life’s focus following Jesus and engaging in his mission, we may lose temporally at times, but we win eternally. Embracing Jesus’ purpose as our own entails short term sacrifice for long-term, eternal rewards.
So with a smile on your face and confidence in your heart, enjoy taking up your cross and following Jesus today!
Apply: What is the hardest “cross” you have had to bear because you are a follower of Christ? What led you to bear the cross? Or were you strongly tempted to give up the cross?
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for carrying your cross and my sins with it. Only through what you have done for me am I able to carry the cross you privilege me to carry and keep my focus on following you. Pick me up and forgive me when I fail. Strengthen me for the journey ahead. AMEN.
What’s your background?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. (Mark 1:16-20)
Jesus calls individuals to participate in his purpose: “Change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel.”
For these four men, Simon, Andrew, James and John, their focus in life changed. The focus of their life was now going to be to follow Jesus and embrace his purpose as their own. On that day they left their nets and fishing boats and dad and hired men and followed Jesus. Yet we know that these same men are fishing at different parts of Jesus’ ministry. They didn’t leave their love of fishing, they just loved following Jesus more.
I wonder how Jesus would put it if he came to you today directly and said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”? Perhaps for you, you love fishing and that connection would ring true as it did for the four men he called that day. But perhaps you have no interest in fishing and perhaps wouldn’t be caught on a boat if you were given one. What we hear in Jesus’ call to these four men is using their background to bring the Gospel to the foreground. These four would understand the similarities of fishing and working with people to change their lives with the power of the Gospel. It would take persistence. It would take patience. It would involve frustration and storms. It would bring the reward of seeing an individual landed for Jesus and become a follower too.
So, what in your background can Jesus leverage to bring the Gospel to the foreground? Would Jesus say to you, “Come follow me and I will make you a teacher of men?” Will he take your love of learning and sharing knowledge and capture that for opportunities to share and teach the Gospel?
Would Jesus say to you, “Come follow me and I will make you an athlete for the Lord”? Will he take your love for competition, fitness, and team sports and leverage them to build a team of Christians intent on making an impact on the athletic fields for the sake of the Gospel?
Would Jesus say to you, “Come follow me and I will make you a care giver for the Lord”? Will he take your heart of compassion and your skill of mind or body and leverage it to love people when they are ill and encourage them with God’s promises as they are going through tough times?
What we see in Jesus calling fishermen are individuals with skills and interests that will be leveraged for the purpose of changing lives with the power of the Gospel. Yet, Jesus doesn’t just call fishermen. He calls tax collectors, he calls religious leaders, he calls shepherds, he calls farmers, he calls people from all walks of life because he loves to use our background and use it to bring the Gospel to the foreground.
Apply: What part of your background might Jesus be wanting to or is leveraging for the sake of the Gospel and opportunities to share him?
Prayer: Lord thank you for redeeming my background and experiences for the sake of your kingdom and the sharing of your Gospel. AMEN.
What is Purpose?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
What is purpose?
This question is a bit different than, “What is MY purpose?” but perhaps is important to understand how to define purpose so we can then better understand what is our purpose.
To be honest, when asked the question, “Why is my purpose?” it is a challenging question to answer because it often takes me to some activity that I feel I should or shouldn’t be doing. Is my purpose to be a dad? Is my purpose to be a pastor? Is my purpose to be a student? Or is there something else I should be doing to find my purpose?
These questions, honestly, have always challenged me and I’m not sure I could ever accurately answer the question. In studying for this past week’s message I came across a blog on purpose that gave definition and qualities to what purpose is. I would summarize it this way:
Purpose is your main focus in life. This focus is three things: a) personally meaningful, b) Makes a positive mark on the world, and c) changes the lives of people in a positive way. This summary moved my mind away from activity or actions to a mindset or focus that drives or affects or motivates all my actions. Purpose is not just activity, but activities are affected by one’s purpose.
So what does that mean in light of Mark 1?
Yesterday, we said that Jesus’ purpose was to “Change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel.” Even Jesus’ purpose was not limited to his activities, but rather his activities supported his purpose.
His birth. Was his purpose to be born? Nope. If his purpose was just to be born, his purpose would have been done the day of his birth. Rather, the Bible says of his birth in Galatians 4:4-5:
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
Notice that his birth was tied into his purpose, but not his purpose. He was born…to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship (i.e. change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel). He couldn’t have finished his purpose if he wasn’t born, but being born was an activity that supported his purpose.
Here’s another one referencing the death of Jesus (an event) (Colossians 1:21-23):21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.
Jesus’ crucifixion was a significant event, but it was an event that supported his purpose. Through his death he was able to change the lives of people (reconciled, holy, without blemish, etc.) communicated through the Gospel (the good news of what Jesus has done).
Each of Jesus’ events in life supported his purpose (teaching, healing, living under the law, dying, etc.).
So going back to the definition of purpose…
Was “changing lives with the power of the Gospel” Jesus’ life focus? Yes.
Was this purpose personally meaningful to Jesus? Yes.
Did it leave a positive impact on the world? Yes
Did it/does it change the lives of people? Yes.
You and I are evidence that Jesus perfectly carried out his purpose…tomorrow we’ll see what it means that he calls us to embrace this purpose in our lives as well.
Apply: Put this purpose template over what you know of Jesus’ life and ministry. Do all of his activities in life support his mission to change the hearts of people with the power of the Gospel? How so?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for perfectly carrying out your purpose. Thank you for doing all that was necessary to change my life with the power of the Gospel. AMEN.
A New Purpose
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
Why are you here?
Everyone at some point in their life asks this question: Why am I here? Perhaps the question begins in the teenage years as one is seeking to understand their person and purpose. Mid-life crisis years can be another time where the question is asked. People even in the waning years of life when their health has deteriorated also ask, “Why am I here?”
Deep inside each of us is a desire for purpose.
A quote that is attributed to Mark Twain (but probably is not from Mark Twain) suggests this: “The two most important days in a person’s life are the day they were born and they day they discover why.”
We could have some discussion around this quote, but would have to agree that having a sense of purpose is significant in one’s life.
But what is purpose? What really answers that question for a person?
For some purpose is defined by a task that they do. “My purpose is to be a mom/dad. My purpose is to program computers. My purpose is to graduate from school.” I would suggest that what we do is not necessarily our purpose. Our purpose is actually bigger than our activities and instead of our activities defining our purpose, our purpose defines our activities.
Did you follow that?
If our activities define our purpose, then its no wonder we feel without purpose when we are no longer able to do those activities. However, if our purpose is bigger than our activities and defines our activities, our purpose continues even though the activities we engage with are different. Our activities become seasons for our purpose to be carried out.
If I haven’t lost you yet, let’s look at Jesus and his purpose.
It is captured well in this week’s main reading from Mark 1:14-15
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
At the heart of Jesus’ purpose was to change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel (good news). No matter what he did he wanted people to believe the good news that their sins were forgiven.
In Mark 1, the season of Jesus’ purpose was the beginning of his preaching, teaching, healing public ministry. Was he not carrying out his purpose before that? Nope. He was carrying out his purpose (which was given to him by his Father in heaven) as he was born into this world and named Jesus. He was carrying out his purpose by living as a child, teenager, and young adult without sin. He was carrying out his purpose as he sat in the temple talking to the leaders. All were important and key to form the heart of the good news which he would proclaim and change the lives of people.
His purpose didn’t change when he went to the cross. His purpose didn’t change when he went back into heaven. His purpose still is alive today…changing people’s lives through the power of the Gospel. The point is the activities Jesus engaged in changed, but each was significant in carrying out his purpose to change lives with the power of the Gospel.
Each aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry was orchestrated for the bigger purpose, a purpose that His Father had given to him:
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:38-40)
There was never a day that Jesus was without purpose because his purpose was given to him by his Father. The activities changed, his purpose remained the same.
We are definitely not Jesus, but as we search for purpose, we will see the blessing of living in the purpose that God gives to us…just as he gave purpose to his Son.
Apply: When in life have you struggled to know what your purpose is? How would you define that purpose today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for sending Jesus who daily carried out his purpose to bring salvation to people through his life, death and resurrection. May the purpose he carried out for me always guide my purpose in life. AMEN.
A New Perspective on People…
This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of the Fresh Start Series: I Have a New Perspective (WATCH HERE)
For the last devotion of the week, let’s go back to the main Scripture and notice one word that appears three times in the first verses:
John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Did you find the word?
If not, reread it again and see if you can find it.
Still lost, maybe look a little harder until you FIND it.
(Don’t you love teachers that give a hint of the answer! )
To make sure you found the right word, the word is find/found (same root, different tenses). Like you just did to find the word, the word “find” implies intentional searching for someone or something.
When you got separated from your parents in the store and someone helped you find them again, you weren’t looking for any generic person, you were looking for your parents and you searched until you found them.
Usually when you search for something and find it, you are elated, relieved, or just filled with joy because you found something that was lost.
The whole course of events starts with Jesus “finding Philip.” The heart of Jesus was intent, for whatever reason he had, to find Philip. He wanted to end Philip’s search for what he was looking for: the Messiah promised and prophesied of in the Old Testament. We just have the simple words, “Follow me” spoken to Philip, but however God’s Spirit worked on his heart it was enough to be certain that Jesus was the one he was looking for.
Then like any great find, you want to share what you found with someone else.
So Philip does. The heart of Jesus takes over Philip’s heart and he wants Nathanael to find Jesus too. So Philip looks for Nathanael until he finds him and then proclaims to him, “We have FOUND the one…Jesus of Nazareth!”
The heart of Jesus is to reveal himself to every person. His heart is defined by what he said in Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” He emphasizes it in parables such as the parable of the lost coin.
Luke 15:8-10 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
What Jesus has done for you…found you…he desires to capture your heart as it did Philip. Jesus found Philip. Philip found Nathanael. Jesus wanted both to know he was the one they were looking for.
This is the perspective that Jesus desires us to have as well. The people around us are ones Jesus came to die for. The people around us are searching for answers in life. Some don’t even know what they are looking for or perhaps have given up looking. Either way, the heart of Jesus and his perspective on people is the heart we desire to have so we too love to find people and connect them to Jesus.
Apply: Who do you know that you want to know Jesus or know him better? What are options to intentionally connect with them to connect them to Jesus?
Prayer: Jesus thank you for your heart that sought me to connect with your love and grace. Use me to do the same with others, always reflecting your heart to others. AMEN.