Freedom to Live for a Higher Purpose

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:1–2 (NIV)

As a young Christian, I was taught that it is important to discover the exact purpose that God has for me. Like most people, I grew up searching for his good will for my life. But it is all too easy to become more enamored in searching for that grand, spectacular purpose that God has for me than it is to actually settle in day by day, living the life that God meant for me to live and enjoy. So, I prayed, labored, and served with the hope that one day, God’s grand purpose would be revealed in my life. It was as though I was building up for the D-day, whatever that means—I don’t know. I was striving to find meaning, to grasp that “something” that will bring me a sense of significance. But it seemed that the more I reached out for this grand purpose, the more elusive it appeared. I had become too occupied with the end of the journey to enjoy the journey itself.

Then, in the spring of 2000, when I was a young pastor serving a local branch of my denomination in a rural town several miles from my home, God visited me. It was not an earthshaking, thunderous visitation. It was a simple but profound encounter with truth. I was reading a book called The Hidden Man and praying, when, suddenly, I realized something that has changed my life in a significant way. As I sat there in my study room, I knew without a doubt that I am intimately connected with God’s purpose for me; that God is delighted in me. He is satisfied in me, right now. The reason he made me is so that he can have me fellowship with him. All I have to do is live this purpose daily and enjoy it.

From that day on, I knew there was a huge difference between purpose and assignment. I stopped striving to find meaning and started living my purpose—being a friend of God. I found a new freedom to be the person God made me to be. In some of the chapters that follow, I discuss this experience and what it meant to me. You see, the search for meaning is important, but the experience of a sense of meaning and significance in your daily life is even more important. The experience of meaning brings freedom to live for a higher purpose each and everyday of your life.

In many ways, I was like the blind man mentioned above. The man was blind from birth. In the land of Israel at the time the man lived, it was a terrible affliction to be blind. To be blind from birth suggested that either the baby was a sinner (you’ve got to be a terrible sinner to be punished from birth), or his parents had committed some really horrible sins in the past for which they were being punished. That was the cultural perception. So, if you were born blind, it was a double jeopardy: not only did your blindness place restrictions on you, but society also placed measured limitations on you.

However, the cure for this two-edged limitation was vision. As soon as this man received his sight, he became a “free” person. The cure of his blindness validated him—he was not a “sinner.” he was free to live his life like a normal person. He could go places he could not have gone before being healed. If you read the rest of the account, you will stand back amazed as you watch the man, who only a few minutes before was the scum of the earth, as he teaches the religious elites of his time the wisdom of God. It is that kind of freedom that comes from insight that I hope you will share both with me and with this nameless blind man. I think the reason his name was not given is so that each of us can fill in our name in the place of his. It is my prayer that somewhere along the way, as you read this book, you will receive an insight that will free you to actually live and enjoy your good purpose in life.

An excerpt from "The Search for Meaning: Living for a Higher Purpose". All rights reserved.

How to Thrive in a Distressed Economy, Part 1

That we are going through one of the worst economic times in history is no more news. If you haven’t been affected directly by a lay-off, you probably know some dear one who has. The sharp decline in stock prices have resulted in loss of millions of dollars in savings and retirement benefits. For months now, fear and panic have seized the hearts of many.

All around us, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of good news. But as painful and seemingly hopeless as the job loss or economic times have been, there is a basis for us to have hope, to expect a better tomorrow. But in the meantime, how do we cope in such troubled times? For some who have lost their means of livelihood and are rendered homeless after years of diligent work, what can such people do in such precarious times? There is no doubt that some people have faced very dire circumstances, but no matter your situation, here are a few suggestions that could help you out through these tough times.

Cry if you must, but eschew bitterness

It’s ok to cry in times of pain. But it is not helpful to be bitter. The loss of job or life-long savings could engender immense pain and bitterness if not checked. It’s all easy to get into a bitter mode and become offended. The temptation could be to be bitter and offended against God. As absurd as that may sound, it is true that we sometimes get really mad at God. In fact, it seems like the more faithful someone has been as a Christian, the more likely they are to get mad at God if something bad happens to them. Perhaps it is a feeling that God “let us down” when we needed him most. Or maybe, it’s a frustration about a loving God who “can just sit there and watch terrible things happen.” Whatever may be the cause, when bad things happen to believers we tend to get mad at God.

But bitterness - either against God or against the Church, fellow Christians, the government - does not engender the grace of God in tough times. In fact, it robs us of much needed grace. No wonder, we are enjoined: “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” ( Hebrews 12: 15, NLT). Bitterness has the potential to poison your destiny. Avoid it at all cost, no matter the temptation.

Get away with Christ for a while

You say, “Well, you can talk like that because you have no idea what I have gone through.” There is no doubt that your situation may be a very dire one, but then, that is why Jesus invites you personally to come away with him, so you may be refreshed. “Take off” with Christ for a season. Relax a bit in his presence. Refresh, renew, rethink, and reposition. Here is Jesus’ invitation to you: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:28-30, Message).

Get away with Christ and recover your life. Take a moment to reflect and pray. Christ our Lord promised to give you real rest. Yes, that is what you need most now: God-given rest, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. It may not have been your fault that things had gone out of hand, but at least you can recover your life again, in the very hands of Christ. You may not be able to stop the bad news all around, but at least, you can guard your heart and mind with the very peace of Christ. This is the very beginning of recovery.

Yes, I know that when you are feeling beaten and weary, the last thing you want to do is get into all night prayer. Yes, I understand that; because I have personally been there a few times. But notice Jesus did not say, “ Get into prayer and fasting for seven days.” He said, “Get away with me, and I will show you how to rest, and recover your life.” To get away means to be “still and know that He is God.” It means to meditate on God’s love, goodness and faithfulness. It means to stay engaged in God’s presence and in his word until new hope arises in your heart and a new courage is inspired within your soul. Whether or not you are able to pray aloud, he hears you and knows your need. As I end part one of this piece, let me encourage you to “come away with Christ.” Let his presence renew, refresh and reposition you.

Remember Your Source

For far too long, it seems like we as a people have put too much confidence in the stock market than in God as our financial source. The logic seems to have gone somewhat like this: “Just work hard, save up a bit and invest in a retirement account, and you will be just fine.” So, even when we talk about trusting God for everything, for many of us, our financial future was never really something we had to trust God about – we had it planned out. That is, until recently.

Please understand that it is important for us to save and invest in the future. We have to. We must. But the point is that we must always remember that God alone is our Source and Sustainer. We have a Father in heaven who cares about us, and is passionately in touch with our feelings of infirmity. He knows how bad you are hurting. He knows the loss you have suffered. He is the giver of all good things: “So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light” (James 1: 16-17, MSG). Dear brother, sister, “don’t get thrown off course.” These are trying times, no doubt. But we have a Father in heaven. The word “father” means “source and sustainer.” It means that God is our strength, salvation. In deed, it means that God is all we need, for in him, we find ultimately the full supply of every need: "Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. God—yes God!—is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!" (Isaiah 12: 2, MSG).

Oh, how awesome it will be for us all to sing with Isaiah that “God is in deed my song and my salvation.” God is. It’s not that God will provide strength, joy, finance, new job; but that God is my new job, my promotion, my financial security, my all. What a revelation. What freedom this will bring us. Please take time to meditate on Psalm 27, Psalm 46, and Isaiah 12. Hopefully, you may catch a glimpse of the insight that brought these elders joy and faith unspeakable. Look at Isaiah’s response when he understood that God was his source and sustainer in life: “Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to God. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation!” (Isaiah 12: 3-4, MSG) Or, this one by David: “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” (Psalm 27:1, NLT).

These responses show us that we can be hopeful, joyful and prayerful when we understand that God is our Source. Hopeful because God can not fail: “Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” (Hebrews 13: 5-6) Joyful, because joy is the natural response in knowing that God is there for us, and that he can never fail us. Joy is also our strength, and the instrument of grace that connects us with the Source: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart” (Psalm 37: 4, Amplified Bible). Consequently, we can get into prayer and ask God specifically for what we need now, after all, Jesus said: “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” ( Matthew 7: 11, NLT).

To sum things up, remember that God is your source. Go back to him. Relax in his presence, meditate on him, and bring your petitions directly to him: “Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4: 6-7, MSG). God sure cares for you. He is able and willing to grant you a brand new beginning.

Look Within

It’s true, when tough times hit, there is a tendency to let pain and tears becloud our sight and dampen our faith. It’s all so easy to think that there is possibly no good thing that could come out of our current trial or loss.

That was exactly what happened to Hagar, Abraham’s maid turned mistress. She had been sent away with Ishmael her son, with only a bottle of water and other supplies. But being in the desert, she soon ran out of water. It was a very dangerous situation. She was thirsty, but she was even more scared and tormented as she watched her son struggle. She couldn’t bear it any more. Death was imminent. As far as she could see, there was no hope. So, in her desperation, she laid the boy under a shade, said her last prayers and went off a little way down the desert to cry – why watch helplessly as her own son dies of thirst?

Hagar: From Tears of Pain to Oasis of Joy

She wept, and waited to die. But all along as she wept, she stood before an oasis of water: “Just then God opened her eyes. She looked. She saw a well of water. She went to it and filled her canteen and gave the boy a long, cool drink” (Genesis 21; 19). Thank God for a merciful God, who can wipe away tears and open our eyes to see. The pains of life are for real. The difficulties and lack that come with a job loss are all too real and painful. We may be tempted to give up, and lay us down to cry. We may think all hope is gone, and submit to the debilitating force of despair. But there is a God in heaven who hears prayers, and listens to our silent cries for help. His first miracle is to ‘open our eyes’ so that we may see ‘the pool of water’ that lies by our side. That way, God saved her life and that of her son.

As I write, I personally struggle too. I just got a mail from a friend who has just been kicked out of home and at a most painful and confused state of her life. What can I say to such a dear one to bring hope? Only God must do a miracle – the miracle of ‘opening her eyes’ to see that all hope is not lost yet; that there is yet a glorious future ahead of her; that while yesterday might have been tough, tomorrow could be a wonderful new day; that there is a way out of such depressing moments even when it doesn’t seem so.

When all else seems lost, look within. There is always ‘a way of escape’ that God plans for us, a potent resource that helps us out of our difficult moments. Moses wondered how he could confront Pharaoh, but God ‘opened his eyes’ to see the rod in his hand as God’s powerful resource (Exodus 4). The apostles of Jesus wondered how in the world they were going to feed five thousand men (not counting women and children) out in the wilderness, until Jesus challenged them to look inwards and identify what they had. They looked inward and identified five loaves of bread and two fishes (John 6). It was very little compared to the need. But that was what they had. In the very hands of Jesus, the little became much, fed them all and still had excess supply left.

No matter what we are going through now, there are still things that you have going for you. Pause. Wipe the tears. Reflect. Identify your resources, talents, gifts, and most of all, the people in your life right now. Hand it all over to Jesus. It’s amazing what he can do with our ‘little’ when it’s given wholly to him. It’s ok to cry, as long as we pause long enough to take stock of what we still have left. Give thanks for what you still have. Of all that we still have left, we do have the love and support of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can be sure of his everlasting support: “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good...So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? (Romans 8: 26-32).

All bible quotations are from the Message Bible paraphrase Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Between Good Friday and Easter Morning

Tucked in-between the gloomy hopeless night of Good Friday when the Savior was crucified and the glorious Resurrection Morning of Easter is this quiet almost non-existent Saturday. It’s hardly ever talked about, yet it plays a major role in Christ’s mission and ours too.

When he faced Pilate and the Jews right from the previous night, Jesus still had some of his friends with him. It was a terrible day, but at least, his mom and some of his apostles were there to mourn. It was a sad day: the One they had come to trust as the Savior lies seemly helpless at the hands of Pilate and the Jews. It was a sad day, no doubt, but at least the whole city was shaken. Everyone knew that some one important had gone down. Some rejoiced, others mourned,but they all acknowledged the “demise” of Jesus, the "King of the Jews."

On the other hand, Easter morning marked Heaven’s triumph over man’s folly; the transcendence of grace over bullishness; the victory of life over death. Oh, when they thought all hope was gone, then there arose the crucified Lord, alive and well, and reigning for ever. It was in deed a glorious morning.

But in between was Saturday. It was literally one hell of a period. Didn’t the Bible hint that Christ went down to Hades, and disarmed principalities and powers? Wasn’t it within this period in the “grave” that Jesus took the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1: 18)? Whatever happens, those three days between the time Jesus was crucified and the time he resurrected, were certainly important. Yet, whatever was going on down in Hades or right in Heaven at that time was hidden from Israel and from all of Christ’ disciples.

As far as they were concerned, he was dead. We get a picture of their gloom and despair on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:20 24): "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus." ( Message)

Oh, how sad,. They said: "We had our hopes up, but now he had disappointed us. In fact, to make matters worse, we can’t even find his corps." It sounds a lot familiar,doesn't it? Sometimes, we may have gone through a ‘crucifixion’ crisis, after which all hope seems gone. Others may even write us off as these dear disciples almost did. “We thought she had so much potential, but after several years of no growth, we have given up expecting much from her.” Oh, to be sure, people may not quite put it that directly. But their actions and inactions speak loudly about their belief. It may start with close friends gradually withdrawing, until one day, you ‘wake up’ to realize that all your close friends are gone. They have made themselves new friends who they think are more promising. After all, who wants to hand around a “loser”?

But what they don’t understand is that, within those three days of apparent inactivity or decline, heaven and hell were battling it out, and surely but steadily God is winning in your life; setting things right, reforming you, equipping you, anointing you, and increasing you in grace. Oh, yes, there may be tears and intense battles sometimes, but God is still at work in you. Others may have given up on you, but God who sent you out in the first place knows what he has deposited in you. It may take a while, but surely, he will prevail in your life.

In fact, what the disciples on the way to Emmaus did not realize was that the Lord was no more in the grave. He who was dead is now alive and well. The dream that was buried 30 years ago is suddenly being resurrected by the Lord. The destiny that was lying wasted 10 years ago is now being awakened by the Lord himself. Oh, they did not know that they were actually speaking with the very Lord of glory himself. Trials and pain have a way of transforming us that sometimes even our closest friends don’t recognize us any more when it is all over. When God is done with you, some folks who knew you years back may not recognize that it was you.

But meantime, we have to yield to the hand of the Father, and let him have his way fully. Jesus submitted fully to the Father’s will right from the garden of Gethsemane, to Golgotha, to the grave. It seemed as though the Enemy had prevailed, but not so. God had a plan. In submitting to the Father, even within those three horrible days and nights from the crucifixion to the resurrection, Jesus gave the Father full control to execute the entire plan. And boy, was the final outcome so sweet. Christ was “sown” as one Man, but now he has many sons to glory. He was “sown” in weakness, but now reigns in power for ever. He is Lord for ever.

The time in-between may be hard, but they are very important formative times. The times in-between are often lonely times, but they are seasons of unnoticed but required growth. Let this Saturday before Easer Sunday remind you again that no matter what you have gone through these past years, resurrection morning is on the way. You can “be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8: 28, Message).