How is your life going? Are you happy with what is happening? Do you have a purpose to your life? These are all deep questions and they call for a lot of thinking and evaluating. But, man are they important! Did you know that if you ask the average person on the street what the purpose of life is they will say “no idea” or “to be happy”. That’s it? There is nothing more than just trying to be personally happy, or just live day to day with some basic planning? What if you were to find out that you were not just a result of chance? What if there is a God and He designed you for a very specific purpose? Would you want to know what it is? The Bible is God’s letter informing us of His exact plans and purposes (2 Peter 1:19-21; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Guess what. God has a very detailed plan for each of us. He loves you deeply and would love to spend time with you seeking to achieve that purpose (John 3:16). So what is the purpose? Simply put, to use your uniqueness to show off God’s greatness (1 Corinthians 10:31). That’s right. It is not about our personal happiness, but rather His greatness. Come on, be real. How many totally self absorbed people have you met where you walk away saying, “That is just so beautiful. The way they seek self just brings a tear to my eye.” Of course not, innately we know that selfishness is not cool, but we still go after it … because after all, it’s me! The real purpose in life is to let go of seeking what is all about me, the created one, and allow my life to point to and show off God, the creating one (Colossians 3:17). Here is the beautiful thing. God guarantees that you will experience no greater satisfaction or joy than when you allow Him to be with you and place you where you can show Him off (John 15:1-11).
Let’s Be Real Great, sounds good. Let go of self. Almost sounds a bit Zen like. Is that it? I just try to be more selfless? The answer is “Absolutely Not”. No matter how hard we try we will find we keep coming back to self. So what is the answer? Well, we say here at Harvest … “It is not simple, but it is as easy as ABC …”
Accept that I have missed the mark God has designed for me.
The term in the Bible used for not being perfect, for missing the mark, is sin. It was a sports term that simply meant, “coming up short”. It was used for archery when an arrow missed the bulls eye, the outer rings, in fact the whole target, and hit turf in front of the target. It is like our modern day term “air ball” for basketball. So we have all shot an air ball when it comes to hitting God’s designed plan, perfection that shows Him off (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23).
Question: Can you admit that you are not perfect? Pretty easy first step, right?
Believe that Jesus is God and that He died for my sins.
The problem with selfishness and sin, missing the mark, is that it is has a high cost or debt attached (Romans 6:23). That debt is eternal separation from God. That’s right, all of us separated from Him forever. We try to make good but that is like paying off a multimillion dollar debt one penny at a time – hopeless. There is one way out of this debt, ask “the bank” for forgiveness. When we approach God in faith, He will forgive; fixing what no works could do (Ephesians 2:8-9).
How can God forgive? Doesn’t that violate who He is to just say “Aw, forget it, no problem that you walked away and did your own thing?” The answer is, “Yes, it would violate His justice.” So, He does not just say forget it. Instead He says, “I have this one covered … I will pay it.”
That is what is such a big deal about Jesus. He is God who became man, to make a replacement payment available for you and me (Romans 3:24-25). So, you need to believe that Jesus is God and that He died on the cross to replace what you owe and rose again guaranteeing new life is available in Him. You just need to embrace that free gift offered.
Question: Do you believe that Jesus is God (Hebrews 1:1-8; John 8:58) and that He died for your sins (Romans 3:25)?
Confess that Jesus is my Lord, handing Him the rights to my life.
Now comes the life changing step. After all anyone can embrace facts in their head, but living them, now that is where the rubber meets the road. True belief results in true follow through.
If you believe that you are not perfect, that the penalty is eternal separation from God, and that Jesus being God died for those sins … then it is time to confess Him as Lord of your life (Romans 10:9-10). Confessing means putting your trust into words on your lips. It simply means, "Say it! Mean it!" But more than that ... if He is your Lord now, it means turning from what He abhors and running after what He loves, letting Him empower you and lead you as you go. Hand Him the rights to your life and get ready to experience a passion and richness like never before. God at work in you, you in line with Him, forever! We say at Harvest, a faith that saves you is a faith that changes you! But remember, it is the faith that saves not any works that follow. The works are just our opportunity to say thank you for all that God has done and will be doing ... now that is freedom to serve!
Bringing it All Together Knowing Jesus, being saved, going to Heaven, born again … all terms for saying I got the ABCs. If you accept that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is God and died for your sins and rose again, and are ready to confess Him as Lord of your life then here is a prayer that you could pray to get started in that relationship. Please know that it is not just about saying words, it is about a heart truly open to Him forever. Just pray … “Heavenly Father, I know that you created me with a plan. I know that I have missed that goal of that plan and I am not perfect. I understand that the cost is eternal separation from you but I do not want that. Father, please forgive me for going my own way, and please use the blood of Jesus on the cross to replace what I owe. I want to give you my life, and I want to follow after you. You are my Lord. It is time for my life to begin to reflect who you are! Thank you for loving me.” If you prayed this prayer from the heart, really seeking to give your life to Him, you have started a life of great Purpose! We would love to hear from you. We would strongly recommend that you come join us on a Sunday, and if you cannot make it to our church then find a healthy Bible teaching church near you. It is time to grow in Him and be changed for a lifetime, so that God is shown off!