Friday, March 16, 2012

Purpose without Predestiny

Purpose without Predestiny
Jeremiah 1:5
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.

Predestiny is a word that has been used in some churches for a very long time. I don’t believe in it personally, and I can’t support an idea that takes away our free will. We are not robots who go through motions without the ability to think for ourselves.
For those who aren’t certain of the meaning; predestiny is the belief that we are made who we are, and how we are, for a very specific purpose, and no matter what we say, we will serve that purpose. I don’t know where this idea started, but Jeremiah 1:5 could be used by some to support the philosophy.
If predestiny, or Calvinism, were true we couldn’t be held accountable for our actions, and there could be no punishment, for we are not responsible. So does that mean we are wandering through our lives without purpose? Of course not. If you read the verse, God knew us before we were born, and he gave us each different abilities for the purpose he will call us for.
This is where the similarities end. God has a purpose for each one of us; some to be prophets, some to be advisors, some for teaching, some to work in construction; but it is up to us to choose whether or not to listen, and accept his calling. This is where it becomes our responsibility. God is not sitting up in Heaven with lightning bolts waiting to strike anyone who doesn’t agree with what he wants, there again, that would take away free will.
God didn’t just set Jeremiah apart for a purpose, he gave us all a purpose, and I find that when we still haven’t accepted his calling, every job you do, (stocking grocery shelves for me) has no real meaning, and tends to leave us with feelings of confusion, emptiness, and even depression. I know I felt the first two, and strangely enough those feelings started to disappear when I started writing. I think that’s a pretty good indication that I’m meant to write.
I’m not trying to build myself up as a great writer; I know there are writers who are much better than me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not meant to write, or be a nature photographer, it just means I am meant to do something with those.
If you haven’t found your purpose yet, don’t worry about it, just open your heart, and let God speak to you. All you have to do is trust he will give you an answer, and show you the way.

2 comments:

  1. Allen, I'm here to tell you, you ARE a writer. You have the gift of explaining Scripture in a way that's understandable and makes sense. In this post for example, I learned quite a few things. I learned that predestined thinking is Calvanism, that if we are predestined than we could not be punished for what we do and that makes total sense to me. What we do with the gifts we are given IS up to us and we are accountable for our choices.

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    1. Thank you for the comment. With so many holes in the philosophy, I'm just amazed how many people still subscribe to the belief.

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