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.
Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts
Friday, March 16, 2012
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Different gifts, one purpose
Romans 12:3-8
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
I admit it, there were times in my past when I used to feel superior to so many people I worked with, because of my creativity, and ability to learn fast. As time went on, I started looking at those people, as people, and I didn’t feel so superior. Yes, I had a lot of book learning, and I could come up with creative solutions to problems on the spur of the moment, but they had other abilities. I worked with one person that, no matter how hard I tried, he was much faster at the job than I was while maintaining a decent level of quality. The more I looked the more I realized that everyone is a genius at something, which is why no one is any better or worse than anyone else.
God has given each one of us a different set of gifts to serve him, and others, in different ways. Like the verses Romans 12:4-5 says, we are all part of one body, but we each serve a different purpose. Not everyone was given my level of creativity just as I wasn’t given someone else’s physical agility, and while I was given the ability to learn quickly, there are others who can learn much quicker.
Our differences make us so valuable to each other, and give us individual focus towards one purpose in God. I am always amazed at work when the night crew complains about the day crew, and the day crew complains about the night crew. This is not an isolated incident; it’s the same with every company I’ve worked for, where there are three shifts. The night crew has no idea what the day crew does, and the day crew doesn’t know all the different things the night crew has to put up with to get the store ready.
The point of this is, instead of complaining about others to make themselves feel better about themselves, maybe they should look at the other person’s strengths and weaknesses to see where they can work together for a common goal.
Challenge: Look closer at the person you’ve been criticizing lately and see them for their individual strengths, how can you work with them, instead of against them.
Enjoy,
Allen
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
I admit it, there were times in my past when I used to feel superior to so many people I worked with, because of my creativity, and ability to learn fast. As time went on, I started looking at those people, as people, and I didn’t feel so superior. Yes, I had a lot of book learning, and I could come up with creative solutions to problems on the spur of the moment, but they had other abilities. I worked with one person that, no matter how hard I tried, he was much faster at the job than I was while maintaining a decent level of quality. The more I looked the more I realized that everyone is a genius at something, which is why no one is any better or worse than anyone else.
God has given each one of us a different set of gifts to serve him, and others, in different ways. Like the verses Romans 12:4-5 says, we are all part of one body, but we each serve a different purpose. Not everyone was given my level of creativity just as I wasn’t given someone else’s physical agility, and while I was given the ability to learn quickly, there are others who can learn much quicker.
Our differences make us so valuable to each other, and give us individual focus towards one purpose in God. I am always amazed at work when the night crew complains about the day crew, and the day crew complains about the night crew. This is not an isolated incident; it’s the same with every company I’ve worked for, where there are three shifts. The night crew has no idea what the day crew does, and the day crew doesn’t know all the different things the night crew has to put up with to get the store ready.
The point of this is, instead of complaining about others to make themselves feel better about themselves, maybe they should look at the other person’s strengths and weaknesses to see where they can work together for a common goal.
Challenge: Look closer at the person you’ve been criticizing lately and see them for their individual strengths, how can you work with them, instead of against them.
Enjoy,
Allen
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