Good Morning Friends,
In the book the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. We discovered 5 things that God put us on this earth to do that answer the question, “Why am I here?” The first purpose was to know and love God or to Worship God. The second was we were made for God’s family or for Fellowship. The third purpose was that we were made to be more like Jesus or Discipleship. The fourth purpose is that we were made to serve God for each of us has a unique contribution to make called Ministry. And the fifth purpose and the final reason that God made you and gave you your life on this earth is to be part of an Unstoppable Mission commonly known as Evangelism. So, How Do We Embrace The Full Purpose For Which We Were Made To Soar With Jesus?
Scripture: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: ‘If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.’ Then the Lord replied to me: ‘They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.
Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (NRSV)
As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
John 17:18 (NRSV)
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31(NRSV)
Message: In the next year millions of people will die never having known about Jesus. Many of them will be seeking a prophet to guide them. But like the oracle at Delphi and Nostradamus the focus of their hope will be proven in time false. In our modern, rational, scientific age, many dismiss prophecy as naïve and backwards. And yet there is something in us that yearns for prophecy. Something that yearns to hear a voice from beyond us, a voice of promise, a voice of hope, a voice that touches us with the divine. We see that longing expressed in many stories of mythology, fantasy, and science fiction that revolve around a prophecy and its fulfillment. For example, Star Wars talks about the prophecy of the one who would restore balance to the force. But we see the same type of focus on prophecy in the Dune stories as well. Some fill this longing for prophecy reading fantasy or by searching the stars for their horoscope. Some try to drown this longing in the promises of technology and human advancement. Some turn to charismatic leaders, no matter how off the wall they may be. Yet only one truly satisfies this longing. Only one voice of promise is a hope that will not fail. Only one can touch us now with the divine. He is the one Prophet foretold of. You know the names of other prophets, ones that spoke God’s truth: Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, to name a few. But Jesus is the one the Lord promised through Moses in today’s scripture. Don’t settle for any imitations. Don’t try to satisfy your longing for prophecy in all the various ways the world offers. You know who the Prophet is. You know his name. The Prophet is Jesus Christ our God and Lord. He not only speaks as a prophet, but he also fulfills all the prophecies as our Savior and Substitute. He is our Go-between. He is our Brother. He is the Truth. Listen to him. Believe his promises.
And So, In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright Brothers were finally successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine back home in Ohio. “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news! Man had flown! We too, when it comes to our faith, need to make sure we do not miss the Good News and the power of putting it on the front page of our lives. We must do the work God requires. And the work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent not in one we conceive. Jesus is revealing Himself to us as he truly is and if we will accept Him as He really is we will abandon our own agenda and allow him to truly lead. And, if we place all our trust in Him and simply obey Him because of confidence in Him, everything else will fall into place. Friends, Jesus prophesied his own death and resurrection. He prophesied the rise of false prophets and the fall of Jerusalem and the worldwide scattering of Jews and how the world will end. And the Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesue speak to the truth of who He is. The miraculous conception of Jesus, the human nature of Jesus, that he would crush evil at his own expense, be of royal lineage, preceded by a forerunner, and perform miracles were all Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus was even meek and humble yet with wisdom and mystery. And the promises that he would never leave us and that we would do great things should not be forgotten either for they are at the heart of helping us to evangelize and to soar with Jesus.
Pray that we become purpose driven people. Pray we thank God that we were sent someone to teach us how to share the Good News of God’s love. Pray we are eager to share the Good News of Jesus with others. Pray we accept Jesus as he truly is not just as how we have conceived of him in our mind for our own convenience. Pray we ask now that God uses us to share the Good News with others. Pray that those reading this now and have heard the Good News realize that God loves each of us and has a plan and purpose for our lives. Pray that we feel something deep inside of us saying I need that, I need a personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus and I need to share this with others. Pray right now in your heart, just between you and God that you need a savior and a leader. Pray God give each of us a new life full of hope and joy and peace. Pray that God shows each of us the plan for the life we are to lead. Pray we thank God for sending Jesus to make this all possible and keep us from messing it all up. Pray we ask forgiveness for not being as active in God’s unstoppable mission as we should be. Pray that we ask God for help in sharing the Good News. Pray we are given courage and passion to reach out to our worshipping community and beyond. Pray we thank God for the love we have been given and our salvation in Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 