Is that possible?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 19:25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
“That’s impossible!”
How many times in life have you uttered this phrase when based on your knowledge and experience you truly felt whatever was proposed was impossible?
As a kid you may have thought riding a bike was impossible.
As a high school student you may have thought geometry was impossible.
As an adult you may have thought getting a good job would be impossible.
For many of us if someone said we’d all be carrying around a powerful computer in our pockets by 2024, we might have said, “That’s impossible.”
In our world, many people have a fixed mindset that is limited by one’s own learning or experience. These individuals are not usually your inventors and innovators. Rather one with an open mind that entertains what is possible are the ones that develop new drugs, new technology, push the limit of human performance and more. Just when you think something is impossible, it becomes possible.
How does that happen?
What I’ve noticed is that when one is open to new learning and new experiences, they begin to see more things as possible. People willing to try something new, approach a challenge from a unique perspective, or embrace failure are often ones that come up with revolutionary break throughs.
This week is about new possibilities. Not ones that just originate in a secular challenge with a secular invention, but rather embracing, with God’s help, the possibilities that he opens up to us through his Word and the truth it contains and the experiences it gives.
In Matthew 19, the ultimate challenge faced the disciples. How could someone be saved? By human learning and perception one would think that one’s performance of good deeds would warrant a heavenly promotion. Jesus challenges this and indicates that this would not be the case.
All of a sudden the limitations of the disciples were exposed. If one could buy or earn their way into heaven, there really is no other way. “Who can be saved?” they asked. Their experience would tell them, “We are all doomed.”
Jesus rather sets forth a truth that opens our eyes and mind to a great reality: “With man this impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ALL things are possible.
Jesus shifts our focus from human learning and experience and assumptions to God and his power and his truth. Humans have limitations. God doesn’t.
That being said, God loves to work through his Spirit to expose us to new learning and new experiences founded in the truth of God’s Word. But our minds need to be open to it.
Only when we carry an open mind to the things of God, will we see the new possibilities he has in store for us!
Apply: Reflect on this passage from Matthew 19. What might your human limitations be telling you is impossible, but God is challenging you to trust is possible through him?
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for operating in life too often by my human limitations. Open my eyes and my heart to your possibilities…always! AMEN.
Chosen for a purpose!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Perhaps it’s just me, but this week has crystallized my purpose in life. It’s a focus in life that is bigger than anything I would choose to do, but flavors everything I do. It’s a focus that transcends time, yet gives deep meaning and significance to the time I have on this earth. It’s a focus I wouldn’t have come up with on my own, but one God chose me to embrace and live.
The same is true for you.
You are here to change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel.
This is the fruit that Jesus is talking about. Fruit that flows from a heart of faith which gives glory to God and brings the sweet taste of the Gospel to others. It’s a purpose to which our heart, mind and soul align so that all that we do affects the lives of people, not just for today, but for an eternity.
Remember, purpose is not what you do, it is the focus that flavors all that you do. Perhaps for some, the two are very close, yet speaking as a pastor, my purpose isn’t to be a pastor. My purpose is to change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel. The way I am privileged to live out that purpose is by being a pastor. But I also do it as a parent. I do it as a husband. I do it as a hobby woodworker. I do it as a basketball official.
The same is true for you. As Jesus rules in your heart by faith, he calls you to his purpose as you live out that faith. The purpose is clear. The question is how will I carry it out.
Here’s an example as a basketball official. As you know, officials are not always the favorite part of the game, but a necessary part of the game. So how I show up makes a difference. How I interact with the other official is a witness opportunity. I have had good conversations with a presbyterian pastor, a member of our fellowship who has drifted (and was officiating with me), a person whose brother was going through some health challenges. My words, my demeanor, my presence are all opportunities to affect another life with the power of the Gospel. I may have to lay down the law of the basketball court, but also pray it continues to be a platform for Gospel witness.
God has you right where he wants you with a renewed focus on the purpose for which he has saved you. I don’t know where the opportunity will come, but keep your eyes and ears open. The commission Jesus gave is still ours today:
Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. …19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. …
So today is a fresh start. You are a new person in Christ. You have a new perspective by faith. And you have a new purpose to change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel. Enjoy living it each day and in every way!
Apply: What opportunities might you have to live out God’s purpose for you today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your call to faith in you. Help me live each day with the purpose you have called me to. AMEN.
What are you willing to give up?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
The world offers us many ways to spend our life. We have opportunities to affect change, gain status, advance in a career, and find success. The question we must pose is this, “At what cost?”
As Jesus invites us to follow him, he later explains that following him comes at a cost. Truthfully, not all are willing to bear that cross…perhaps even us at times.
Last week in our small group we were reading part of Jesus’ crucifixion which included the portion where Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross the rest of the way to Golgotha. My daughter asked, “I didn’t realize he was forced to carry the cross. I thought he volunteered.” The Roman soldiers didn’t ask for volunteers for Jesus cross and I don’t think many would have volunteered to willingly do that. Carrying a physical cross is hard and those that carried one were not the best liked in the community!
So would we be willing to take up Jesus’ cross? Perhaps the better question is, “ARE we willing to take up Jesus’ cross and follow him?” Jesus is not forcing us. He is inviting us. Yet he is also being truthful with us to say that following him does mean taking up the cross, the suffering, the challenges that come as a result of being a follower of Christ. You can’t do one without the other.
And it can be hard.
When we take up the cross and follow Jesus, when we embrace his purpose as our own, it often means giving up things maybe from a secular point of view seem more important. If we are committed first to following Jesus, we may encounter times in our pursuit of a career that we have to give up a promotion or a job because it conflicts with our ability to practice the Christian life or impedes too heavily on our time to spend in worship with others. As we follow Jesus, we may have to give up friendships and relationships that are pulling us in a direction that is not honoring to the Lord. As we take up the cross of Jesus, we may be in a position to speak an unpopular truth about behavior done by society or individually which leads to discipline or termination at our employment. Sacrifice for the purpose of following Jesus and changing lives with the power of the Gospel is a given. Are we willing to embrace it?
To make it easier, Jesus reminds us that if we gain everything in the world and forfeit our soul, our relationship with him, we lose eternally. If we make our life’s focus following Jesus and engaging in his mission, we may lose temporally at times, but we win eternally. Embracing Jesus’ purpose as our own entails short term sacrifice for long-term, eternal rewards.
So with a smile on your face and confidence in your heart, enjoy taking up your cross and following Jesus today!
Apply: What is the hardest “cross” you have had to bear because you are a follower of Christ? What led you to bear the cross? Or were you strongly tempted to give up the cross?
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for carrying your cross and my sins with it. Only through what you have done for me am I able to carry the cross you privilege me to carry and keep my focus on following you. Pick me up and forgive me when I fail. Strengthen me for the journey ahead. AMEN.
What’s your background?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. (Mark 1:16-20)
Jesus calls individuals to participate in his purpose: “Change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel.”
For these four men, Simon, Andrew, James and John, their focus in life changed. The focus of their life was now going to be to follow Jesus and embrace his purpose as their own. On that day they left their nets and fishing boats and dad and hired men and followed Jesus. Yet we know that these same men are fishing at different parts of Jesus’ ministry. They didn’t leave their love of fishing, they just loved following Jesus more.
I wonder how Jesus would put it if he came to you today directly and said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men”? Perhaps for you, you love fishing and that connection would ring true as it did for the four men he called that day. But perhaps you have no interest in fishing and perhaps wouldn’t be caught on a boat if you were given one. What we hear in Jesus’ call to these four men is using their background to bring the Gospel to the foreground. These four would understand the similarities of fishing and working with people to change their lives with the power of the Gospel. It would take persistence. It would take patience. It would involve frustration and storms. It would bring the reward of seeing an individual landed for Jesus and become a follower too.
So, what in your background can Jesus leverage to bring the Gospel to the foreground? Would Jesus say to you, “Come follow me and I will make you a teacher of men?” Will he take your love of learning and sharing knowledge and capture that for opportunities to share and teach the Gospel?
Would Jesus say to you, “Come follow me and I will make you an athlete for the Lord”? Will he take your love for competition, fitness, and team sports and leverage them to build a team of Christians intent on making an impact on the athletic fields for the sake of the Gospel?
Would Jesus say to you, “Come follow me and I will make you a care giver for the Lord”? Will he take your heart of compassion and your skill of mind or body and leverage it to love people when they are ill and encourage them with God’s promises as they are going through tough times?
What we see in Jesus calling fishermen are individuals with skills and interests that will be leveraged for the purpose of changing lives with the power of the Gospel. Yet, Jesus doesn’t just call fishermen. He calls tax collectors, he calls religious leaders, he calls shepherds, he calls farmers, he calls people from all walks of life because he loves to use our background and use it to bring the Gospel to the foreground.
Apply: What part of your background might Jesus be wanting to or is leveraging for the sake of the Gospel and opportunities to share him?
Prayer: Lord thank you for redeeming my background and experiences for the sake of your kingdom and the sharing of your Gospel. AMEN.
What is Purpose?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have a New Purpose! (WATCH HERE)
What is purpose?
This question is a bit different than, “What is MY purpose?” but perhaps is important to understand how to define purpose so we can then better understand what is our purpose.
To be honest, when asked the question, “Why is my purpose?” it is a challenging question to answer because it often takes me to some activity that I feel I should or shouldn’t be doing. Is my purpose to be a dad? Is my purpose to be a pastor? Is my purpose to be a student? Or is there something else I should be doing to find my purpose?
These questions, honestly, have always challenged me and I’m not sure I could ever accurately answer the question. In studying for this past week’s message I came across a blog on purpose that gave definition and qualities to what purpose is. I would summarize it this way:
Purpose is your main focus in life. This focus is three things: a) personally meaningful, b) Makes a positive mark on the world, and c) changes the lives of people in a positive way. This summary moved my mind away from activity or actions to a mindset or focus that drives or affects or motivates all my actions. Purpose is not just activity, but activities are affected by one’s purpose.
So what does that mean in light of Mark 1?
Yesterday, we said that Jesus’ purpose was to “Change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel.” Even Jesus’ purpose was not limited to his activities, but rather his activities supported his purpose.
His birth. Was his purpose to be born? Nope. If his purpose was just to be born, his purpose would have been done the day of his birth. Rather, the Bible says of his birth in Galatians 4:4-5:
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
Notice that his birth was tied into his purpose, but not his purpose. He was born…to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship (i.e. change the lives of people with the power of the Gospel). He couldn’t have finished his purpose if he wasn’t born, but being born was an activity that supported his purpose.
Here’s another one referencing the death of Jesus (an event) (Colossians 1:21-23):21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.
Jesus’ crucifixion was a significant event, but it was an event that supported his purpose. Through his death he was able to change the lives of people (reconciled, holy, without blemish, etc.) communicated through the Gospel (the good news of what Jesus has done).
Each of Jesus’ events in life supported his purpose (teaching, healing, living under the law, dying, etc.).
So going back to the definition of purpose…
Was “changing lives with the power of the Gospel” Jesus’ life focus? Yes.
Was this purpose personally meaningful to Jesus? Yes.
Did it leave a positive impact on the world? Yes
Did it/does it change the lives of people? Yes.
You and I are evidence that Jesus perfectly carried out his purpose…tomorrow we’ll see what it means that he calls us to embrace this purpose in our lives as well.
Apply: Put this purpose template over what you know of Jesus’ life and ministry. Do all of his activities in life support his mission to change the hearts of people with the power of the Gospel? How so?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for perfectly carrying out your purpose. Thank you for doing all that was necessary to change my life with the power of the Gospel. AMEN.