Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here? Where did your conscience come from? “WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?” Have you ever taken more than a simple moment in life to ask these questions? Are we here on this earth to have no impact on the world around us, to not strive toward something, to not seek something out, are we here to do good, or to do evil? Do you at times experience remorse? Do you ever wonder as to why you did nothing, and say to yourself, “would-a, could-a, should-a”. We don’t want to get overly philosophical, but we do want to encourage a bit of self-reflection, a time to evaluate your past, present, and future actions in life. Are you wrestling with your conscience, wondering what life is all about? Are you fulfilling any PURPOSE or are you just occupying a small piece of time and space, standing still, being basically uninvolved, spending most of your time in personal pursuits.
Do you seek wisdom or direction from a higher source, and we do not mean from another earthly person or institution? If you do seek wisdom from a higher power, what are you being led to do or accomplish? It would seem in our Nation, and in fact in the world today, that there are those who have everything, and those who have little. Why must this seem to be the case for so many people and institutions? Is it a matter of conscience? Is it a matter of not seeking the ultimate truth and wisdom? Is it a matter of just getting all the power and money you can while you are alive, while ignoring those less fortunate? Is that your PURPOSE? We want to explore some words of wisdom from around 2,700 years ago and see if maybe a few of us have fallen away from our PURPOSE, and maybe give some insight as to how to get back on track, to be able to answer the question, “WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?”
We will reference a book from the Bible, the book of Isaiah. God had chosen a specific race of people to carry out His will upon earth, but they, like all humans, are flawed. Time and time again, they would repent, and God would again bless them, only for them to fall away again and then seek His mercy and grace, to be renewed in His favor. The book of Isaiah is full of God’s people’s arrogance, blindness, and idolatry, and God’s rebukes, judgements, and disciplines, and then God’s blessings, deliverance, forgiveness, and redemption. In chapter 58, God’s people were fasting as was their custom, but they were not being heard by God and were still under oppression. But God declared the falseness of their fasting when He declared in verses 3 and 4, “Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist.” Their rituals had become ineffective and self-serving. God’s answer to their PURPOSE is found in verses 6 through 12. “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday, and the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” If God’s people desire His help, they must practice mercy and grace, un-merited favor. That is what God provides, it is in His image that we find our PURPOSE. That is just one small step in the right direction.
Nearly 800 years later, Jesus echoed the same expectations for His people, regardless of class or race. I the book of Matthew, chapter 27, verses 34 to 40. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ The righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers, of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’.” In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus also addressed our purpose. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (verse 7). That would be taking just one small step in the right direction.
So, what is the point of our blog today? We seem to spend more of our time in conflict with each other, rather than in showing mercy to those who are in need. If we expect our Creator to show us mercy, we ourselves must show mercy, and then our light will be renewed, and then the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard. Then the ancient ruins and streets will be restored, and the breaches in our old foundations will be rebuilt.
In a previous blog on August 15, 2022, titled, “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN”, we addressed the source for our victory, but if that victory is to be realized, then our PURPOSE must be fulfilled. Only then can our FREEDOM and LIBERTY be assured. Has your conscience been awakened to your PURPOSE? If so, then “The steps you take don’t have to be big. They just need to be in the right direction.”