Your purpose in life

Today’s Reading: John 12:47(NIV)

47 [Jesus said,] “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”

Good morning!

It is good thing to know your purpose in life. This week, I completed a nine-credit hour, twelve week quarter cluster at Lindenwood University. The World Religions cluster was one of the most interesting studies I’ve taken. We focused our thoughts on many different faith traditions, cultures, and the historical thread linking generations in faith. There was a great deal of reading to do each week and the classroom discussions were engaging. I found myself leaving this class with many more questions than answers. There is so much to learn in life and so little time in which to assimilate it.

I’ve watched from afar and admired my husband’s tenacity and determination to follow His call to ministry, from the age of seventeen years. I will soon be fifty years old, and I’m still trying to discover who I will be when I grow up. My heart was stirred as I listened to the instructor’s closing comments in Monday evening’s class. He talked about matters of faith and how one perceives call; how His life’s work has been divinely directed, even when he wasn’t completely certain of the next steps to take. He gave me hope in knowing that the final goal, while extraordinarily important, is not the pinnacle – it is the journey there that makes all the difference.

Jesus knew, without a doubt, His purpose for living in human flesh. He did not come to judge the world in its broken state, the mistakes of its past, or the future fumbling of the baton. He came for one reason - to save the world from total separation to the Father of light. Jesus gave Himself as a perfect and holy sacrifice for the sins of the world, not judging but loving us in perfect love. How hard is it for you to love the ones who hurt you? To care about the ones who want nothing good for your life? To be willing to allow another hardened human heart to drive nails into your flesh and leave you hanging on a splintery piece of wood to die?

At the end of my presentation in class on Monday, I posed a question to the class: In one sentence, tell me your purpose for living. Are you able to answer this question today?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

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