Know Your Purpose
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” is an American comedy film that came out in 1963. I have never seen the film, but its title seems appropriate for today’s world. In fact, in my opinion, it’s only gotten “madder.”
I believe there is a reason why the old Polish proverb, “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” has regained popularity. Too many of us are struggling to keep up with our daily lives and are at least trying to find the humor involved.
I credit Bryan McAlister with the idea for this post from a lesson he preached this week at our Gospel Meeting. He was speaking about not being a hypocrite. One of the points he made is that we, as Christians, are not being hypocrites if we say no to people even if we are turning down an opportunity for a good work.
Say what? I thought we were made for good works (Eph . 2:10) and that we were to “not grow weary in doing good” (Gal. 6:9). All true. But Bryan made the point that even Jesus said no to some opportunities for good works in order to fulfill His main purpose.
He took us to Mark 1. The morning after Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many others, Jesus had gotten up early and gone out alone to pray. Peter and others came to find Him and, essentially said, “What’s up? You need to come back here. Everyone is looking for you” (verse 37). But Jesus didn’t go back with them to continue healing people – an admittedly good work. Look at what Jesus said in Verse 38: “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out” (emphasis added).
Jesus knew His purpose. He knew all facets of His purpose. In fact, I have read a great book (available here) on the different aspects of Jesus’s purpose and His response to and fulfillment of them. But what can we get from this point?
While it is true that we are created for good works, we are not required to do all of the good works by ourselves! That’s why the apostles sought out deacons in Acts 6 to take care of a work that was not in the scope of their purpose. It is why the church is described as a many-faceted body (1 Cor. 12; Romans 12). That’s why we are called to be part of “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” but are listed as having separate abilities and functions: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:5, 11-12).
Our overarching purpose is this “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). But how we fulfill that purpose depends largely on what gifts, challenges, opportunities, locations, and talents God has given us as individuals.
So yes, do not grow weary in doing good, but help yourself not grow weary by knowing your strengths and saying no to opportunities – even those for good works – that don’t match your skill set or place in life.
A popular devotional song, taken straight from Psalm 124, helps illustrate my point:
“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side …
The anger of the enemy would have swallowed us alive …
The waters would have engulfed us; we would have surely died.
Blessed be the Lord who would not give us up.
Blessed be the Lord for His unfailing love.
The snare has broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Lord.”
None of us can do it all – that is why we need Christ in the first place.
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
