Purpose
As I was pondering and praying about what the subject of this blog should be, I happened to pass one of my orchids. I love orchids! I thought they would be difficult to take care of, but truthfully, they are easier than most flowers. They may not have a regular blooming cycle, but once they do, their blooms are something to behold. The symmetry (the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis) of one side to the other is perfect. According to orchidtreeindia.wordpress.com., there are around 23,000 species alone of this commonly found flower. I felt as though the orchid said, “There is more to me than my beautiful shape and colors. After all, my Maker didn’t just fling me into the universe—he gave me purpose.”
What purpose, other than beauty, does an orchid have? According to justaddiceorchids.com
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from their surrounding environment and release oxygen back into the air. Since humans are the opposite, plants provide the perfect complement to our environment. Placing plants around your home can help encourage deep breathing, which can even help you sleep better.
Imagine that . . . our great God has given us a technicolor world full of mystery, joy and beauty—and included a purpose in his glorious works of creation.
What do you think of when you see a rainbow in the sky? Many of us know this is a covenant between God and man that life on earth would never be destroyed by a world-wide flood. I find it comforting that the covenant was mentioned three times in God’s conversation with Noah and his sons.
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”. . . And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Gen. 9:8-17
The New Testament tells us over and over that we have a covenant with the Most- High God through the sacrifice of His Son. Like the rainbow in the sky, our covenant is marked by the seal of Holy Spirit.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
I hope to use our community pool this summer to get a long-awaited tan. When the heat from the Florida sun becomes unbearable, I simply wade into the tepid waters of the pool and cool off. Eventually, the sun disappears and nightfall begins. What would really happen if the sun stood still for a day? John Secker Proposal Strategist at DXC Technology (2017-present) tells us
“That would mean that the earth would suddenly stop rotating, so the sun would appear to stand still in the sky. If that happened, everything on the surface would suddenly fly eastwards, like a loose bag in a car that brakes suddenly. At the equator this would be at a speed of about 1000 mph, proportionately less at higher latitudes but still enough to kill you anywhere except near to the poles. Anything not solidly anchored would roll and tumble for hundreds of miles.”
Oh my! However, in Joshua 10:12-14, it did stand still. Learning that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it and that Israel had made a peace treaty with the people of Gibeon, five Amorite kings banded together to destroy Gibeon.
The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on[ its enemies, as it is written in the *Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
*Also mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:8 was probably a collection of historical events put to music.
Again, the sun, moon and stars all have a purpose and are subject to our Father’s will.
Five barley loaves and two fish fed over 5,000 people (John 6:1-15). Why barley? The Israelites planted barley in the fall at the time of first rain. The seed over-wintered in the ground, sprouted in the spring and was harvested in March to April. Wheat was planted at the same time, but it ripened in May to June. Barley could be grown in poor soil and be broadcast into unplowed ground. Barley was a dependable, disease resistant crop, easier and less expensive than wheat. From womenfromthebook blog.
I find it so interesting that our Lord Jesus, who created barley, chose barley loaves to feed over 5,000 people. His creation of fish (not sure what kind) accompanied the loaves to make a meal literally fit for thousands. At that time, the people had to depend on what was available to them. How loving of our Godto provide them with an element that was inexpensive, durable, easy to seed and nutritional. Again, another purpose accomplished. .
In John 1:29-34, Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. ”Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
The names of God tell us important information about who God is as do the names of Jesus. We are familiar with him being the Lamb of God especially at Easter. In John 1:29, we hear this title and may wonder why a lamb?
Most of us picture lambs as downy white animals frolicking in rolling green meadows or carried tenderly in the arms of their shepherd. Lambs represent gentleness, purity, and innocence. Though it is one of the most tender images of Christ in the New Testament, the phrase “Lamb of God” would have conjured far more disturbing pictures to those who heard John the Baptist hail Jesus with these words. Hadn’t many of them, at one time or another, carried one of their own lambs to the altar to be slaughtered as a sacrifice for their sins, a lamb that they had fed and bathed, the best animal in their small flock? Hadn’t the bloody sacrifice of an innocent animal provided a vivid image of the consequences of transgressing the Mosaic law? Surely, John must have shocked his listeners by applying the phrase “Lamb of God” to a living man.
When we pray to Jesus as the Lamb of God, we are praying to the One who voluntarily laid down his life to take into his own body the punishment for sin for the entire world. (Excerpt provided by Ann Spangler, Praying the Names of God).
Where does this leave us? Why have each of us been created? The inerrant Word of God tells us so.
I will say to the north,
‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Is. 46:7
We may not think we are as purposeful as our neighbor, but we are. If God created us, then we have a purpose. As far back as elementary school, I remember what the Baltimore Catechism said:
“Why did God make you?” The correct answer is: “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.”
Serving him can be as simple as letting the person behind you with one item, have your place in line while you have a cartful of groceries, or buying a homeless person a cup of coffee, or being a part of a Meal Train when someone is too ill to fix a meal, or volunteering at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. How many of us are another Dr. Jonas Salk who developed the first vaccine against polio, or the first woman Vice President, Kamala Harris, or Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, Inc.? Not many.
Blogger, Dave Jenkins, asks, “Can anyone complete God’s intentions for one’s life? Because of our weaknesses and sins, our reach will always exceed our grasp. No man is noble enough, and no woman has enough years to accomplish every goal and dream.”
Probably not, and the Lord may not expect us to but, he does expect us to make a difference in our world by looking for opportunities to be purposeful—and they are everywhere!
Several year ago, while I was still working full-time, a dear sister-in-Christ, Irene, offered to clean my house once a month for no compensation. As I returned home from work on that evening, I would see the
newly vacuumed living room carpet that said, “Irene was here today!” Was this a purpose? Yes. At that time, her purpose was to bless me by making my load a little lighter. A blessing I will never forget.
I hope as we lay our head on our pillow tonight, we can smile knowing we served a purpose for the Lord today—whether it be preparing a meal or vacuuming the carpet.
