Can you imagine? You finally get a letter from your spiritual advisor . . . you’re hoping for a “good job, atta baby, way to go,” word of encouragement. But this is what you get instead:
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:1,3–4
And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
Ouch!
I’ve been wondering how often those words could apply to many of our churches.
Rev and I have heard all kinds of bickering and complaints over the years. We’ve seen congregations split over things like a preferred style of worship, a building remodel, or complaints about one preacher or another.
When you and I are jealous of one another . . . when we bicker and quarrel over our own perferences and expectations, we can lose track of our God-given purpose.
I think the first line in The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is one of the most profound and courageous statements of faith ever written…
“It’s not about you!“
“If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.”
And he added this verse from The Message:
For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible . . . everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
Colossians 1:13
Whether we want to or not, if you and I call ourselves followers of Jesus, we are representing Him in this world. And for that reason, it is our “purpose” to SEEK God’s will and share His love . . . or as Paul wrote, to do “the work the Lord gave us.” (1 Cor. 3:5b)
Faith and purpose are not about what we like or want. They are about seeking and serving the One who created us for His plans and purposes.
A Prayer to Grow in Faith and Live Your Purpose
Father, thank you for Jesus and for the gift of faith, for giving me the desire to KNOW You. Thank you for Your promises and for the blessing of prayer. Thank you for loving me.
Please forgive me. I want to follow Your will faithfully. I want to be mature in my faith. I want to fulfill the purposes You have for me. But I know I fail to meet even my own desires let alone meeting the desires You have for me. I am so sorry. Please help me.
I give myself to You, Lord. Help me listen for Your voice. I don’t want to be controlled by my sinful nature. I don’t want to quarrel over foolish ideas, opinions, and preferences. You have given me Your Word as a manual for living. You have given me Your Spirit to help me grow in faith. Please help me faithfully SEEK Your will. Help me share Your love. Help me do the work You have planned for me that I might accomplish the purposes for which You created me.
I love You, Lord. I give this day to You. Guide me by the power of Your Spirit. Help me that I might grow in faith and live Your purpose. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
The Andrew Murray wrote:
Never try to arouse faith from within. You cannot stir up faith from the depths of your heart. Leave your heart, and look into the face of Christ.
Jesus is the One who is able to transform our hearts and help us grow in faith. His Spirit is the One who reveals our purpose and helps us live it.
By God’s grace, we have everything we need when we turn down the volume of the noise going on around us and SEEK the direction of the One who loves us most and best.
On today’s note write:
To grow in faith and live my purpose, I will SEEK and SERVE the LORD.
May God bless you today and you pause to look into the face of Christ to grow in faith and live your purpose.
Click here to read the rest of 1 Corinthians 3.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.
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