Purpose-Full

I know I’m not the only one who has days when getting out of bed feels like wasted effort. Some days just feel pointless. That is even more true in the middle of a pandemic, when so many normal activities are postponed or cancelled completely. On days like that, it helps to remember God’s purposes.

Why do I exist?

“Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life… everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:4, 7).

What’s my purpose?

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

What if I mess up?

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me” (Psalm 138:8a).

What if I don’t have the ability or energy to do anything?

“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2).

“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24).

What about people who may be hindering me?

“But for this purpose I have raised you [Pharaoh] up, to show you my power, so that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Ex. 9:16).

“My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose” (Isaiah 46:10b).

God’s purposes will prevail, regardless of how exhausted, inept, or unprepared we may be at any point in time. He will work in and through our weakness to glorify Himself. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9b).

In those times when discouragement and doubt make it hard to get out of bed, and it seems like we’re just going in circles and accomplishing nothing, we can say with Job— “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). We may not know even a fraction of what God is doing in the world, but we can trust that He is doing something and that we have a part to play by His grace and mercy in choosing us and using us. That ought to get us moving.

“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

True to God

Since Sunday’s sermon on hypocrisy from Mark 7:1-13 I’ve been thinking about some of the evidence of hypocrisy in our world. This week it’s Starbucks cups, glaciers in the malls, and “Merry Christmas” being debated by many who honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. I’m not going to get into that discussion, because I think there are more important issues closer to home, like within our own hearts. It’s so easy to go through the motions and act like a Christian when Christ is the furthest thing from our minds. On an average Sunday, I wonder how many church-goers tune out in the middle of the announcements and don’t tune back in until the benediction? I’m sure we all have occasional mental lapses, though for some that is a weekly occurrence.

It’s also easy to give others the wrong impression by what we say and do. We arrive at church dressed decently and smiling even though we’ve just been fighting in the car, lost a job, or got drunk last night. We may know all the Sunday school answers and can quote chapter and verse but struggle to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

We are all careful to edit what we say to fit the proper social expectations of the church, small group, friendship, or work environment. Sometimes that’s okay because some things just don’t need to be shared outside a select few relationships. James said “confess your sins to one another,” not to the whole church. Jesus’ guidelines for confrontation in Matthew 18:15-17 don’t go immediately to the whole church either. However, we do need to give careful thought to whether we are being hypocritical by misleading others either intentionally or unintentionally. Gossip usually arises because someone is found to be hiding something that is inconsistent with their public character.

Discerning what to say in what contexts makes for a hard path to follow. I can think of plenty of things that I would not want revealed to the vast majority of people. And as a result, I know I probably give false impressions by the things I choose not to say. I think where the distinction of true hypocrisy comes in is whether we’re trying to put on an act for God. For myself, I am very much aware that God knows my every thought and word, and He understands my conflicting motivations and desires far better than I do. I know that nothing is hidden from His sight. I want to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, but I know that I often fail in many ways.

While there are times when I wish I could be more transparent in certain areas, I know that would not be wise at this point. One day all things will be made known, and we’ll all be surprised at what we learn. Thankfully, God’s mercy and grace are abundant for those who trust in Him. As David told Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV), “Know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”

The true hypocrites are those who think they can deceive God with their words and deeds while their hearts are focused on self rather than God. They may be deceiving others, and they definitely are deceiving themselves if they think that God can be influenced by outward actions without the heart motivation.

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

© 2015 Dawn Rutan.

Undeceived

Thinking about Jesus’ life and ministry, it is tempting to berate the Jews and Gentiles who only followed Him because He provided a free meal or healed the sick. But I wonder if our motives are much better sometimes. We seek Him for peace, for physical or emotional healing, for provision for our basic needs, but salvation is far down on our list, if it makes the list at all. Just consider the people and things that populate our prayer lists.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “They wanted immediate relief from their troubles at no cost to themselves. Life was difficult, and they were excited to find somebody who could so easily meet their needs... Like many people today, they had a ‘commercial attitude’ toward Jesus and wanted Him to meet their personal needs, but they didn’t want Him to deal with their sins and change their hearts!” (Jesus in the Present Tense, 33).

I suspect there are many within the church who fall into the same category. They want to feel better, experience community with people similar to themselves, and raise their children in a good, moral atmosphere, but not to be convicted of their sins and asked to turn full control of their lives over to God. Wiersbe goes on to say, “When it comes to making a decision about Jesus Christ, we have three choices: (1) believe in Him and be saved, as did eleven of the apostles; (2) reject Him but pretend to be saved, as did Judas; or (3) reject Him openly and walk away, as did the multitude. In His parable about the wheat and tares (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43), Jesus made it clear that there are counterfeit Christians like Judas mixed in with the authentic children of God, but at the end of the age they will be exposed and condemned” (44).

It is unclear from the Gospels whether the other disciples knew Judas was an impostor. John reflects back to point out Judas’s motives early in Jesus’ ministry, but it seems that only Jesus knew the truth: “For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray Him” (John 6:64 ESV). If the disciples were in the dark Christians, and even pastors, today may be just as deceived about the true condition of any person’s heart. While there may be indicators, only God truly knows the heart (Psalm 44:21, Proverbs 24:12). I would suggest that some individuals don’t even know their own motives, for “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

At the same time, it is likely that those who fear or doubt their salvation are more likely true believers than those who have no doubts. C.S. Lewis writes to a correspondent, “The moment one asks oneself ‘Do I believe?’ all belief seems to go. I think this is because one is trying to turn round and look at something which is there to be used and work from—trying to take out one’s eyes instead of keeping them in the right place and seeing with them... you know better than I how very unreliable introspection is. I should be much more alarmed about your progress if you wrote claiming to be overflowing with Faith, Hope and Charity” (Yours, Jack, p. 144-145). One who makes such claims, along with those who are completely unconcerned with the state of their faith, are in far more danger than those who have doubts and fears.

Hebrews 6:11-12 says, “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The NIV puts it, “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.” It’s not that the good works mentioned in verse 10 are themselves the assurance, but that they are an indicator of where our hope truly lies.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12b-13). John Piper says of this passage, “God it the decisive worker here. He wills and he works for his good pleasure. But believing this does not make Christians passive. It makes them hopeful and energetic and courageous” (Future Grace, p. 291).

Jesus is the “founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), “the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13), the One who draws people to Himself (John 6:44), and the One who will never lose one of His sheep (John 10:28-29). If that is the case, then believers can have faith and hope in Him and can rest in His care. Those who “fall away” are those who were never really His children to begin with. They may have put up a good front and deceived many, perhaps even themselves, but at some level they never trusted in Jesus as both Savior and Lord. They may have expected His salvation, but they never let Him be Lord of their lives.

“...nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known... Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:26, 31-32).