Pursuit of Purpose

Advice from Kay Arthur for when someone is starting in ministry:

"Don't seek a ministry, seek God. As you seek God, before the foundation of the world, God chose you in Christ (Eph 1:3). You are His workmanship (Eph 2:10), in Christ Jesus unto good works that God has ordained for you to walk in. So discovering my ministry should not be the goal of my life -- but discovering my God should"

As I am learning what my life should look like from His perspective, I find myself searching how to worship Him with things I do. I keep trying to choose behaviors that prove my loyalty. I think, "How much more can I do with my students?" or "How much more can I do in the church to show my allegiance to Him?" I want God to see me worshipping Him as I do and do and do.

But what Kay's comment makes me realize is that God wants my allegiance, period. He wants me to search Him, to pursue Him, to become like Him. Wouldn't that be the ultimate way of worshipping Him.....to be like Him?

I think God has "a ministry" planned for every believer. But, I think it happens as a result of pursuing Him. It will happen naturally as we are molded in His likeness. Jesus just lived who He was and it served a world. But He didn't come to start a ministry or to accomplish certain deeds. He just came and lived as the Son of God. His accomplishments were a result of who He was and is, not what He did. I'm NOT saying the cross was in vain. I'm saying He went to the cross because of His love for us and His obedience to the Father. The cross was the natural result of the Father's love for us, in order to redeem us. Jesus followed His Father's path, which led Him to the cross, and then to a glorious resurrection. And because of that, we are redeemed!

If I live in obedience to Him, the world around me will be served. I will be accomplishing things for the kingdom on a regular basis because it is His will for us to love and serve others. Ministry is a result of obedience. It is not a project. It is not a mission.

To make the point even further: if I exercise, I lose weight (another thing on my mind lately :)). The more I do it, the more true that statement will be. Same with Christianity. If I pursue Him, I will gain Him and the less I will look like me. And the more others will see Him.

So I encourage you, and admonish myself, to stop trying so hard to prove something. Just pursue Him wholeheartedly and let God handle the results.

Getting out of His way

I just had a fantastic weekend. God was so very good to me. He blessed me in so many ways. It was d*weekend for our youth group. If you know me at all, you know I was head deep in it. I am so glad God has called me to work in this youth group, with these kids and fellow leaders.

The week leading up to the start of the event was trying to my soul. You know the enemy seeks to destroy Christians in their spirit and in their devotion to the Lord. He was working hard on me. Few know this, but Friday around lunch, I was not only wishing the weekend to be over, but I was ready to back out all together. Boy, would I have missed out!

God showed up all over the place and I am still on quite a high! He used my husband and a dear friend to encourage me and to bring me back to His mercy and grace. And when I walked into the venue where it was held, God met me there. He met me right where I needed Him and it changed me.

I spent the weekend with 7 of my dearest friends and I was just as much a student as they were. I think we all, as an entire youth group, were on level playing ground. God had the same message for us all, to live lives of worship.

Our youth pastor let God speak so clearly through him, so transparent. This was true of one of the members of the band as well. There was such genuine love of God displayed that it only made me want to worship Him more. This was the topic of the weekend: Worship.

We are all worshipping something, and we are worshipping all the time. Every decision we make, every behavior we exhibit shows our allegiance to something or someone. For me, it's me. I do so much with myself in mind. It is often subconsciously, but nonetheless it's true. And I can always look back on statements I make and realize how self-centered they were. It is such an automatic for me to serve myself. Oh I wish it was automatic for me to serve Him instead.

That is what He wants for me. "He must increase, I must decrease." John 3:30

I so badly want my whole life to worship Him. It is my new found purpose--to get out of His way!