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The Purpose of Sacrifice

February 22, 2012 in Purpose with 1 Comment

Today begins Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Because observing Lent wasn’t a part of my upbringing nor is it something that I have regularly participated in as an adult, I am far from an expert on it. However, one key component of Lenten observance is that for the 40 days leading up to Easter an individual “gives up” something that they previously enjoyed in order focus the person’s time, energy and attention more on Christ and the Cross. They are disciplining their hearts, minds and even their body with the objective of preparing themselves to more fully appreciate the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made on His children’s behalf.

For many, however, Lent has become a 40-day purging process. Instead of a sacrificial act with the purpose of gazing at Christ more fully, it has become something of a springtime New Year’s resolution – focused on themselves and not on their Savior. Perhaps this is because we are unaccustomed to the nature of true sacrifice and so the things that we offer are merely tokens in order to “live better” rather than meaningful expressions in order to “die better.” After all, the Christian life is about dying to ourselves for the sake of God’s purpose and plan. Lenten sacrifice is intended to help us do this to a greater extent – which is hard to do if our “sacrifice” doesn’t cost us a thing. If we’re only to give up that which is inconsequential for the sake of God’s Kingdom, it is hard to see how we will truly die to ourselves in over to live for Him. 

As we look to Easter, we are reminded of not only of what Christ accomplished on the Cross – but all that He gave up in order to do so. He gave up the riches of Heaven in order to engage His enemies in a war of love. He left the Place where He was honored and praised for a world that would despise and condemn Him. He sacrificed all so that we might have all. And as we follow in His footsteps may we know that the purpose of our sacrifice is the same as His – to bring people into a redeemed relationship with our Heavenly Father so that they may enjoy Him forever.

The Purpose of the Paths

February 7, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

The 23rd Psalm is a well-known passage in Scripture. It has provided comfort and conviction to many as we realize what it means to have the Lord as our Shepherd – as the one who guides, protects, disciplines and pursues after us. Yet, because it is a familiar passage, I am prone to overlook the riches of what it says. In its familiarity it becomes common to me, but the truth it contains (as the truth of any Scripture) is anything but ordinary.

For instance, recently, as I listened to the 23rd Psalm being read, I was struck by the phrase in verse 3, “He leads me in paths of righteousness.” Like any good shepherd, one of the primary purposes of The Good Shepherd is to lead those who follow after Him. He is purposeful in choosing the paths that will lead to our protection and that will enable us to get to the place He has prepared. He is intent on choosing the roads that are in keeping with His Word, guiding us in the way of living more like Him. If I follow Him, I will increasingly live a life that is “righteous” – a life that better reflects Him.

Yet the very next phrase tells us the purpose of this leading; it isn’t for our own glory and esteem. We are led down these path of righteousness for His name’s sake. In other words, He doesn’t call us to go in a certain way primarily because it will be for our good (althoughHe does promisethat He is working all things together for that). Instead, His primary purpose is to bring glory to His name. The paths that He calls us to walk is not primarily about us; it’s about Him. And when we are called to go a certain way, we need to remember that choosing to go in a different direction, isn’t a “neutral” choice. We are choosing to deny Him the glory that He so richly deserves.

As a college professor, I get the opportunity to talk with a lot of students who are getting ready to enter “the real world.” Doing so is scary because all of their lives, they have had known what the next step was. They would finish elementary school, then go to junior high and so on and so forth until they are brought to graduation day. As they look to an unknown future, I always try to encourage them to look for the path that God has prepared. In doing so and in walking that path, they can be assured that He will accomplish something good from it. However, they can also be assured that if they walk the paths of righteousness that He has prepared, they will be used to make His name great. And there’s no better future to anticipate than that. For a college student or for the rest of us.

 

 

As If I Had None

February 3, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

It’s easy to get caught up in all the stuff that we have – not just physical possessions, but the priorities and the to-do’s that pile up in front of us. It’s tempting to get wrapped up in what crosses our paths – the problem that needs solving, the situation that needs to be dealt with, the broken appliance that needs to be fixed. We’re surrounded by things that call out for our attention – begging us to focus on them and not on other things.

And while we can’t ignore the situations and circumstances that God allows in our lives, we can respond to them in a way that is different from how the world does. In I Corinthians 7 as Paul writes about the benefits of serving God as a unmarried person, he offers a prescription for everyone who is living this life with the next life in view. Instead of being overwhelmed by the cares of this world, we should live as if we had none. This isn’t to say that His children approach life with blinders on, unwilling or unable to see the bad things that happen, but we consider them in their proper perspective and remember that because of Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection three days later, the final ending of our story is secured.  If you know that everything works out in the end, and in fact, more than works out but exceeds our expectations and understanding, then you can view the bumps along the way as insignificant in light of eternity. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have eternal significance, but it does mean that their significance is found in how those situations are used to bring glory to God. And if you’re living life as if there are no earthly concerns, and only heavenly ones, you are more apt to respond in a way that reflects that.

Getting wrapped up in the here and now is tempting – especially when you live in a culture that teaches you to live for today and to “just do it.” However, for the Christ follower we need to live as if the cares of this world don’t matter – because eventually, they won’t. 

What Remains

February 1, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

The practice of perseverance has long fascinated me.  Perhaps it’s because I’m the daughter and the granddaughter of Marines, but I’m drawn to the stories of endurance, of people who exhibit stick-to-itiveness even when the odds are stacked against them. My “life verse” is  James 1:12 in which the writers extols the reward for the child of God who perseveres when trials abound. I want to be the kind of person who keeps putting one foot in front of the other, even when things around me seem weighty, trusting that it’s God, and not I, who carries the load.

Despite my penchant for perseverance,  I don’t think I’ve ever fully appreciated how it relates to other aspects of the Christian faith. In reading I Corinthians 13:13, Paul writes that it is faith, hope and love that endures, not my stubborn determination.  My perseverance shouldn’t be prompted by trust in myself, but instead, by the faith, hope and love that comes from God.

Growing up, I was used to hearing I Corinthians 13:13 in the New International Version which states that faith, hope and love remain. The challenge is that it is easy to think of “what remains” as what is leftover – as what we’re stuck with after everything else is gone. However, the word used here is  really the same word that is used describe a Christian’s relationship with Christ. That word is “abide.”  In John 15:4, Jesus teaches His disciples, “Abide in me and I in you.”  In other words, if you are His child, you need to remain steadfast in Him, as He remains steadfast in you, in order that you might endure to the end. It means staying with Him, which doesn’t mean standing still. It means going where He leads; walking the path that He’s on; holding close to Him;  following in His steps.

In a similar way, faith, hope and love are not passive. They are not leftovers;  they are what lasts. And if I want to endure, they should characterize my life as well.

The Reason for Trouble

January 20, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

Sometimes it seems like we never grow out of asking the “Why?” questions. Much like a three-year old wants the world explained to them, we want to know the reason that things are the way that they are. “Why are things difficult when it seems like it should be easy?” “Why are people mean to me when I’ve invested so much in them?” “Why, why, why?”

Some people insist that when they get to heaven they will ask our Savior all these questions. I tend to think that I will have more important things to do and the “why’s” will no longer be a part of my priorities. However, I’m grateful that in His Word, God tells us some of the “why’s” now.  In His graciousness, He realized that having an explanation often sustains us when times are troubling.

For example, in Matthew 10:18 Jesus foretells of the disciples’ eventual persecution. In preparing them for this, He also tells them why they will have to suffer in this way; it is so that they can bear witness before the Jews and the Gentiles.  God would use the pride of the rulers in order to give the disciples a platform to share His Gospel. It probably didn’t make the pain any less painful, but I’m guessing it built fortitude within them as they withstood it.

Similarly, God sometimes allows us to be persecuted so that we will have a platform from which to glorify Him. This isn’t always the reason why things are difficult; Scripture also makes it clear that the Lord disciplines those He loves. But if we can stand before God with a clean conscience that there is no unrepentant sin or a pattern of sinful behavior in our lives, then we have to consider that maybe God is using this trouble to promote His Gospel. That doesn’t mean that it’s right for people to be cruel, or that God desires for things to be difficult, but it does mean that He can redeem those things in order to cause others to see Him through your response.

Going through times of trouble are hard – not only because the season is challenging, but because sometimes we don’t understand the purpose for it. For the Christ-follower however, we can take confidence in the fact that the tough times are often used by God to bring others to Him. And for us, that should be the best reason to suffer well through them.

 

Have you seen God use times of trouble to display the Good News of salvation through Him? What can we do to ensure that we suffer well for the sake of the Gospel?

Reward of Favor

January 13, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

A few years ago, a Pew Research Center poll revealed that revealed that the goal of the majority of young people was to be rich and famous. Trumping some more noteworthy objectives, such as helping others or becoming more spiritual, it’s easy to see why rich and famous may have risen to the top of the list. It no longer seems that talent or skill is a requirement for fame (or riches). As one researcher stated it, “We’re seeing the common person become famous for being themselves.”

In a day where people come become “famous” amongst their group of Facebook “friends” simply for posting a noteworthy status, the average young person probably sees no problem expanding this new-found celebrity into a career. However, God’s Word makes it clear that His children should be concerned about a different type of acclaim (Mt. 6:1-4). We should be focused on the good things that our Father has to say about us, not the praise of others.

In deepening our understanding of this, Christ says that if we do receive our praise on Earth – we have already received the reward for our good deeds. In other words we shouldn’t do the things of God because we think it we will attain favor here and in Heaven. Instead – we need to choose. Are we going to do Christ-like things for the sake of praise from our fellow man or are we going to do them because we are eagerly anticipating the reward of favor from our gracious King? Are we broadcasting our good deeds so that others may think well of us, or are we doing them in secret so that our Father does?

We must ask ourselves - if I’m going to receive favor only one source, would I rather it be from finite man or from an infinite God? And if our aim is to receive our reward from God, then we need to make sure that our hearts and our words reflect that – and that we do things so that He knows of them – not so that others do.

 

Practically, what do you think it means to do good things “in secret” for the sake of our Father’s reward?

 

Killing “Me”

January 9, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

“You’re killing me, man.”

I’m not sure where this phrase originated, but it has long been used as an exclamation of frustration. When things aren’t going the way that is anticipated, this phrase is used to demonstrate that the other person is responsible for making the situation difficult for me. When someone doesn’t return our affections (or doesn’t return them to the same degree), we use this phrase as a pronouncement of the destruction that they are causing to our heart. Perhaps made most popular by the movie, The Sandlot, it is used in a variety of context to demonstrate our vexation at someone else’s actions, lack of knowledge, or response.

Although we use this phrase to lay blame on someone else, it’s what Christians should be doing everyday to themselves. We should be “killing” the “me” that resides within us – putting to death our selfish and sinful desires in order to live for Christ. When the Scripture talks about this, we tend to focus on the parts where it discusses living for Christ. Matthew 16:24 is the famous passage where Jesus commands His followers to take up His cross and follow Him. However, the very next verse tells us that we should be “losing” our lives. Not passively, but purposefully seeking to lose the “us” as we live for Jesus. Similarly, in Galatians, we talk a lot about how Christ now lives in us, but we forget that the first part of that verse states that “we” have been killed; that because Christ lives in us, we are putting to death “us.”

This may sound great theoretically (although it may also sound difficult and confusing), but what does it mean? It means that dying to self isn’t just saying “yes” to Jesus, but killing the desire to do things for me. “My” time, “my” desires, “my” needs don’t exist – except as they are found in Christ Jesus. How He wants time spent, is how we should be spending our time. What He desires, should be our desire. “Our” needs are being cared for by Him. We are putting to death the “me” and the “my” so that we may be more like Christ; we are actively sacrificing “mine” on the altar of “His.”

This isn’t an easy thing. Nor will we be perfect at killing “me” and “mine” this side of glory. But may we, like Paul, work towards being able to say, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord” (Phil. 3:8a).

 

Limited Time Offer

January 4, 2012 in Purpose with 0 Comments

Time is a funny thing. When we’re children, it doesn’t go fast enough. As adults, we can’t seem to find enough of it. When we’re old, we’re wondering where it all went.

Despite our maturing knowledge that time is a precious commodity, we still spend it like an expendable resource. We waste time doing things that have little to no eternal value for a thousand reasons that we are sure justify the expenditures. We think we have all of our lives to do what God has called us to; yet we quickly fine that our lives are just a vapor - and what we thought we had a lifetime to do, never quite gets done.

I was reminded of this fact from a sermon I heard. In preaching about being “sold-out servants” I learned anew the fact that the only time that we have to serve God’s Church is while we are here on Earth. The only time we have to build His kingdom is when we are on this side of glory. When He calls us Home, or when He returns, there will be no more Kingdom-building to be had. His Kingdom will have come, and we will see the fruits of the labor that we expended while we were here. We will either have built much or built little; we won’t have a second chance.

When we reach eternity, it will be a glorious thing to be worshiping God “full-time.” It would be even better if we could look around and see people that are now worshiping with us because we used our time here to accomplish things that will matter there. It’s a limited time offer. We should get busy redeeming it.

 

How will you use your time today to further God’s kingdom?

Bits & Pieces: Purpose

December 29, 2011 in Purpose with 0 Comments

Today continues our trip down memory lane to the most-read 2011 posts on “Purpose.” I’m also captured by a deepening understanding of my life’s purpose which as noted in the Westminster Confession is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The most-read 2011 posts on this subject were:

 

  • Here to Serve – A lesson from a high school student about how we should view our time on this Earth as our time to serve.

 

 

  • Frustrating God’s Work – Our friends and family may, with good intentions, try to frustrate the work that God has planned for us. We need to remain focus on Him and what He has called us to do.

 

May we bring Him even greater glory in 2012!
~N.A. Winter

Gifts Not My Own

December 23, 2011 in Purpose with 0 Comments

Being married to a sports fan, I get to watch a lot of sports, or at the very least, sports recap shows. In the course of these, you realize that there are a lot of ways that athletes celebrate an accomplishment. Most of them (although not all) try to bring some further attention to the athlete themselves. If broadcasting their accomplishment all across the globe wasn’t enough, they want to further demonstrate that the touchdown/basket/homerun, etc. was a result of their prowess and ability.

These self-aggrandizing celebrations have long bothered me. It’s probably why I like the story of the coach who told his football team that if they were going to raise their helmet in celebration after they caught a touchdown pass, they better do it when they fumbled the ball as well. Assuming credit for the successes only is misleading; if you alone are responsible for the touchdown, than you alone are also responsible when you lose the ball. If you aren’t going to give credit when things go well, you certainly aren’t going to give blame when they don’t.

Of course, we know that regardless of the coach’s rules, none of these players can rightly accept credit for their gifts and talents because they are endowed by their Creator. He may have given the the ability to nurture and cultivate them, but ultimately He is responsible for not only their existence but their use. The same is true for the gifts and the abilities that God has given us. Whether it’s putting together a business plan, preaching a compelling sermon, or creating a musical masterpiece, these abilities are the result of God’s graciousness in our lives. We may use them – but we only use them because He has allowed us to do so.

This is what Daniel reminds us of in Daniel 2:28-30. He is about to use the skills that God has given him to interpret the king’s dreams, but Daniel starts with acknowledging that it is God who knows all things and therefore God who enables him to accurately interpret. This was an opportunity for him to gain favor – for him to cultivate esteem in the eyes of the king. However, he rightly recognized that the abilities he had been given were not “his” but came from his Father. So should we.

It’s an appropriate reminder when we are given and take possession of physical gifts to a greater degree than almost any other time of the year. Just like our talents and abilities are gifts given by God to be used for His glory, so are our possessions. May we see all we have, whether talents or material things, as tools to make Christ known. And whether we are blessed with an abundance or just a little drum and the ability to play, may we give it all for the sake of our King.

How can you honor the King with your gifts this Christmas season?

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