What's the purpose

What does that mean? What is your life purpose?

Purpose. It’s a strange word. If you keep staring at it long enough, the spelling starts looking odd. To me, at least.

Purpose. Purpose. Purpose. Saying that seems so strange.

But that’s beside the point. . . .

Purpose started circling my head today (and it’s not unusual), so I’ve started writing in order to share it with you.

You see, I finished my TEEX Cyber Security 101 course today (I need to write a course review soon). Immediately, I started planning for my next course. I am pretty excited because I have just 2 courses and one test remaining to finish up before I transfer to my target college.

So, anyhow. I looked at the calendar. And I began to put things in: travel, coaching call, travel, church programs, travel, church programs, travel. . .

All of a sudden, my spirit sighed within me, “I don’t want to do Microbiology. At all.” I don’t know how that happened, but right away, my heart decided that I didn’t want to do anything.

But. “I have to do something!” I thought. “What am I doing now, anyway?” College. A BS in Elementary Education.

I frowned. “I don’t think I want to do that for the rest of my life.” But I have to do something. But what? “I wonder what made me choose that degree, anyhow.” Then and there, I became so tired of it all; I could have sulked.

My stupid mind cleared up only after I got a drink of water. . .

Purpose.

I’d forgotten the purpose for which I was doing all these things. The things didn’t so matter in and of themselves, but they were leading me to the purpose.

And what was my purpose? I think I must have bouts of amnesia or something. . .

My purpose is to serve God. He has given me a passion and a burden for children, remember? “Oh, yes. . . vaguely.”

Mhmm. But service isn’t the true purpose. There is a greater purpose. “Oh?”

Yup. He loved me. He bought me from the cruel master. He bought me with His own blood. He bought me so that I could be free from the cruel master. He bought me for Himself. Now I am His. “Oh. . . it seems to come back to me now. A little bit. . . ”

Good. Listen, I am His now. He is my master. I don’t have to serve the cruel one anymore. Jesus is my Master now, and will I not love Him? “Oh, yes! Of course!”

Truly. And if I love Him, will I not obey Him? “Sure! He has said that if I love Him, then I am to keep His commandments.”

Then, what is His commandment? “Well. . . there are lots. . . like in Ephesians 4 and 5 and 6 and Colossians. . . ”

No, stop. I didn’t mean that. I did, but in a different way. . . You see, keeping those commandmentsdoes show my love for Him, but that’s not what He really saved me for. Don’t you remember? “Oh, yes! I do — now! He called me into Himself. It was so that I can have fellowship with Him.”

And I begin to smile all at once. . . and the whole world seems different.

Purpose. .  .

Life has purpose now it never had before.
There is meaning to each day and even more;
For a joy and peace I can’t explain is mine,
Since I found new life in Christ, my Lord divine.

Oh, it is wonderful to be a Christian;
Oh, it is wonderful to be God’s child!
Oh, it is wonderful to have your sins forgiven;
Oh it is wonderful to be redeemed, justified, forever reconciled!

— John W. Peterson

Has life been hectic? Your schedule packed?

Life is busy. That is good. But sometimes I have so many things to do, I hardly know what to do first. Usually, I end up making a list and set about doing all those things.

Then, suddenly, I find myself so busy doing things that I forget to just live (allusion to Pollyanna). I am so busy — “serving the Lord” as we all like to put it — planning out the children’s Bible lessons for next week, printing out coloring pages for another person’s class, translating lessons for still another person’s class, organizing for the annual children’s program coming up soon, working out music specials for the upcoming Bible Conference, calling up people to work this all out. . . then my own schedule: completing the course work for school, music practice, reading books, keeping up with friends, printing out DIY bag tutorials for one friend, looking up crochet videos for another, microwavable gingerbread cookies for my mother, blogging (which often gets set aside) and on and on . . .

I don’t have much time left over . . . And what time I have left over, I tend to use up for myself, sometimes foolishly, wastefully.

And I get selfish. I begin thinking that nothing else matters as much as this schedule I have to accomplish or that nothing else is so important as completing the items in my to-do list.

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“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). When I forget to stand still, I forget to marvel. I forget to wonder. I forget to think right.

Being still. When was the last time you were still? We are like crazy little termites hurrying about as if the sky would fall if we didn’t keep ourselves occupied. Being still is perhaps the last thing we would think of if someone asked us what we’d like to do.

But simply getting up from my little corner and staring at the open sky does wonders. It just puts things in perspective. My little corner is not the whole world. There are other people besides me. And when I do stop to think, my mind slowly begins to realize once more how little I am. How insignificant. How tiny. I’m in this little corner. This little city. In this little country. There are so many other countries. Thousands of cities. Millions of people. Billions of people.

Look up at the sky today. God made it immeasurable for a purpose: to let you and me see how little we are. How insignificant. God doesn’t need me. Nor does He need you.

Yet He loved me. He loved you.

Your to-do list? Your schedule?

You can smile now.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Ps. 8:3-4)

When I think about "Government"

bbc.com

I did not think about the government very often. Though I was thankful for the freedoms I have and the security I live in and pray for those in authority, I took many things for granted. However, several things in these past days have made me realize the great blessing God gave us when He gave us the government. On the 20th of January, Nepal was on strike. It was odd to feel the hush . . . in any other normal day, the market across the street would be a hive of activity by 3-4 AM. That day, however, people were walking and bicycling. People were leading their motorbikes in the highway, not daring to start the ignition unless they were out of the sight of the police. And ambulances! They were transporting people to and from the hospital throughout the day. That was a strange day. It was more than “strange” in Kathmandu, the capital, though. Vehicles were burned and riots broke out. Thousands of police lined the streets. . . I’m glad it wasn’t as bad here. Four days later, we had just church services. People were heading home when one of our women was hit when she was crossing the road. Accidents are not uncommon here, and the police quickly had everything under control. Before, I hadn’t really appreciated the presence of police. But when we needed help, it was quite another story, then. . . ! 1 Timothy 2 and Romans 13 are no longer mere head for me. I am thankful for the authority that God has placed over us and I will pray for the authorities. They have a hard job to do. People are quick to judge, slow to respect, and grudge gratitude. I don’t want to be one of such.

Time Management?

lifehack.org

I tried to post in January. . . well, I have a couple of hours left until it is February, anyhow.

It seems as if I cannot make time for many things — especially this last week. However, making weekly goals is helping me. When I don’t succeed, I can see where I failed and try harder next week.

This year, I made a lot of goals for 2015 (like completing a year of violin classes and reading at least 12 good books). But I know that I will not get anywhere if I don’t make short-distance goals, too. If I do not carve out time for music lessons and reading, I cannot expect to meet those goals.

Last year, I read a free eBook from CollegePlus, How to Set Goals That Will Stick by Rachel Martin. I thought it was interesting; however, I had too many things going on to have time left over to plan out any goals for the year. Looking back, I realize that I could have accomplished much more if I had made some goals.

When I studied Management recently,  I found out just recently that Rachel Martin’s explanation of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Sensitive) was a management strategy. As the children of God we should be good managers and stewards of the time we are given here on earth. We are told to “redeem the time.”

When I have my goals in front of me and know the priorities, there is more chance that I will get more things done than if I float through the week with nothing in mind other than “finish this school work.”

And the biggest priority that sets all priorities in order is my relationship with God. Unite my heart to fear Thy name!

Last Day of 2014

2014 was a special year for me. I know every year has been, but this was especially special . . . up until this year, I guess.

I had so many new experiences; I learned so much; and I really grew. So many things changed this year — the place where I call home, the people I call my neighbors and friends, academics, and even myself. I made a countless mistakes, but I had the opportunity to learn and grow for them, too. . .

I have many thoughts, but few words to express them with. All I can say is that these verses have grown wondrously beautiful to me:

“For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

Especially the last verse.

Just this week, our family received a present of the music CD Count It All Joy. I have not had time to listen to all of the songs yet, but I want to include “The Father’s Love for Me” here. Older people might find my choice amusing, and it may seem a bit ironical (because I have more than three decades remaining to turn fifty) . . . but I love the words.

“The Father’s Love for Me”

How the years have gone by as a dream
But what are they to Thee, in the light of ETERNITY.
And though the times have changed, You have ALWAYS been the same
As I look back and see, Your faithfulness to me

In Your goodness and Your grace, I have always found Your strength
You have taught my heart to see, Thy wondrous will for me
And in the joys and tears, in life’s trials with its fears
You have caused my heart to sing, neath the shelter of Your wings

How the years have gone by as a dream
And what are they to me, in the light of Thy Majesty!
And soon Christ comes for me, in Thy presence EVER to be
Then FOREVER will I sing, of Thy wondrous for me
Then FOREVER will I sing! Of my Father’s love for me

— DJP I.F

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future! And I can rest in peace, because He has proved Himself faithful. . . Come, Lord Jesus!

Last day of 2014

2014 was a special year for me. I know every year has been, but this was especially special . . . up until this year, I guess.

I had so many new experiences; I learned so much; and I really grew. So many things changed this year — the place where I call home, the people I call my neighbors and friends, academics, and even myself. I made a countless mistakes, but I had the opportunity to learn and grow for them, too. . .

I have many thoughts, but few words to express them with. All I can say is that these verses have grown wondrously beautiful to me:

“For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

Especially the last verse.

Just this week, our family received a present of the music CD Count It All Joy. I have not had time to listen to all of the songs yet, but I want to include “The Father’s Love for Me” here. Older people might find my choice amusing, and it may seem a bit ironical (because I have more than three decades remaining to turn fifty) . . . but I love the words.

“The Father’s Love for Me”

How the years have gone by as a dream
But what are they to Thee, in the light of ETERNITY.
And though the times have changed, You have ALWAYS been the same
As I look back and see, Your faithfulness to me

In Your goodness and Your grace, I have always found Your strength
You have taught my heart to see, Thy wondrous will for me
And in the joys and tears, in life’s trials with its fears
You have caused my heart to sing, neath the shelter of Your wings

How the years have gone by as a dream
And what are they to me, in the light of Thy Majesty!
And soon Christ comes for me, in Thy presence EVER to be
Then FOREVER will I sing, of Thy wondrous for me
Then FOREVER will I sing! Of my Father’s love for me

— DJP I.F

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future! And I can rest in peace, because He has proved Himself faithful. . . Come, Lord Jesus!

Christmas — "Christ was Sent"

votretourdumonde.com

The winter sun shone down upon our little group as we stood in a semicircle around my father.

“Now,” he began, “we will go out to the villages to invite the people to the Gospel meeting this evening.”

Heads nodded and fingers gripped the precious little booklets.

“But,” he continued, “what will you say if they ask you about it? What will you say if someone asks you what Christmas is?”

A slight rustle filled in as he paused for a breath.

“Christmas means that Christ was sent. But we are not only telling them that He was sent but whyHe was sent. To really tell someone, you need to know this from your heart. If you don’t, it will not be really effective at all.”

An earnest prayer, a reminder to be back by 3:30, another reminder to hurry and get to as many houses as possible, and a patter of feet crossing the wooden plank . . . each pair set on a mission to obey the Great Commission.

For two hours we walked the dusty roads, handed out tracts, and talked to anyone who would listen. The odd thing was, no one asked me what Christmas was; they all seemed to know it was the special day of those who had set up the tent in the field. But I told them anyway, since they did not know any more than that.

An old lady was quite remarkable. She was sitting in the sun, happy to have anyone to talk to. When I invited her to the evening program, she did not hear. I shouted (almost literally), and she responded easily, “When did this religion came to be? Is it quite new? All the 70 years of my life I had not heard anything like it!”

“But, Grandmother, the God Who made the earth and sky always was. We did not know Him, but He is the One Who made us. The stone idols you worship did not make you, now, did they?”

She tried to evade my question cleverly, “Stone? Ah, no, I worship that Tulsi tree over there, they call it Narayan.”

I tried to explain, but she would not listen. Her grandchildren came near and stared at me with wide eyes, and her daughter-in-law arrived with a great load of grass on her back.

“Oh,” she said busily, “we are folk who have to work to eat. I suppose you have a job in this religion?”

Poor woman! She had no idea of the great and beautiful news of the Sent Christ which I had in my heart but felt so inadequate to explain it to her. How could I point her to Him with a few words? How would she, who sat in utter darkness, receive such a great light in a blink of an eyelash? Being at a loss of words, I handed her the tract with a short explanation and an invitation to the meeting. She accepted it with a nod and went back to her work. . .

**********

Maybe 150 or more people attended the meeting that evening. A hymn was sung, and the Gospel message was presented. Right in front of the most venerated temple in the village, God’s truth shone forth. I didn’t realize it at that time, but it was a little ironic that no one protested when our brother repeated again and again, “Idolatry is sin. Worshipping idols is sin in God’s eyes.” But, truly, they have received nothing from that idol in order to defend it, anyhow.

The meeting was closed, the final clean-up finished, and we waited in the village while the van and jeep took the other believers home. While waiting for the van to come back, we drank tea, ate leftovers from lunch, and talked with the local believers.

And I learned some new things; one of which I will mention here: The sister mentioned that when she was married and brought into her new house, she had been given a broom to worship, serve, and bow down to. A broom.

How stark the difference! How the light dispels the darkness! In the program earlier that evening, a testimonial video of one of our brother’s life had been shown, From Drugs to Christ. I whole-heartedly agree that that was amazing; who wouldn’t?

But . . . when I think about it, being saved from idols (like that broom) to Christ is just as amazing. Too often I don’t think much of it since almost everyone is saved from a Hindu background . . . but when I do think, it is wondrous.

Oh, the beauty of the Christmas message — the Son of God sent for us!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

— S. Trevor Francis