Thursday, January 16, 2014

What is His purpose and ours?

17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:17-19)

With so much commentary these days on what is God's purpose for your life I would like to propose that on occasion we won't know that purpose.  And sometimes we may never know.  Sometimes we may be forced for a season to move forward with the Lord, and not grasp His purpose in the matter.

Trust Him! Is He not the most trustworthy of men?!  We trust other men - yes with a bit more comprehension... Yet here is the Lord of the universe - Should we not trust Him, even if without all comprehension?!

Don't misunderstand me here.  Do not read this as a liberty not to read or study or seek understanding - But as an admonition to trust the all-trustworthy One, whose care for you has been established on the Cross (cf .1 Peter 5:5-7)
 
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
 
This verse directly addresses something I once pondered and was challenged by.  The 1st catechism question is, "What is the chief end of man?"  In my human wisdom I struggled with the answer, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  As I was memorizing it I kept on changing the word 'enjoy' to 'serve' .
 
Yet here (verse 28 above) is a justification for the question - we are not primarily here to serve God.  We do, as a matter of course, but in the manifold wisdom of God all we ever do IS service to Him, whether grudging, or intentional.  He providentially moves us along as He wills.
 
But as we do what we do - primarily we are to enjoy Him.  This is a fundamental difference and we ought to think on it more. 
Trust Him!
Enjoy Him!
 
He is worthy!