Living Purposefully

Dearly, Beloved, I want you to know, that for you as a child of God. You cannot afford to leave your life to chance. You have to be deliberate and intentional. The Bible says, in Ephesians 5:15-17 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” The first thing I must have you understand, is that according to this text a person can live his life as a fool would. Verse 15 NLT says, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools…” So there is a way a fool lives, and it is possible to live like one. Ecclesiastes 10:3 “Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, and shows everyone that he is a fool.” Foolish living is going about your life without the understanding that your life has been given to you for a purpose. Jeremiah 1:5, God says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”(AMP) Galatians 1:15, 16 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…” A man is a fool if he thinks that his life is his own, to do with as he pleases. 2Corinthians 5:16 “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 1Corinthians 6:19, 20 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God’s.” Sensible and intelligent living, is living with this understanding. It is purposeful. It is deliberate. Verse 15 of our text AMPC says, “Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people).” So you cannot afford to drift along in life. Your life must account for something worthwhile, it must be lived with purpose in mind. Your life is not a laboratory where you can experiment on every new fad, or whatever you see others doing. You must know why you are here, and be busy doing it. The earthly parents of the Lord Jesus, when He was about twelve, having discovered that He was not in their company. He was found in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers of the Law. The Bible said, “He was both listening to them and asking them questions.” His response to them was, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”(Luke 2:41-49) Meaning even at that age, His life was so intentional and purpose driven, that He expected it to be obvious to all. 1Timothy 4:15 “Meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” If you have not found out what your purpose in life is, and pursuing it, then I want remind you that you were born for something much more and greater than what you are currently living. You are a child of destiny. You are pregnant with destiny. An appointment with greatness. Romans 8:19 says, all of God’s created universe is waiting in eager anticipation of your eventual manifestation. The unfolding of God’s glorious agenda for your life. Abraham was promised two kinds of descendants, stars and dust of the earth. God said, Genesis 22:17, “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and the sand which is on the seashore.” You belong to the New Testament order of stars. Those whose glory radiates, to command attention from distant lands. Matthew 2:1, 2 “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Please observe that the visibility of His star was related to His purpose. “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star.” Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” You are to let your light shine, that men may see and glorify your Father in heaven. He also said, “When salt has lost its savor-its flavor, it is good for nothing, other than to be cast to the ground and trodden by men.” When life has no impact, it is like the sand of the seashore. It has only one usefulness, to be trodden underfoot. That is not the life you were born again to live. You belong to the order of stars. Ephesians 5:17 AMPC “Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish (about life), but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” The NLT says, “…understand what the Lord wants you to do” Life is a precise science if pursued wisely. A wise person is deliberate about life, about his pursuits, and about what he wants to live for. He knows exactly what he wants out of life, and is deliberate about accomplishing it. He understands that the true measure of a person’s life, is what it was used to accomplish. Acts 13:36 AMP “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried among his fathers and experienced decay [in the grave].” Beloved, your life is too precious to be wasted. It must be lived for something other than your pleasures and meeting your needs. You were born to leave a serious impact on your generation. It is my desire, that at the end of it all, when the story of your life is written—for indeed there would be a story—that the mark you left on your generation would be indelible. I see the Hosts of Heaven backing you up as you set out to live the remainder of your days on purpose. I would indeed see you at the top!

"By Rev Charles Jibunoh