GOD Has a Specific Purpose for You!

If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, GOD has a specific purpose for you today in the building of His kingdom. He used Paul to challenge all believers to discover and fulfill that purpose when he wrote these words: “We make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10 HCSB).

Stop everything and think about that for a moment! Have you ever been challenged to discover and fulfill your specific purpose? Has your pastor or church leaders ever challenged you to do so and then worked to help bring it about? I can tell you that GOD has a great deal more for you right now than simply occupying your specific pew on Sunday morning! In fact, if that is all you are doing to develop and to fulfill what GOD has you here for; you are living a life of failure!

Paul said: “We make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.” Bringing pleasure to God requires a great deal more than simply absorbing what you can get from a church service. It goes beyond taking part in singing praises and offering up worship unto GOD. Certainly, these things are of great value in your own spiritual strengthening but this is not what Paul was referring to.

Paul was talking about stepping out of that comfort zone and the safety of the pew. He was talking about involving yourself directly in ministry work. He was talking about you becoming a true kingdom-builder! That is what truly pleases GPD—what you are doing for the sake of building His kingdom!

Paul continued in earnest by warning us that we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Let me clarify that this is not the Great White Throne Judgement that non-believers will stand before as their final judgement before condemnation to hell.

He is making reference to the “Bema” Throne Judgement where all believers will be required to stand before the Lord to give an accounting for what we have done for the sake of the kingdom since our conversion.

Paul addresses this issue further in 1 Corinthians 3 where he tells us: “We are God’s co-workers… each one must be careful how he builds…with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work” (vv. 9-13).

We have a responsibility to be building our lives according to the truths of the Word as well as building the kingdom.

Paul continues: “If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire” (vv. 14-15).

Let’s consider this from another angle for a moment. In Matthew 25, we find Jesus sitting among His disciples at a time very near His time of crucifixion. He was in the midst of sharing His expectations of all who would choose to follow after Him in the years to come. Jesus shares a parable about the Master who will soon leave for a time, speaking of Himself. He distributed talents to all His servants with the expectation that they would be used accordingly until He returned.

As the story goes, when He returned, He found that two had put their talents to work for the kingdom and had doubled their value. To these, He excitedly responded: “Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!” (Matthew 25:21 HCSB).

The third servant hid his talent, failed to fulfill his purpose and in today’s way of looking at things, he simply sat on a pew taking it all in without giving anything back out. To this one, the Master furiously responded: “You evil, lazy slave!… throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (vv. 26-30). Seems harsh until we consider the price Jesus paid for us!

Do you ever think about what you will tell the Lord on that day? Do you ever consider that everything you have done since your conversion experience will be laid out and examined by the Lord? Do you ever think about how disappointing it will be if all you have done is sit back and soak in everything you can get without giving back out? Do you understand that telling Him that you were a Christian for sixty years and were faithful to attend church often will not suffice?

Paul understood this principle well when he said:  “I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27 HCSB). He determined to discover his purpose and to live it out, knowing the eternal consequences for the choice he would make.

I want to challenge you today to discover GOD’s purpose for your life and to live it out. Remember, the only things you will take to heaven with you are the individuals who you had a part in getting them there with you—that is Kingdom-Building!

Scripture Reading: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How welcome are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! But all did not obey the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ” (Romans 10:13-17 HCSB).

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, I now realize that I have never really lived out my purpose according to Your will. I have struggled to live right; I have struggled to attend church regularly and to worship and praise You but I am realizing that although these are all important to my Christian walk; they are not enough. You have called me to share Jesus in what I say, what I do and how I live. You have called me to be Jesus to the lost world around me and I realize that what I have done falls short of Your expectations for me. Please help me to dig in and get busy as the days are short. I want to be a kingdom-builder! I love You and thank You for sending others to share Jesus with me. I desire to do the same for others. Thank You, Lord, for all You do for me…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!