Purpose on display

I think I'm most moved when I see someone around me truly grab ahold of their life's purpose and runs with it like a man running from a tornado funnel.

Forgive me, but I'm writing while I'm trying to gather my thoughts to complete a funeral sermon for a great guy that I truly liked. The words are pouring out of my psyche, but they might be at too rapid a rate to grab them as they pass by.

Mark Twain once said, "The most important days in your life are the one you are born and the day you discover why you were born.

I think that's about it. Seems to me that when all that we've done in our lives, and all that we wanted to do or thought we should do comes into sync, that's about as great as it can get. 

Jesus knew his path and his plan and his mission, clearly. Anyone who doubts that in our all-to-ready to toss the scriptures society is just not reading correctly, I believe.

Look, it seems that we have a much more diverse and distinct life now than the apostles who apparently threw everything to the wind to follow Jesus. I won't argue that there are many more things to do today that pull all of us away from our purpose.

But that can become an excuse.

So, let's explore what we can do to find our purpose.

We can start to see the needs of others, and feel for their suffering.

We can work to make their lives better and lessen their suffering.

Even if we aren't good at that, we can learn to be by giving ourselves over to a loving God.

And we can go about our daily work even while we are tying our actions to this greater purpose.

Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life, says this: "Jesus came to do three things. He came to have my past forgiven, you get a purpose for living and a home in heaven."

And what is your purpose? "God is looking for people to use, and if you get usable, he will wear you out. The most dangerous prayer you can pray is this: 'Use me,' " Warren says. 

Have you prayed to find out what God is calling  you to do? Oh, oh, you have? Then get about doing it. You never know when the breath you take is your last. 

Leave nothing unsaid between you and your loved ones. Leave nothing undone between you and your God. Go, do. You and I are sent.