Monday, October 26, 2009

The Bigger Picture

Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is? Oh, I know if we have a job, we know we must work at it. If we have a family, we must be and do certain things. But, the question still comes deep in our being..."Why Me?...Who am I and what am I called to do on this earth?" I have asked this question for many years. Now I teach what I know...but the question continues.

This question continues because our lives are lived out in seasons. About the time I find out who I am in God, my season changes and I go again to Him with more questions, seeking more answers. I personally think He intended it to be this way.

My purpose in life is ever-increasing. Destiny is not stagnant, but is continually being built and magnified. The truth is that God gives more to those who seek Him and do His will (Matthew 25:29). That is a principle, not a one-time action.

I used to say, "God if you had just made me an oboe player, then I would know what I am to do every day...practice. I would know my purpose." That sounds like it would be so easy. But, I also realize that if I had all the answers for my life, I would pursue them in my own strength and with my own human reasoning - doing things my way. That would not accomplish God's good purposes for my life. We are to seek Him first because intimate relationship with God is the most important issue of life. Then everything else we do is to be an overflow out of that relationship. (Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33.)

Our divine purpose is to seek relationship with Christ with our entire hearts. He is coming for a pure Bride who is passionately in love with Him alone. Everything else in life is insignificant in comparison. Many things in our lives are worthless and have nothing to do with eternal value. As Paul said, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord..." (Philippians 3:8). Those things of the world that we adore and "just have to have" will someday rot. May they not be stumbling blocks in our hearts to keep us from the intimacy with the God who loves us so.

Last night I returned from an international conference with thousands of women and men attending from 103 nations - including many friends from our beloved Japan. I can't describe to you all God did and said. The conference was a precious picture of heaven and the true Bride of Christ, with nations, tribes, tongues from around the world. People of different cultures and colors all worshipped God together, seeking Him for their lives, but even more so for their nations and for how He wants to use them to bring others to a passionate loving relationship with Him. Today I am spending time thinking back over all that happened and am trying to process the volumes of what God spoke in the past few days.
For me to walk in what God has for me, I need a strategic view of His work. It is so easy to lose sight of the value of our individual lives for the Kingdom of God. When I hear testimony of what God is doing around the world, there is a keen realization that I am part of something so big - so much larger than my little life and work. When I get a glimpse of the "hugeness" of God's work and God's plan, it intensifies my commitment to do my part in my small corner of the world. When we each do our part, then it helps to accomplish His purposes world-wide. Understanding what God is doing around the world helps clarify my purpose, and calls me to move forward in greater boldness and courage.
Think of a large machine. (The Body of Christ is not a machine but a living organism. Do not consider this an accurate comparison, but only a picture intended to help you see yourself and your part differently.) Imagine what happens when one small gear in that machine breaks or freezes. What happens if one little washer or bolt is broken? An entire assembly line can come to a stand still. A valuable project can stop. An airplane can be grounded. Peoples' lives can be put on hold because no advance or progress can be made until the part is replaced or repaired. For example, Charlie and I once had a wheel bearing go out in our 1967 Mustang. That is a relatively small part in the wheel, not in the motor. However, that small broken bearing not only kept the car from being driveable, much damage could have been done to the rest of the wheel.
What we do for the Lord may seem small to us, but that does not mean it is not important. It is not the size of our work in the Body of Christ that is important. What matters is that we are each "well-oiled" (as in flowing in the Holy Spirit) and that we are doing our part effectively and with integrity.

Just to give you a small bit of the testimony at the conference that touched my heart....One afternoon I attended a meeting where a young woman gave testimony to what is going on in her nation. We were told of only a few of the many injustices happening to women in her nation. Many are beaten, jailed, killed - through hanging, beheading or forms of torture, or thrown out on the streets to die over such issues as wearing makeup or nail polish, allowing their hair or face to be seen in public, having friends not acceptable to their parents, having a boyfriend who is not chosen by their father, and many other situations.

It is so easy to respond to information like this by simply saying, "Boy am I grateful that I don't live there!" But for the grace of God, you and I could be those women. So the question is, "Why, God, did you put me in a free nation and what is my responsibility to those around the world who are living without the freedoms You gave to me?" I do not want to live without compassion for those around the world who are hurting...and there are so many who are in pain of some kind.

This young woman gave testimony to her own salvation. She told us about the cry in her heart from childhood for a real relationship with the true God, whom she did not know. She had to pray in a language she did not know; she had no idea what she was praying...and there was never any answer. She simply knew that the god she was praying to was not real and not personal, and she longed to know a real God.

Then she spoke about how her life was guided such that she came to know Jesus Christ who loved her and she shared how He has changed her entire life. She is not seeking "safety" for her life, but is driven by compassion for those who are lost. She is putting her life on the line to bring the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to others from her nation. She knows the emptiness in their hearts and wants them to find God as she has. After her salvation, she made arrangements to return to her nation to share about Jesus and eternal life with her family. However, before she arrived home, her sisters and had each had dreams in which Jesus had revealed Himself to them, individually. They each recognized Him when they saw Him in their dreams and each one accepted Him into their lives. They realized He is the true living God. Her parents had become Christians also. She knows this is an answered prayer resulting from those who are dedicated to praying for the people of her nation.
(Preparing for the parade of flags of the nations.)
We heard from other speakers as well of many miracles God is doing and prayers that are being answered around the world. I encourage you to continue to pray for those nations God puts on your heart. He hears and is answering.

I left that meeting with deeper understanding of other religions and how to pray for people who are in darkness. I also have a greater love for people of other religions and nations and am ready to do battle on their behalf against the lies that are holding them back from knowing the truth and being set free.


We heard testimonies of children, teenagers, men and woman around the world whose lives are being changed and set free by those who are serving God wholeheartedly. I don't have time to share all I heard and experienced with you. But God is at work in amazing ways and He is using ordinary people who are following His voice.

Much of the impact of this past week on my life is to cause me to go deeper into the Lord, wanting to serve Him even more and with my whole heart. One of the sessions was a teaching on the first commandment and how it is time for us to put aside our lukewarm lives where we seek to love the things of the world and try to serve God at the same time. We were each created to do an eternal work for the Kingdom of God. But when we "love the world" and spend our time indulging the things of the world, our heart for God is polluted and compromised.

There is a wake-up call coming from the throne of God to His people to live the "GREAT commandment" to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).

God wants all of you. He wants your whole heart. He wants you to set your affections on Him. He is asking you to seek and to do His will and not your own. His desire is for you to impact the world for His Kingdom. And above all, He wants your deepest passion to be intimacy with Him. He is calling us to be the prepared the Bride, ready for her Bridegroom.

As in Revelation 19:7, there is coming a time soon when the Bride (the true Church) has made herself ready for her Bridegroom (Jesus Christ) and He will come for her. This preparation is something He will do in us, but only with us doing our part of seeking and desiring Him above all else. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). This is His promise, with a condition. If we will not, He cannot!

I pray the Lord will give you a strategic picture of His Kingdom and His Kingdom work. May you know that what you do is impacting His Bride. And may you have a deep, deep hunger to know Him more and spend time hearing His heartbeat of love for you and for the world He died for.