Humility and Purpose

Humility and Purpose

What if I told you that you were made for a Divine purpose.

How do you see yourself, and what do you understand about your purpose in the world? Jesus prepared his followers for the persecution and hatred that would certainly come their way. The would be hated, beaten, unjustly prosecuted and even killed. Why? Because of him()! Believers are being persecuted around the world. Christians in China are suffering the very mistreatment Jesus described. Hostility toward Christ and his followers is present in our country and yet we have so much more freedom and wealth. We face the daily temptation the rich young rules faced. The comfortable trap of hoping a relationship with Jesus will somehow lead to the realization of the American dream. Following Jesus is supposed to make life easier right? I don’t see it in scripture! In fact the opposite is true.

The Apostle Paul articulates the believer's perspective stunningly in . He provides several word pictures for us to consider. The soldier lives to please the commanding officer. The athlete runs for the crown. The farmer works toward the harvest. Jesus was treated like a criminal even though he was descended from King David. Paul wrote from prison because of his faithfulness to the Gospel and the elect.

Jesus wants you to live your purpose

Our relationship with Jesus and our understanding of His divine calling on our lives directly influence how we respond to evil treatment. It inspires us to love our enemies...as Jesus loved us. Our possessions are no longer for the glorification of self but of Jesus.

As followers of Jesus we have a divinely inspired view of self. Our purpose in this life has eternal value. We are loved beyond what the human mind can measure. If we lose sigh of our heavenly purpose we become stuck in the world frustrated by self. To embrace the view of Christ

In , Jesus said: “Come follow me..”. In , we are called to be “imitators of Jesus.” Jesus commands us to be like the Father…” perfect!” ().

Following Jesus changes how we respond to evil treatment.

Following Jesus changes our economy and investment philosophy.

Following Jesus means loving our enemies

A life with Jesus, fraught with challenge and peril, is far better than the best life without him. Life without Jesus is no life at all. Paul said it best, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:8-10)

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Jesus Set The Pace

Jesus was slapped and beaten, even though he was innocent (, ).

Jesus gave up All and carried the burden of our sin to Golgotha ().

Jesus loved his enemies and prayed for them. While he was on the cross, he cried out, “Father forgive them…” ().

Jesus did not seek accolades for himself. He came to set us free from the corruption of sin and glorify the Father ()