Made for a Purpose

high school chapel 2017

college chapel 2018

Sunbury youth class 11/29/2020

(introductory remarks after mentioning reference)

1 Corinthians 12:12-21 King James Version (KJV)

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

(read scripture then have someone pray)

Who is the best at hockey, volleyball, strongest, best musician, best artist, best grades, most creative, most like etc.

OK, I need some help today. So who here is the best at hockey, or volleyball? Who is the strongest? Who is the best musician? Who is the best artist? Who gets the best grades in school? Who is the most creative? Who does everybody like? We could go on. And I think the result would be the same. While there is some overlap, almost every category has a different person up here. Its crazy isn’t it. Each of us in this youth class are the best at something different, but each of us is also probably the worst at least not very good some other things. If the strongest person tried to draw pictures like the artis, or the artist tried curl 75 lbs with one arm would it work as well? If the person who gets the best tried to spike a volleyball like the best volleyball player, or the best volleyball player had to take a test for the person with the best grades neither would do as well. When they tried to fit into someone else’s spot, it didn’t work at all. The strongest person is not taking the artists spot at being an artist, and I don’t honestly know but the artist probably isn’t taking the strongest persons spot in a hockey rink. When we try to do things that weren’t what we are good at we really aren’t good at all. This is the way God made it. He gave each of us strengths and weaknesses. We aren’t supposed to be the best at what we are bad at. We don’t even have to be the best at what we are good at. We just have to be what we were made to be. When we try to be something other than what we are it doesn’t work. I know everyone isn’t up here, that doesn’t mean you aren’t the best at anything, it just means I didn’t call your category. In a body If a foot tries to be an eye or and eye tries to be a foot it really doesn’t work.

The point? Each of us are the best at something different.

When we look around its easy to find someone better than us at everything! Many times the problem is we are comparing our faults or weaknesses to other peoples strengths but really that’s not what we are supposed to do. God didn’t make the musician to be the best weightlifter, He made the musician to make beautiful music with his/her God given talents and glorify God through his/her abilities. We are all, or can all be, members of the body of Christ. Each member has a different task. It can be very difficult to find the place that God made you for, but don’t worry God does have a specific place for each of us.

Why am I talking about this? I am the youth pastor right, I am in doing what God has called me to do, and at least on the outside I try to make it look like I have it all together. I know my place in the body of Christ. It wasn’t always that way. Many people, maybe most people reach their teen years, or even become adults not sure who they really are, and with no clue about what God wants them to do. If you are one of those people, pay attention, I am talking to you. The people who don’t know their place in the body. I know you are out there. I know you compare yourself to others and see only flaws. Maybe, just maybe it’s because you are trying to be the wrong body part.

What if its all the same person?

Now what happens when it seems like the same person is better than you at everything? You look at what you are best at, and they are better. You look at what they are worst at and they are better than you at that too. This probably happens most often with siblings. I know when I was growing up I had a brother who was, and still is better than me at everything. Every single sport, even the ones he didn’t play, he was better than me at. He got better grades. Could play any instrument he picked up, could sing any part, I couldn’t sing any parts except monotone! He worked harder than me. He weighed less than me, but was still stronger than me. He was even better at video games than me! Even though he didn’t waste near as much time playing them as I did. It didn’t matter what I found, he would be better at it than me. He was even better at insulting people, and he managed to do it without hurting their feelings. He had lots of friends who really enjoyed being around him and when he gave a serious opinion about anything it was considered nearly gospel! I had people I thought of as friends, but truth be told, they couldn’t stand me. My closest friends were often his friends. I mean he was better than me at absolutely everything. What do you do?

Tearing others down does not make you feel better about yourself

I will tell you the problem. I was trying to be him. The problem is I’m not him, I’m me. Don’t do what I did. Instead of asking God who I was made to be, I kept trying to be him, and when I saw people worse than me at anything I tore them down. In my quest to feel worthwhile I damaged other people. I didn’t do it on purpose, I didn’t know it was happening, but it did. Let me let you in on a secret. Tearing others down to make yourself feel better backfires. All this only made me feel worse. Finally, God showed me through a friend that I wasn’t supposed to be him. I was me. Created exactly as God wanted me. For a purpose my brother could never fulfill.

Be Yourself, No one else can do what you can!

This realization changed my world. You know now, I can see a few chinks in his armor. Perhaps a few things that I can do better than him. But you know what, I never saw those things until I stopped comparing myself to him. As long as I compared myself to him I only saw my weaknesses and his strengths. That’s a trap. Comparing yourself to others is a trap because you end up looking at your weaknesses and their strengths. God has a place in His kingdom where you fit, and where I promise you no one else could possibly fit.

God made a place where we each fit!

Don’t worry about other people’s spots in God’s kingdom, only worry about your own because you can’t fill any one else’s, but no one else can fill yours. You are made special. Exactly as God wanted you for a very specific purpose. Don’t try to be someone else. Be what God wants you to be. You know, I didn’t figure a lot of things out until I got to college, and to be honest a lot of things I still haven’t figured out, but as long as I was trying to be someone else I was only hurting myself. I was trying to put my big fat body into a little skinny mold. You know what, when I started trying to be who God made me to be, not who He made someone else to be it got a lot less painful. God made a mold just for me, one that no one else can fill and it sure hurts a lot less to fit myself into where I belong than in somewhere that I don’t belong at all.

We are members of one body. Find your place, work with others, together we can each accomplish the Purpose God has for us.

We are all members of one body. When we work together we are unstoppable force for Christ. If you are an eye, don’t try to be a foot. If you are a foot don’t try to be nose, I means really please stay away from the nose if you are a foot, you don’t belong anywhere near each other! Be exactly what you are purpose built to be, nothing more. Nothing less. I know it seems impossible at times to know who you are supposed to be. It seems like you don’t fit anywhere. Trust me I know. But you know what else I know? You do fit, you do have a purpose. You are not a waste, not an accident, not a failure, not worthless, not whatever else you call yourself. You are God’s special creation, designed to be the one and only you, the only one who can fulfill a certain purpose. I don’t know your purpose, and maybe you don’t either. You know who does? God knows what he made you for. If you follow Him he will show you. Maybe just step by step, but he will show you. Be exactly who you are purpose built to be, nothing more, and nothing less. Work with the other members in this body. Follow God even when you don’t know where He is taking you. But now are they many members, yet but one body. Remember, We are all members of one body. When we work together we are unstoppable force for Christ.