Born for a Purpose

A Treasured Possession | Matthew 13:44 Matthew  13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. You are God's treasured possession! In Christ you are: Significant Secure Accepted Forgiven Empowered You are God's work of art, his masterpiece. He loves you so much that he sent his Son to pay sin's penalty just for YOU. The man in today's parable found a treasure and was willing to sell all he had to acquire it. In the same way, Jesus left the glories of heaven just for YOU. He gave everything-his life-in order to have YOU as his possession. Think of what Jesus sacrificed for you. Think of what Jesus gave for you. You are a child of the king! Lift your head, your heart, and your life today like a child of the kingdom. Lord Jesus, thank you for leaving heaven to walk on earth and die on a cross for me. Thank you for ...

Seeds and Soil | Luke 8:5-8 Luke 8:5-8 A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. Jesus explains that the four kinds of soil represents four kinds of people who hear the Word of God, which is represented by the seed. Rejecters:  The first group hears the Word but never believes. They "trample on" and dismiss the Word. Mental Accepters:  The second group hears the Word and seems to accept it, but they have no roots. Their following of Jesus is in their minds only. They do not lose their salvation because they have no salvation to lose. Interested:  Jesus' message appeals to this group, but they ...

No Time for Pretending | Luke 11:37-40 Luke 11:37-40 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?" Jesus' grace and forgiveness extended to sinners of all kinds. He sat with the woman at the well who had made a hobby out of husbands...and offered her living water. He experienced Peter's outright denial... and restored Peter. He even promised heaven to the thief on the cross. But when it came to the religious leaders, Jesus addressed their sin head on.   Jesus called the religious leaders of his day hypocrites-play actors. They pretended to be God-focused, but instead were sel...

But For the Grace of God | Luke 7:39-43 Luke 7:39-43 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. She was a known sinner. She came to Jesus weeping, broken. She washed Jesus' feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Then, in an act of utter humility, she kissed his feet and poured a flask of fragrant oil on them. The Pharisee who invited Jesus to his ho...

Looking Back Luke 9:61-62 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." William Borden was a young man who had a passion to make an impact for Jesus Christ. So when God called him to ministry in China, he never hesitated. Borden was from a wealthy and privileged family. He was a graduate of Yale and of Princeton Seminary. His friends thought he was absolutely crazy. They thought he would waste his life overseas. But Borden heeded the call and headed for China. Borden's first stop was Egypt for training. Unfortunately he never left there. He contracted cerebral meningitis and died at the age of 25. It has been written that as he lay dying, a friend came to visit. Borden was too weak to talk, so he took out a piece of paper and scratched out these six words as somewhat of an epitaph. The...

Hesitation | Luke 9:59-60 Luke 9:59-60 [Jesus] said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." When Jesus calls you to follow him, excuses are not accepted. The man in today's passage received the invitation, but had some things to do. His aging father needed care until he passed away. Jesus said, "Let the (spiritually) dead bury their own dead," and urged the man to join the disciples. What is God calling you from that you refuse to leave? Or at least refuse to leave right now? Is your salary package too sweet to answer God's call? Does your family take priority over service to the Lord? Do you value your position over integrity in business? Maybe after you retire, you'll have time to work some ministry between rounds of golf or travel. Yeah, that's it: "First I hav...

Ever Had Doubt? | Luke 7:18-20 Luke 7:18-20 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'" Ever had doubts about Jesus? John the Baptist did. When he baptized Jesus in the Jordan, it seemed so real and so right. But sitting in a dark prison about to lose his life, John wondered if he was dying for the right purpose, the right person. He sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus face to face: Are you the Messiah or not? Jesus addressed John's fears with facts. He told these disciples to go back and tell John what they had seen and heard. At Jesus' touch the blind could see, the lame could walk, the deaf could hear, lepers walked away clean and the dead were raised t...

Intimacy and Awe | Luke 7:6 Luke 7:6 [Jesus] was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof." After preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus went to his Galilean headquarters in Capernaum. When he entered the city, he learned that the servant of a Roman centurion was about to die. Although the soldier worked for the Roman government and was in charge of 100 soldiers, he treated the Jews well. The people of the city asked Jesus to heal this man's servant. Today's passage describes the amazing humility of the centurion. While Jesus was en route to his home, the soldier sent friends to the Lord with the message, "I do not deserve to have you come under my roof." The religious leaders were intent on killing Jesus, but this Roman centurion demonstrates respect, awe, and tremendous faith. The Christian life calls for an important bal...

Morality Trap “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29 ESV) Remember, if you will, the recounting of Jesus at the pool of Bethesda in John 5. He was among throngs of the sick, blind, and lame crowding around that pool during a Jewish holiday hoping for healing. When Jesus found a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years he told him, “Get up, take your bed, and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked” (John 5:8-9). This miracle happened on the Sabbath, “so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed” (John 5:10). Rather than celebrate a miracle of God through Jesus, the Jews concerned themselves with a rigidly external morality with only the appearance of holiness. We too can get caught in the “morality trap” today. We can too easily focus only upon the...

Wide or Narrow? | Matthew 7:13-14 Matthew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Two Entrances There are two entrances for the spiritual journey. One entrance is high, wide and packed. You can bring all your beliefs and philosophies, along with your possessions and pride. Just follow the crowd. The other entrance is small. Only the Gatekeeper permits access. To enter you must set aside your pride and stoop down. Two Paths The wide gate leads to the wide road. It is filled with luring attractions; but what looks inviting from the outside is empty on the inside. Even in the large crowd you feel so alone. The small entrance leads to a narrow road. This road is built with grace and forgiveness. When you stumble, others help you up and keep you heading in the right direction. Two Destinat...