Those of you who know me, or who have spent any time reading my website or listening to my radio show, know that I am all about purpose and calling. It’s a subject that has fascinated and sometimes tormented me since high school.
Check this out from the Old and New Testaments:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
[Deuteronomy 6:4-5]
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment
in the Law?” Jesus answered,
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on
these two commandments.”
[Matthew 22:36-40]
Then Jesus came to them [the eleven disciples] and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [Matthew 28:18-20]
I had to smile when our pastor summed up our collective purpose as:
1) Love God.
2) Love Others.
3) Make Disciples.
There you have it. How easy is that?? So much angst over what we’re supposed to do with our lives and, voila, six simple words say it all.. Hmmm….simple?
Maybe not.
How do we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind? How do we live for the Lord full-time?
Loving God with all my heart means wanting to be in full relationship with Him. Not part-time. Full-time. It means being eager to share my joys, my challenges, my ups, my downs, with my Lord and Savior. It means keeping our relationship fresh and vibrant and keeping our relationship my top priority. It means allowing God’s love and compassion to flow through me to others.
Loving God with all my soul means continually listening to God’s voice. It means wanting my purpose to be His purpose—wanting His plan to be my plan. It means connecting through my soul to my Source on a regular basis to discern God’s will for my life.
Loving God with all my mind means loving God consciously, intentionally, with full and continual awareness. It means seeking to conform my thoughts to God’s thoughts and ridding my mind of all negativity:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” [Philippians 4:7-9]
Loving God with all my strength means pouring every ounce of energy into my relationship with God. It means loving God with my whole being, not merely with bits and pieces of who I am or who I think I am.
Loving others as ourselves
is a natural and logical outgrowth of loving God
with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.
So is fulfilling the Great Commission.
Take a moment to ask yourself: Are you living for God (that is, are you living out your God-given purpose) part-time or full-time?
If you want to get crystal clear on whom to serve and how to serve them (part of your unique/particular/specific call), focus first on getting to know the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. Live your corporate/collective/general call with joy and confidence.
Love God. Love Others. Make Disciples.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Find Your Purpose. Fulfill Your Calling.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.”
[Proverbs 3:5-6]
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. To love the Lord, with all your Heart, all your Soul, and all your Might(strength) is not enough. Ultimately we only speak to G-d through how we live our lives. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—DO such things.” I love the focus and message of this blog…..but only if it is a call to “action”…to inspire and compel us to DO what we were put here to DO and not just to believe we SHOULD do it.
Please know that I meant no offense to you or the very important and eloquently expressed ideas you discussed in your blog. After I read my own comment, I felt badly for responding, since I did not speak to your message, but to my own agenda that it is the execution of our mission that shows our love of G-d, not our good thoughts or intentions. I apologize for my earlier comment. Sincerely, Richard.
I always value your insight, Richard. Thank you for caring enough to express your views. I believe our love of God is reflected in our actions, yes, and in our thoughts as well. What we think and feel leads to what we do.
Your point is well-taken.
Warmly,
Jory
Jory,
Amen! You are speaking my heart. I’ve been thinking about my life purpose for several years and more recently it has become clearer. Of course, as a Christian we want to glorify GOD in our lives, but I felt the need to go deeper and more personal. Digging deeper and more specific has helped me to live my life more purposefully. My life purpose is: that in knowing me, others would experience the GRACE of God and be drawn to Him.
I’m enjoying your blog! It really strikes a common chord with me!
God Bless!
Dayna
Dayna, what a beautiful comment. Thank you! Your life purpose is something we should all aspire to, isn’t it? I’d love to hear how you’re living out your calling. Touch base (and comment on my blog posts) any time!
Warmly,
Jory