Living With Purpose
I think the only life that can possibly have enough power to give fresh impulse to others with sustainability, is one that has a positive nature and is confidently assertive. It mustn’t only be good, but it must be vitally and positively good. It must be active and alive and have a conquering quality that will win the imagination and hopeful desire of others. But is this possible with Christianity when so many see the Christian life as one of “don’t do this” and “don’t do that”? I believe there is a great deal too much emphasis put at times on what we give up for Christ. People tend to think that becoming a Christian means that the “fun life of adventure and good times” are all over. It seems to me when we turn the whole matter around and look at the other side of it, we can ask, “What can I do that will best show my love for Christ?” There’s no virtue in giving up things. Anyone can do that! But only a Christian can approach life with devotion and enthusiasm, and wear it with such love and fidelity, that it becomes beautiful and attractive to those that see it in action. It’s not enough that we’re true and honest. We must be beautifully true and graciously honest. Christ urges us to live so attractively that we show others what they’re missing by not being Christian. Being a Christian is not about losing or giving things up, but gaining and obtaining the loving favor of God.
In a world that glorifies self-expression, how many times do we see gifts, which are good, generous, and serve a good purpose, yet they’re made with so much display, egotism, and pride they lose their best influences. We need to share our life experiences, but keep the right spirit about us.
When people try to out give one another in the public arena there’s a tendency for it to discourage other people from giving. Either they think what they have to offer is not good enough, big enough, or would not make a difference when compared to someone else’s. Its purity, motivation, and simplicity that makes giving beautiful.
A wonderful verse that clearly dictates the proper stewardship of giving is found in Romans 12:8, “If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
In the case of the 10 lepers (Luke 17:11-19), all of them were healed, but only one of them came back to give thanks to Jesus. Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine?” I don’t doubt the other nine were thankful and they did have enough faith to be healed, but they lacked the beautiful spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Many people are living the same way today. They believe God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and they live prayerfully honorable lives. But they don’t make their lives more attractive with the constant spirit of thanksgiving in every circumstance—in business, social life, and in the home. It’s only by completely surrendering our lives in devotion to Christ does the attractive graces of the spirit provoke others to personal accountability.
Living a life in this way renders our service to Christ for eternal gains. I believe that duty to a cause will strengthen passion. It takes both to accomplish anything worthy and noble in life. There’s no passion without its duty and no duty without its passion. To truly love Christ and have passion for him is to want to perform our duties in respect to his divine commands. When a person accepts Christ’s offer of salvation, they become a new person, “the old life is gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The new impulse to love like Christ loves, descends upon us with a freshness so strong that our soul fills with pity when a need comes knocking at our door. God will give you courage to help the oppressed and the neglected will be attracted to you for protection, counsel, and help. This strange occurrence happens because God gives you light and the clouds that have darkened the lives of others will draw them to you. Let’s all find our place in Christ and God will give us Christ’s work to do in our day and time. God will not allow your work done in His Spirit to be lost or in vain.
• This bi-weekly column is written by Matthew Dobson. He’s the author of the following books: “Living With Purpose (Volume’s I, II, III, and IV)”; “Loving Others With Purpose” and “Running With Purpose”; He can be reached by email: rmdobson@liberty.edu.
