Understanding Purpose (1)

I applied my heart to know, to search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things…
– Ecclesiastes 7:25

So many things have been said and written about Purpose, and this is justifiable because it is at the centre of everything in life. Most of the lives that are celebrated on account of their contributions to humanity are so renowned because the individuals involved have probably found purpose and lived, or are living, it.

Purpose is the reason for the existence of anything, and that applies to every human. Everything around are here because they are performing one function or the other, without such function, there would be no need for such thing. And the more function an item is able to perform, the greater its value in the eyes of its owner. The same principle applies to humans, we are all here for different reasons, and there are specific functions each of us is made to perform on earth.

God created us to execute certain assignments; hence, our existence. He did not create anyone merely for the fun of it, or just for the person to loaf around – to eat, work, play, sleep and eventually die. Each one of us was created with specific mandate to fulfill. That is our purpose. The sad thing is that only few individuals get to discover their purpose in life, and yet fewer people fulfill their own purpose before passing on.

Call on Him

– Author Unknown
The boy walked along the ocean shore trying not to stray. He looked up to his father saying, “Dad, I want to play.”
His father looked upon him, with love showing in his eyes. “Do what you want to, my son, but do not leave my side.”
“I would never leave you Daddy, I love you way too much.” But the boy took a step away, out of his father’s range of touch.
He walked through the surf, the waves tickling one toe. “If I take one more step in,” he thought, “Father will never know.”
His father called out to him, “Son, to me remain true!”
The boy thought with glee, “At the moment I don’t need you!”
His father felt a sadness, but he held his tongue. Sometimes lessons need to be learned even when so young.
The boy stepped out a little further the water covering his waist. His father spoke with urgency his father spoke with haste.
“My son, come back to me,” he said, “The day is almost done!”
“Not yet, Dad,” the boy yelled, “I’m having too much fun!”
But the boy did not have his father’s insight so he could not yet tell, the tide was coming in fast, there would be no time to yell.
“Father!” he tried to scream, as the water covered his head. “I need you now, Daddy!” was what the boy had said.
And in a single instant his father was by his side.
“I thought you left me, Daddy. I thought you went to hide.”
The father looked upon his son, a tear streaming down his cheek. The boy looked upon his father and cried the sobs of the meek.
“I would never leave you son, for I love you just the same. I was only waiting for you to call upon my name.”
Meditation: In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears. – 2 Samuel 22:7
You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Your Operational Manual (Part 2)

…that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.

– Deuteronomy 8:3b

To live connotes an ability to do many things: work, interact, study, transact, pursue, marry, parent, and so on. All of these and much more are encapsulated in the word “live.”

In the passage above, we see the heart of God concerning living and every activity tied to it. God expects us to function by His word. That means He expects us to work, study, interact, pursue, marry, husband, wife, parent, prosper, and so forth in accordance with the instructions He has decreed concerning such in the Holy Bible.

A clergy once described the Bible as “the creator’s manual for maximized living.” Nothing can be truer than that. The Bible contains specific instructions of God concerning every aspect of life. It is interesting to note that the Bible addresses all life issues – marriage, career, business, ministry, relationships, service, leadership, followership, etc. That is why it is always current. No matter the number of times you’ve read it, you still get fresh insights every time you study it. It also remains relevant to various human situations, that is why it is the bestselling book of all time. We only need to make time to study it daily to be apprised with the mind of God concerning our situations and happenings around us.

It is a book of solutions. It contains ageless wisdom that can help you unlock the door to significance on the earth and grant you access to the throne of God in the hereafter. It will help you redeem time and fine-tune your character every time you expose yourself to it. Please ensure you read it every day.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Your Operational Manual (Part 1)

Luke 4:4

Most manufactured products are sold with a user manual for easy understanding of the components, functions, and usage by the users. And the more complex a product is, the more detailed its accompanying manual will be to help the end users make the most of it.

We, humans, are of higher stock in terms of things manufactured, as we are formed by God through an intricate biological process that eventually results in our birth. Whereas the birth does not signify the end of our production process, it only signals a fresh round of making, which is called the formation process.

From the moment we are born, we require food in various forms for survival, and if we are deprived of it for a length of time, we may die.

Jesus, having fasted for 40 whole days without food, knew what it was like to feel tired and hungry. Naturally, after completed the fasting, the next thing on His mind should be food. But, when the devil appeared and tempted Him with food – the very thing that should be uppermost in His hierarchy of needs at that time – Jesus did not hesitate before declaring, literally, ‘humans need more than food to live; most importantly, humans need the word of God to live.’

By so saying, He affirmed that in the hierarchy of things required to live, the Word of God comes before food. So, when Satan tempted Him with food, He replied that He needed something more than food to be. The word of God is the manual for human survival. God does not expect us to live or do anything in the absence of it.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Your Operational Manual (Part 1)

Your Operational Manual (Part 1)

INSIGHTS FROM PSALM 23 (PART 2)

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me [Instead of bludgeoning and intimidating me, even when I get presumptuous and behave wrongly, as I tend to do from time to time, You only use Your shepherd’s rod to gently guide me back to the right course, without any mark of harm or injury on my body].

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies [Without them being able to do anything to stop me from enjoying the delicacies. Why? Because you are right there standing watch over me to ensure that I’m safe. While my enemies were only confined to a distance, glaring at me morosely without their being able to do anything to harm me. And they dare not move near otherwise they will have to contend with You, the Mighty Man in battle].

You anoint my head with oil [Of gladness and ability to do all that you have reared me to do],

My cup runs over [Because you simply did not stop pouring on me until I am overflowed by the abundance of your goodness].

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me [Not sorrow, not sadness, not gloom, not mourning, not fear, not evil, not grief, not poverty, not frustration, not failure, nor pain, but the goodness and the mercy of the LORD shall be my experience]

All the days of my life [All the Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays that I live!],

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord [Since that is where He will always lead me to for resort. For He will never leave me in the house of a stranger. Therefore, I am certain of always being in His pleasurable presence during the day (Psalm 16:11) and the secret place of His fortress, which is my dwelling place, in the night (Psalm 31:20)]

Forever [And ever. That is as long as I am here on earth, and even when I transit to heaven above. Amen].

I hope you find this helpful.

INSIGHTS FROM PSALM 23 (PART 1)

A LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS

The Lord is my Shepherd [Who purchased me at a very high price – the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. And as a Shepherd, He is the One responsible for my feeding, guidance, protection and general well being. Since, as a sheep, I know nothing of myself, nor can take any independent action on my own, outside of my Shepherd, that will do me much good (Psalm 95:7, 100:3)];

I shall not want [Because my Shepherd, Who is the Owner of all wealth and abundance, ‘supplies all my needs, as they arise from time to time, according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:13)].

He makes me to lie down in green pastures [He locates and establishes me in fresh, tender and conducive environment- in my house, my business, my church, my ministry, and my world in general);

He leads me beside the still waters [He gives me restful means of sustenance that are without stress, pain or any trouble to draw from].

He restores my soul [He renews and refreshes my spirit, soul and body with all the good things they need for health and maximum performance).

He leads me in the paths of righteousness [(Psalm 78:52) So that I do not stray from the right course in my exuberance and ignorance, not because I merit it, but]

For His name’s sake [Because He has the reputation of being The Good Shepherd, who can never abscond His responsibilities or change His nature from good to bad (John 14:1). That is the reason I am assured that I am in good hand and that…]

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [Even when I find myself in dangerous or life-threatening situations that portend evil or great calamity] I will fear no evil [Why?]