WEDNESDAY
Another layer that we talked about in finding meaning to life is achievement. Achievement is indeed a part of our purpose, even if it is not our ultimate purpose. God has created us in Christ to do good works
Ephesians 2:10 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Jesus chose us in him to bear fruit
John 15:16 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Jesus commissioned his followers to go and make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:19–20 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Holy Spirit gives believers gifts to use for the edification of the church. (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12)
We rightly celebrate the amazing accomplishments of Jesus in his ministry and the Apostles in the book of Acts.
So accomplishments are a part of our purpose, an important part no less.
This has been a part of the human experience from the beginning. In the creation account the humans are given tasks to accomplish:
Genesis 1:28 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 2:15 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
In 2:15 the words for work and keep are commonly used throughout the Old Testament to refer to service to God (work) and upholding the Law of God (keep). So here in the creation, we see a picture of temple service to God. It’s not found in a temple building, but in all of creation.
A couple of quick points on finding meaning in our work and accomplishments:
- The primary work that God wants to do is in you.
- God’s will is the goal of our accomplishments
- We can only accomplish God’s will by being united to Christ.
As we talked about last week in our welcome Sunday message, much of the New Testament is about us being transformed into the image of Christ. The Beatitudes, the Fruit of the Spirit, the salt and light metaphors are all about who God is making us to be.
2 Corinthians 3:18 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Accomplishment without inner life formation is a dangerous cocktail. Without love, success can very easily lead to pride.
Dallas Willard has said: “The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it's who you become. That's what you will take into eternity.”
Jesus taught us to pray:
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:10
Jesus in his earthly ministry only does what the Father is doing:
John 5:19 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Obedience to the will of God includes both God’s general revealed will to all Christians (obedience to the commands of Jesus) as well as his specific will in each person’s life. In that sense obedience to the commands of Jesus is success. We aren’t called to build the kingdom of God. Jesus will do that. We need only to obey.
“It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God.” —C.S. Lewis
From prison the Apostle Paul writes about how he would much rather die to depart and be with Jesus. But if he is to go on living it will be for the benefit of the other Christians he is discipling. In this context he declares:
Philippians 1:21 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
He was so committed to doing the will of God and fulfilling the call of Christ on his life that everything he did revolved around that purpose.
John 15:5 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
“In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably— or succeed more miserably.” —George MacDonald
Therefore, in our day to day we should find meaning in accomplishing God’s will—who he has called us to be and what he has called us to do. We can wake up each morning and find meaning in how God is forming patience in us through the project at work that didn’t go quite right. We can find meaning in how God is teaching us to love in our interactions with friends, family and coworkers. We find meaning in seeking God’s specific will in the big decisions like careers, houses, relationships, etc. In everything we seek first his kingdom. We find meaning in doing God’s will when we choose to live with integrity even though we know lying or cheating could earn us some extra money.
This picture of purpose is far from the mystic monks who sit around meditating all day, every day. I’ve been talking a lot the last couple of years about inner life formation instead of just doing things for God. I hope you haven’t gotten the impression that God doesn’t call us to do things for him and live a life of service to him. Jesus is our model. Jesus often withdrew to pray but he spent a great deal of time doing the ministry the Father had called him to. This was exhausting work. This gives great meaning to our everyday tasks. We are working for the kingdom of God, always becoming more like Christ, accomplishing the Father’s will through our union with Christ and in the power of the Spirit.
Reflection
Do you have a sense of the work that God has called you to? You can glorify him in the trades just as well as you can glorify him working as a missionary. The point is to obey God’s will, both the general things he calls all Christians to do and the specific things he has called you to do. In both of those things we can find great meaning in our day to day.
Whether you are finding success or not you can have peace in doing his will. Whether or not you feel settled at the moment in your particular calling, you can accomplish the things he calls all Christians to do. No matter who you are or what you’re capable of, your life has meaning when lived for God. You can see how he is forming the image of Christ in you, even through the hard times. You can unite to Christ and seek God’s will for your day to day. That gives eternal significance to what you do today.