The Joy of the Lord

Where does a person find their purpose?  Maybe you should ask Matthew, Isaiah, Paul, John, Peter or Jeremiah?  God is the source of our life and gives us our purpose. Jesus challenged Matthew that if he followed Jesus, He would make him a fisher of men.  When Peter made his grand confession, "You are the Christ! The Son of the Living God", Jesus informed him of his purpose, "You are Peter, but upon this rock (his statement), I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."  Whether it was the grand call of Isaiah:  "Whom shall we call? and who will go for us?" or the hard core mission put to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10), the purpose of believers is the same.  It's the joy of ministry.

The day after Thanksgiving is black Friday.  The Saturday after black Friday is small business Saturday. The Monday after black Friday and small business Saturday is Cyber Monday.  Money is the new Baal.  According to our culture, if you have it, you are blessed, if you don't, you are cursed.

What does the first paragraph have to do with the second?  Everything.  No matter how many decades it takes to learn it, the lesson is clear.  Money is futile, income is fleeting (Proverbs 11:28). True joy is found in Christ and His purpose for the world.

So, you're suffering from the Michael W. Smith syndrome, "looking for a reason, roaming through the night to find your place in this world".  Where do you start.

First, call on God. Pray.  Ask Him to lead you to your purpose in truth. Psalms encourages us to commit our way unto the Lord and every thought will be established.  (Psalm 37:5).

Second, read your Bible. I would encourage you to read Luke, then Acts.  The purposes of God are clear in there.

Third, ask God to bring you closer to Him. As for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, (Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-46) and watch God work in your life.

Fourth, Volunteer @ church.  There's plenty to do and you will find joy in the Lord....and your purpose.

How Can I Say Thanks?

There are so many ways to say Thank you to God.  The Psalm that follows is my favorite for a few reasons.  First, it gets the personal pronouns right.  Notice the bolded sections where the Psalmist uses the second person plural "YOU", it's directed upward, to God.  Second, while focusing on the phrases, observe how much variety, depth and love is within God toward His creation.  Third, the last verse gets the creature, the man, the Psalmist, the person in the right place.  MY is in the last verse (where it belongs) in response to who God is and what He's done! Be blessed

Psalm 145:1–21 (ESV)

¹ I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. ² Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. ³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. ⁴ One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. ⁵ On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. ⁶ They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. ⁷ They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. ⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. ¹⁰ All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! ¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, ¹² to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] ¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. ¹⁶ You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. ¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. ¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. ¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. ²⁰ The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. ²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.