Category: purpose in life

I have come into the world as a light,
so that no one who believes in me
should stay in darkness.
John 12:46 (NIV)

One of the great stories in the Gospel of John is Nicodemus. He came to Jesus at night and Jesus told him that those who love the truth come to the light. Later, Nicodemus spoke up for Jesus even though he was ridiculed for it. Then, at the worst possible time politically and religiously, he showed himself as Jesus’ disciple: he took the broken and dead body of Jesus and helped Joseph of Arimathea place him in a tomb. Nicodemus didn’t stay in the darkness. Neither should we. Jesus is the light of the world; if our light cannot be found in him, how deep is our darkness!

Father in Heaven,
I want to walk in the light with you.
The darkness of Calvary did not
extinguish the light in Jesus;
it made it burn more brightly for me.
At the cross, I see your love for me.
At the cross, I realize that
Jesus took my sins away.
At the cross, I see Jesus’ love
for both you and me perfected.
Thank you, Father for your
gracious salvation.
Thank you, Jesus
for your incredible sacrifice.
In the name Jesus,
your perfect Lamb I pray.
Amen.

And do not bring sorrow
to God’s Holy Spirit
by the way you live.
Remember,
he has identified you as his own,
guaranteeing that you will be
saved on the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30 NLT

Some other translations say “do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” Two truths scream to be heard. First, the way we live matters deeply to the Spirit! Second, we can actually oppose and wound the Spirit of God who lives in us. As Galatians 5:13-21 reminds us, feeding the fleshly, sinful side of ourselves puts us at war with the Spirit of God. Things like telling lies to each other, acting out our anger, stealing, sharing unwholesome talk among ourselves, living with rage and brawling, and slander are all activities that bring the Holy Spirit sorrow (Ephesians 4:25-32). Living under the influence of the Spirit empowers us to go beyond these bad qualities as we are conformed to be more and more like Jesus  2 Corinthians 3:18 and Galatians 5:22-26).

Father God,
I confess that I sometimes
ignore the impulse of the
Holy Spirit inside of me
and act in ways that are
inconsistent and hurtful to you.
I want to be like Jesus —
more and more under the
influence and control
of your Holy Spirit.
Please open my eyes to your will,
your presence, and your character
as the Spirit leads me.
In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Amen.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:5-6

Jesus warned us that we would have to answer to God for every idle word we share with others (Matthew 12:36-37). In our time when social media echoes with mean-spirited, ugly, and divisive words, we must hear the Lord’s warning about choosing our words carefully. Paul challenged us to be even more vigilant about what we say and how we say it. The apostle emphasized how significant our influence is on those who don’t know Christ. We want to seize every opportunity to open the hearts of unbelievers to Jesus. When we are around those who are not Christians, we must show kindness, demonstrate care, and exercise control in the way we use our speech. The eternal destiny of those around may be resting on our conversations with them. Let’s season our speech with care. Let’s take advantage of every opportunity we have to open the hearts of others to grace of Jesus!

Holy and Righteous God, I know we break your heart when we, your people, wound and drive unbelievers away with thoughtless and insensitive talk and unkind posts on social media. Please help me, O God, as I seek to display a winsome attitude with all people, but especially toward those who do not yet know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Use my life and my words to open people’s hearts to Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Dear friends, I urge you,
as aliens and strangers in the world,
to abstain from sinful desires,
which war against your soul.
1 Peter 2:11 (NIV)

This world is not our destination; it is our journey! There are many things here that can distract us from our goal and destroy our desire to complete our journey. These sinful desires actually are at war with us. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can say “NO!” and live with confidence and character before our world that is trapped in darkness and so desperately needs God’s light.

The rest of the world is always watching Christians and waiting for us to fail so they can attack the faith. Some say we are a privileged part of society with benefits that are unearned… yes, they are absolutely right! Living up to our privilege is the tough part of this journey and people we don’t even know are always watching how we act and react. How do you live your life when you think no one is looking?

Empower me, almighty God,
so that I may grow ever closer
to your character and holiness.
Help me, loving God,
to live a holy life that is
attractive to my friends,
family, and neighbors,
so they may come to glorify you
by living your life, too.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.   – Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Sometimes we misunderstand “fruit of the Spirit” because we say “fruits of the Spirit.” This difference seems like such a small thing, but, unfortunately, this small thing can lead us to a dangerously false conclusion. The fruit of the Spirit involves all nine of these qualities. We can’t excuse a lack of growth in one area or another as simply not having all the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is working to create the character of Jesus in us (2 Corinthians 3:18; see also Galatians 4:19). He wants to see us growing in each area; we should not excuse ourselves from any one of these qualities of Jesus. I don’t know about you, but there are several areas in which I need to grow — but I believe the Spirit is making progress in them. Let’s keep encouraging each other to let the Spirit lead us to become more and more like Jesus in every way!

Precious Father, God Most High, thank you for your patience, grace, and forgiveness. I want the Holy Spirit to lead me and empower me to grow in every way, but especially so that I can be more and more like Jesus in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Thank you for hearing my prayer offered in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  — Proverbs 3:5-6

Everything that we know is subject to change without notice. Our values are tested in tough times and times of distress. It is vital to stay on course and move forward in the most difficult of circumstances. What do you use for your life’s compass? No matter how insightful, wise, experienced, or knowledgeable we may be, only God can guide our steps properly. God asks us to trust him and his wisdom even when we can’t immediately see the rationale behind it. He wants us to recognize his presence, guidance, and grace in all we do. As we trust and as we acknowledge his presence, we suddenly realize that our paths are a lot straighter and our destinations are a lot a closer.

Father in heaven, please give me courage to not lean on my own understanding. I know my thinking can be flawed and what I intend for good can blow up in my face. Please bless me with wisdom and insight as I seek to live for you in today’s confusing and immoral world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For the foolishness of God
is wiser than man’s wisdom,
and the weakness of God
is stronger than man’s strength.
1 Corinthians 1:25 (NIV)

God’s ultimate “foolishness” is his willingness to use the cross to bring others to him. At first glance, the cross is a hideous and horrible tool. This whole plan does not make sense to us. In our human wisdom, we could never visualize using a man crucified as criminal scum to capture the hearts of the world. But God does. The cross transcends cultural boundaries, overcomes language barriers, and reaches across racial differences. The cross is God’s demonstration of foolishness and weakness, and through it he conquers death and brings our heart to him. The weakest part of God is immeasurably and infinitely stronger than all of mankind combined.

On this day, Father,
I am powerfully reminded
of your incredible sacrifice
at Calvary with Jesus.
Words cannot express
how powerfully they have
touched me with your love
and filled me with the
assurance of your grace.
Thank you!
I am utterly amazed
that you would love me so.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.