Category: purpose in life

…you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Jesus is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Let’s unpack those church words. Righteousness — the ability to stand before God and be declared free from guilt. Holiness — the character and nature that reflect the glory and sanctity of heaven. Redemption — the gift of freedom bought at great expense. Christians aren’t perfect? Hmmm! We know this is true. But, because of Jesus’ loving sacrifice, we also know that in God’s eyes we’re righteous, holy, and redeemed. That, dear friend of Jesus, is what we call amazing grace!

How can I thank you, wise and merciful Father, for the gift of Jesus? Your love in formulating the plan to send him, your sacrifice in having him become mortal, your agony when your own creations murdered him are too wonderful for understanding. But in my heart I do know that you did these things because of your loving grace and I want to thank you and praise you forever. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

We proclaim him [Christ], admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
– Colossians 1:28

The life of Jesus is transformational. The resurrection of Jesus is transformational. The Gospel of Jesus is transformational. Jesus’ gift of the Spirit is transformational. The proclamation of Jesus is transformational. The work of Jesus is transformational. In other words, Jesus is the key, the center, the hub, and the heart of what we do and why we do it. Paul also reminds us that Jesus Christ is our goal.

Father, please forgive me. I confess that in my zeal to help others, I have sometimes lost sight of Jesus’ power to change their lives and relied on my own meager resources. As I seek to know Christ more perfectly and as I seek to be more like Christ in my daily character, please use me to lead others to him and to be like him. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the name above all names, I pray. Amen.

See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
— Deuteronomy 1:21

A word of encouragement is indispensable at the start of a new journey, especially when the journey demands your leadership. Joshua is no longer second chair. He is no longer the backup to all-pro Moses. Now it is his turn to lead. The people he leads have only known the leadership of the incomparable Moses. How will he lead? He will lead trusting the promises of God and without fear or discouragement! How is this possible? Because the real leader of God’s people hasn’t really changed! God is still God. His word is still true. His promises are still trustworthy. His might is still all-powerful.

Father God, as I face increasing responsibilities and greater challenges, remind me of your promises, allay my fears, strengthen my resolve, and lead me by your will. May the victories in which I participate always bring glory and honor to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
— Romans 1:20

What an incredible world we live in! The expanse of space is humbling. The majesty of the mountain peaks takes away our breath. On and on we could go, describing all the beautiful, magnificent, and awe-inspiring wonders of the universe. The variety, the order, the symmetry, and the unexpected all testify to God, the Genius behind it all.

O LORD, Almighty God, your works of creation astound me with your incredible sense of majesty, grace, wonder, awe, and beauty. Thank you for making your fingerprints so clearly seen in our incredible world. In Jesus’ name I praise. Amen.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
— Isaiah 1:17

“A man’s got to take care of himself!” Yeah, we do have to be responsible folks. But, part of being responsible, part of being blessed — at least as God sees it — is to care for others, to stick up for the disadvantaged, and to intervene when someone else is being exploited. After all, we are our “brother’s and sister’s keeper!”

Remove the heart of selfishness, O God, that keeps me from caring for the downtrodden, abused, forgotten, and broken. Give me your eyes of concern and Jesus’ heart of compassion to see them and minister to them. In his name, the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”

We are called to be spiritual people — holy, righteous, faithful, and compassionate like our Father in heaven. But our own efforts fail at achieving these spiritual characteristics. We need the power and presence of Almighty God at work in our lives to purify and sustain us in our desire to live to honor our Father. So God in his great mercy gave us the gift of new birth and the right to be born of God (John 1:12-13). This gift is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is at work in us through our faith and baptism (Galatians 3:26; Acts 2:38-39). The Spirit cleanses us and makes us holy no matter our past sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The Spirit lives inside us and identifies us as children of God (Romans 8:9). The Spirit powerfully works to conform us to Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Conforming to Jesus is certainly something that we could not accomplish by our own abilities. We celebrate the Father’s work in us through the Holy Spirit who has made it possible for us to be born anew and to live for Jesus (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7).

Thank you, Father of mercies, for the work of the Spirit to cleanse me and give me new birth into living hope as I seek to live the way of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
— Titus 1:15

Rust stains, grass stains, blood stains, chocolate stains… stains that are real nightmares in the laundry room. They don’t just leave a stain on the surface of the fabric, but they also leave a residue that infiltrates the fibers of our clothes. Evil is that way. We must not kid ourselves. Evil corrupts and leaves a residue that corrupts everything it touches, including the hearts of otherwise decent people. That’s why we are urged to stay far away from evil and avoid its very appearance. That’s also why Jesus died: to not only overcome the Evil One, but to also clean away the stain and its residue.

Father, guard my path and give me good Christian friends who will help guard my life from evil. In addition, dear Father, please help me as I seek to share the cleansing and liberating power of Christ with those around me who are caught in evil’s destructive and deceptive grasp. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

…You were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.

God is true to his word. He keeps his promises. But, that was not enough for him. He gave us a down payment, a deposit, so we could be sure of our inheritance and look forward to the full realization of our salvation. He gave us the Holy Spirit. When God buys us out of slavery to our mortal bodies and redeems us into our eternal home with bodies that will not grow old or decay, we won’t need the deposit; we will have the full inheritance. But until then, until we go to him, isn’t it amazing that he makes his home within us!

Transcendent and yet ever-near God, thank you for not making me wait to experience your presence. Thank you for giving me “a foretaste of glory divine.” Thank you for sending your blessed and promised Spirit to live in me and remind me where my home truly is. Until the day I see you face-to-face, I want to honor your presence in my mortal body by living a life that is pure, holy, and a blessing to others. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” [Paul] asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” … Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.” As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
— Acts 19:2 NLT; Acts 19:4-6 NLT

Faith and baptism in the New Testament, and especially in the book of Acts, are tied to the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we saw yesterday (Romans 8:9), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is God’s defining mark that we are adopted into his family. The promise of God’s forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are foundational blessings of our salvation and are received at our conversion (Acts 2:38-39) and continue to be ours. When we talk about the blessings of salvation and the grace of God, let’s not forget to emphasize both the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation and sin (Romans 8:13). Conversion to Jesus means being reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7).

Holy God, your grace toward me is amazing! That you forgave all of my sins when I came to Jesus is such a wonderful gift — to know that you forgave me and made me a new creation, pure and holy! Forgive me, dear Father, for the times I have remembered this grace and forgotten the additional gift of grace — the Holy Spirit — that Jesus sent to live in me. I look to the Spirit’s holy presence to strengthen me and lead me in the way of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
— Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

Are you a dreamer? Even if you are not a dreamer, imagine the most highly impossible thing you could do to honor God. Then realize that God can do far more through you than that — more than you can even begin to imagine! And the power to do it? The power at work within you? Ah yes, you guessed it: It is the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16)! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within each true follower of Jesus (Ephesians 1:17-20).

Father in heaven, you are holy and mighty and incomprehensible. I can’t begin to fathom your greatness, yet I can come to you as my Father because of your loving grace for me. Please empower me and use me to bring you glory and bring your grace to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.