WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL - WEEK 3
DISCOVER PURPOSE “DISCOVERY OF PURPOSE IS BOTH AN EPIC JOURNEY AND A GRAND REALIZATION.”
DAY ONE An artist doesn’t waste time painting or showing something that has no meaning or purpose attached to it. The intent is paramount to making an excellent work of art, but it isn’t the only thing required. Like quality paint and canvas, necessities can be expensive, not to mention the time and attention to detail that a painter needs to create something of beauty and worth. Using that same perspective to look at all of God’s creation can have us in awe of what He is capable of. Imagine a great mountain range in the distance and think about the intentionality and purpose of creating such a beautiful landscape. Just as an artist’s goal is to convey meaning, God communicates meaning, purpose, thoughts, and feelings through His created masterpieces. There’s something He wants to share, maybe even through the picture of the mountain you see in your mind right now.
As immense as a mountain range is, one does not simply appear out of nowhere. Forces of nature are at work in precise ways to bring about its existence. God created Earth’s tectonic plates to shift and move along fault lines below the surface. This shifting springs up rocky peaks, which drastically impact the region they form. Mountains are purposefully designed to give life by developing rivers of water flowing from their snowy peaks. They cre-
awe-inspiring backdrop to crisp air and beautiful blue skies.
HE CREATED US WITH
a design & purpose ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN FOR US. WE ARE MOUNTAINS OF GOD.
Life, security, and beauty--God purposed all of these things to come from mountains wherever He placed them. Likewise, He created us with a design and purpose according to His plan for us. We were born into the Kingdom of God for such a time as this, and no one else can do what we can do for Him half as well as we can. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB) tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
God strengthened us not only to do the good works He created us for, but through our relationship with him as our source, we can do so much more. In Daniel 11:32b (NKJV), it says, “the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.” Being who God created us to be and doing what He designed us to do can’t be done apart from recognizing who He is and knowing Him intimately. We discover who we are in Him, and we’re strengthened to do all He’s set for us to do. John 14:12 (NASB) says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” Now, no matter what, we can know that God designed us to fill a special purpose. We are mountains of God.
Daniel 11:32B says, “The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
Find a place you can sit quietly and consider the following:
1. Ask God to show you how He sees you. 2. Ask Him to show you the spirit He put inside of you. 3. Thank Him for it, and hold on to the picture He gives you.
PURPOSE DOESN’T COME FROM WHAT WE PHYSICALLY DO, IT COMES FROM
who we are.
DAY TWO Purpose doesn’t come from what we physically do; it flows from who we are. Who God designed us to be determines what He plans for us to do. That purpose isn’t found in our doing but in our being. That’s why discovering our personalities and gifts can open the door to a better understanding of His specific will and purpose for our lives. Think about a mountain range’s characteristics; the rivers of life-giving water, the atmosphere-changing, security-providing, and awe-inspiring nature are unique only to them. They don’t need hands or feet to accomplish any of this. They don’t do anything. These things come from a mountain simply being what it was created to be. The rivers run, the surrounding flora and fauna thrive, and the atmosphere around it changes automatically based on the mountain’s presence wherever God planted it.
Our God-created world can give us such a unique perspective in examining our God-created selves. After all, He formed us from the dust of the earth as it says in Genesis 2:7 (NIV), “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Everything God created has His design, purpose, and incredible potential for greatness. That greatness comes from our individuality and personality and recognizing how the two work together within us.
They’re both necessary to fully live as the new creations we are in Christ, but there’s something that binds our design and our personality together into an unstoppable force: passion. This reveals purpose. What stirs up life in us when we encounter it? Where do we find joy and fulfillment throughout our day? What goes unnoticed by others but uniquely catches our attention? Passion. Many of the inclinations or desires we exhibit unveil God’s purpose in us. Our passions can undoubtedly come from past experiences, family history, training, or development we’ve received over the years. However, there’s an inherent and underlying drive our Heavenly Father placed in us in the form of our spiritual gifts. Simply put, our gifts are things we do naturally, supercharged by the Holy Spirit’s power, to bring glory to God. Operating according to the Spirit’s leading and recognizing these gifts fulfills us and helps us walk in His will for our lives.
So the question we must ask ourselves--and ultimately God--is: “What am I passionate about?” Even if we think we know what drives us, God can show us the deeper root of that desire, the “why” of it. He designed us to be passionate, build His Kingdom, and bring glory to Him through living in that purpose.
Consider the following:
1. What passions and desires has God placed inside you? 2. For what purpose do you think He gave them to you? 3. Spend some time thanking HIm for these gifts, desires, and passions.
DAY THREE We should be careful not to put ourselves into a box in a way that limits God’s ability to use us for great things, especially in our spiritual gifts. God designed us, gifted us, and called us into ministry, but by building an image of our lives around something that we propped up ourselves, even a spiritual gift, we restrict God. Using that image as the source of strength rather than relying on Him would be like trying to raise a strong mountain out of a three-foot-tall pile of rocks sitting next to the real deal. Attempting to live life according to our own image will leave us empty and feeling fake and unfulfilled every time.
We often build that small rock pile intending to impact the surrounding area, just like the mountain. In fact, in our mind, it may actually be a mountain. When we feel a piece that’s missing and build something to fill that hole, it will never be a mountain, even with the correct knowledge and good intentions. If we would submit to God’s design and foster what He’s placed inside us, we would recognize that there’s something greater growing beneath the surface. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” In Christ, we are new creations, and living with God as our source will automatically change the lay of the land. We can have the life He intends for us without having to fake it or work from our own ability.
THE WORLD NEEDS WHAT GOD HAS
created us for.
The Holy Spirit can show us anything we’ve set up as an image of ourselves--a false source of life--and begin the process of correcting it. Remember, anything operating outside the way God designed it to, even though it may seem
on the world that He intended. Conversely, when we let God show us who we are, we become equipped and authorized to operate in His fullness. When we act in that fullness, the world around us will be blessed with the life that automatically emanates from God’s perfect will and design. The world needs what God has created us for. If it’s significant enough for God to give us, it’s significant enough for us to use.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.
The old has gone, the new is here!” Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Consider the following:
1. Are there any rock piles in your life that you’ve identified with? 2. Is there something you’ve set up on your own to receive the life, beauty, and security that only living in God’s design can provide? 3. Ask the Holy Spirit to correct these things and to shift your focus.
AND THE LORD GOD FORMED MAN OF THE dust of the ground
AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE.
DAY FOUR When we hear the word “dust,” typically, we envision dangly ceiling cobwebs, fireplace soot, or particles made of microscopic waste floating through the air. We rarely consider all of these leftover things. Yet, Genesis 2:7 (NIV) says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” God’s creation of man from the dust of the earth can seem like He simply scraped together a bunch of junk from the dark corners of some house. But, while He certainly exchanges beauty for ashes every day, the dust He used to create man also included the same elements of Earth that make up mountains and their awe-inspiring immensity.
Mountains are beautiful, but not because of the physical rock they’re composed of. We can hold a small stone from a mountain in the palm of our hands, yet it may be no more spectacular than any other on the ground around us. Mountains are beautiful because of the magnificent force that rose them from the ground. Just like the majestic mountains, God placed amazing things inside us, making us beautiful as a result. It isn’t our physical composition that sets us apart; it’s the breath and Spirit of the Living God in us. That, along with the natural elements, allows His beauty and purpose to shine through.
When God formed the mountains, He had human application in mind. Therefore, He purposely used them as regular locations for people to ascend and meet with Him. From Sinai and Moriah to the Mount of Olives and Zion, God has used mountains as meeting places with significant purpose. But mountains weren’t only for people ascending to meet with God. He used them to come down to us. Compare mountains to the perspective of what God is doing in and through us; there is an obvious connection. We are also vessels used by Him to “come down” to impart something great.
God wants to use us as a symbolic mountain for His Spirit in the world. He has
think we’re aware of the purpose and greatness that God has formed inside us, He’s never finished working on us. He’s the God of exceedingly abundantly more. 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV) says, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” Paul wrote this to set a precedent for us to desire more from God regarding our gifts. We can look inside ourselves and see only dust, or we can go up that mountain and ask God to show us how He wants to reveal Himself to the world through us. What He put inside us is worth letting out.
Consider the following:
1. Take a moment to sit and meditate on 1 Corinthians 14:1 and ask God to show you what He wants to do through you in the world. 2. See yourself as a symbolic mountain that God uses to display Himself.
consider what God can do with a little bit of dust.
DAY FIVE Recognizing and operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit only requires asking Him, stepping out, and practicing them. A thousand-mile journey involves planning and taking the first step, and so does understanding and walking in the gifts of the Spirit. To climb the mountain of our spiritual gifts, we must first reach out and touch it. But when we step out, we don’t go alone. The Holy Spirit is with us, speaking to us, and empowering us from the moment we begin. 1 Corinthians 1:6-9 (TPT) says, “So now you aren’t lacking any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the unveiling of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. He will keep you steady and strong to the very end, making your character mature so that you will be found innocent on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is forever faithful and can be trusted to do this in you, for he has invited you to co-share the life of his Son, Jesus, the Anointed One, our King!”
We don’t lack in any spiritual gifts because God is faithful and trustworthy to give them to us. He is the one who keeps us growing into maturity so that we might operate in them properly by the grace of God. It’s the Holy Spirit that allows us to step out and lay hands on the sick, speak in or interpret tongues, or deliver a word of wisdom or knowledge. When we do these things, we can be confident that He accurately and faithfully leads us in these spiritual gifts to bring glory to God the Father.
TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN OF OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS, WE MUST FIRST
reach out
AND TOUCH IT.
Properly operating in our gifts means two things: we do it from the correct source, and we move in the necessary direction. The Holy Spirit enables our thians 12:4-6 (NKJV) says, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. sities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” For example, the method Jesus undertook as He followed the Holy Spirit’s prompting to heal someone rarely looked the same from healing to healing. This is why it’s necessary to stay tuned in to what the Spirit of God is doing and saying so we can operate in our gift the way He desires. We must remain open to how the
We can scale a clearly marked trail up the side of a mountain, but our hand and foot placements will vary along that way compared to other travelers of the same path. A river has a source and travels along a particular route that ends at its destination, but it ebbs and flows from side to side along the way. Such variation is the same as operating in our spiritual gifts. Not every healing, word of knowledge, or miracle is given or received in the same way, yet
There’s a balance between God’s sovereignty in gift-giving and the responsibility we have to engage with what He’s specifically doing in each instance of that gift’s use. God sees the need that requires aid, but it’s our duty to listen and follow the Spirit’s leading regardless of tradition, preference, or understanding.
Consider the following:
1. Take a moment and think about how God is moving in your life right now and the unique way you can join with what He’s doing according to your spiritual gifts. 2. Ask God to help you listen for and feel the movement of the Holy Spirit when you’re ministering to someone. 3. Pray that you can adopt the heart that God has for the world.
GOD’S GOOD WORK IN EACH OF US INCREASES
the Kingdom,
WHICH IS WHAT LIFE IN CHRIST IS ALL ABOUT.
DAY SIX A mountain can’t accomplish much on its own and rarely even exists individually. When it comes to a mountain’s impact on a region, it can’t do much without the rest of the mountains that form its range. Because of this chain of uniquely created peaks, its area is blessed with the life, security, and beauty that come from its presence. Likewise, the Kingdom of God can’t function with every Christian acting on their own. Our spiritual gifts need to work together.
Sometimes, when we look at how the Spirit uses us, our perspective can turn into comparison. We might see how someone else operates in a gift and think it’s greater or more significant than how we use the same gift. This perspec-
Christ. Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” God created all of us to fit together in the body of Christ knowing
gifted with something that best suits us, our surroundings, the timing, and the Lord’s plan. When we adopt a 10,000 foot perspective of our gifts in relation to others’ gifts, we’ll see ours working alongside theirs--not in competition, but together--and we’ll be able to give God the glory. When we look at others around us from this perspective, we can begin to appreciate and honor them, their gifts, and what the Holy Spirit is doing through them.
We must recognize how we uniquely and individually impact our realm of influence by following the Spirit’s leading. It’s just as important for us to know the spiritual geography around us and see how we fit into something larger. When we begin to see others through the lens that God sees them, recognizing who they really are in Christ, and seeing their gifts at work, we can connect ourselves into this spiritual mountain range to impact the Kingdom of God. Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) says, “Confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Paul recognized that God was doing something in the people of Philippi and thanked Him for it. Paul encouraged them, and so should we. When we recognize the gift God put inside someone, we should point it out and honor it so we can partner with it. That gift will be put into a new perspective in our minds. Instead of seeing it as competition, we can thank God for His grace in giving it and come alongside to support it with our own gifts through the Spirit.
There is strength in numbers when it comes to the body of Christ. We need to realize that we are all empowered by the same Spirit and part of the same body, glorifying God with our gifts. God’s good work in each of us increases the Kingdom, which is what life in Christ is all about. May His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven by us following the Holy Spirit’s lead.
Consider the following:
1. Have you ever compared your spiritual giftings to someone else’s? If so, pray and ask God to release you from the competitive way of thinking. 2. What gift have you recognized in someone else that you can point out and uplift? 3. Ask God to show you other ways that you can encourage those around you.