February 15, 2023
Have A Compelling Purpose
Nehemiah - “I am carrying on a great project . . .” (Nehemiah 6:3)
DAILY DEVOTION
Great lives are produced by a commitment to a great cause, and the greatest cause we can give our life for is the expansion of God’s Kingdom, because the Lord and His Kingdom will last for eternity. This is the very first element of leadership: A cause. A vision. A dream. An objective. A compelling purpose. It's what pulls us toward our goals. It doesn't drive us, it draws us.
Nehemiah had a compelling purpose. He was single minded. That was one of the reasons the Israelites were able to accomplish the impossible and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem in 52 days. Nehemiah said, “I'm going to do this. I'm going to stick with it. I'm going to keep the main thing the main thing. I'm carrying on a great project.”
Is there a compelling purpose in your life? What motivates you to get out of bed everyday? Besides needing to have a job to help pay the bills, what motivates you to live the rest of your life? What motivates you to keep on going? Until you have a compelling purpose for your life, you're just existing. Nehemiah said, I have a great project! When you give your time for something, you're giving your life. What are you exchanging your life for? We tend to think the most important thing we can give people is our money. But money can be replaced. But when we give of our time, that's irreplaceable.
Great lives are produced by a commitment to a great cause. Great people are just ordinary people who have made a great commitment to a great cause. That cause draws them out of themselves and makes them more than they could be on their own. The greatest cause we can give our lives for is the expansion of the kingdom of God, because what we do for the Lord and His kingdom will last for eternity. Most of what we invest our lives in won't last 20 years much less a thousand years. We should strive to invest our lives in things that will last forever.
The passion and purpose of every great Christian is to love the Lord, love others, reach the lost and make disciples. There are two scriptures which summarize everything Christians should be about - the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. First, they teach us that we should love God with all of our heart. That’s worship. Second, they teach us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That’s ministry. Third, they teach us to make disciples. That’s evangelism. And fourth, they teach us to teach others what the Lord has taught us to do. That’s discipleship. If you want to be a great Christian, make your life count, and have a compelling purpose, invest your life in those four things: loving God, loving your neighbor, making disciples, helping others grow in Christ. There is no greater cause than that.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
Take out your journal or a piece of paper and write out the compelling purposes of your life. Are they related in any way to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission? If they are, pray and ask God to direct you as you love and serve Him in this way. If they are not, pray and ask God if and how you need to reevaluate the major purposes of your life. If you are leading your family through this exercise, help each member of your family evaluate the major purposes of their lives. Then, help them evaluate each purpose so they can know if they reflect the Great Commandment and/or the Great Commission. Then, pray as a family.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, help my life to have compelling purposes based around loving You, loving my neighbor as myself, making disciples, and helping others grow in Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.