
If one does not know… -Seneca

We glorify God by doing what He tells us to do not simply what we want to do.
Glorifying God is directly connected to fulfilling our destiny.
Tony Evans, Called for a Purpose
Jesus wonderfully set the ultimate example for us in fulfilling our destiny and living out our purpose; our divine calling. John 17:4 exemplifies this supremely.
John 17:4
I glorified You on earth,
having accomplished the work
that You gave me to do.
By this and other verses we can know a key reason, a primary essential reason God created us: to reflect His glory by accomplishing work He wants done in a manner that bring Him joy.
A believer’s primary purpose is to bring glory
Kirk Booher
unto the Father, for the Son, by the Spirit
with our time, talent and treasure.
GLORY to GOD:
1) A. Unto B. For C. By
2) A. Father B. Son C. Spirit
3) A. Time B. Talent C. Treasure
That’s the ‘trifecta of trinities’ life purpose… once again with some more detail:
1st +2nd trinity)
A. Unto the glory of A. God, the Father
B. For the cause of B. Jesus Christ, the Son
C. By the enabling of C. His Spirit, the Holy Ghost
With the use of what He has provisioned:
3rd trinity)
A. Time – the time God has given us between the dash of our birth and physical death.
B. Talent – the use our natural, God given talents and improving our skills with wisdom, learning and experience as well as the fruit, the gifts of the Spirit.
C. Treasure – the intentional investing of our resources and money by being a good steward for His Kingdom.
Do you dig it? Once you set your mind on that BIG trinity of trinities purpose as your overall life mission, the smaller things become clearer and we filter our decisions based on that. From there, we should seek to drill down as God uniquely calls and enables each of us.
When God calls, we often can discern His voice by the 3 P’s, the trinity of God’s will:
As we engage in Loving our Living on Purpose, we should keep in mind we ourselves are a dual-trinity:
Our own spirit and soul are interconnected as is our brain and heart and thus so should our words and deeds be with integrity of our personhood.
Keep the main thing the main thing
One thing we can definitely apply and learn from Christ was His focus on mission and pleasing God, our Father, first and foremost.
Christ dutifully carried His cross to the point of utter exhaustion. He then willing went up on it bearing the unfathomable.
Jesus instructed us that we must carry our own cross. We are to be like Him, in the best way possible; by good works and by steadfast faith.
We find the abundant life not through ease and comfort by overcoming Unto – For – By God, by giving it up.
We are fools to try to keep what we shall lose. We are wise to sacrifice what we can not keep, so that we gain all the more forever more which begins and ends in Christ. That is exactly what the Father did for His Son. Christ, our great High Preist and brother, shall advocate for us. Amen? Amen!
Either way, we all will glorify God.
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
Psalms 50:15
I will deliver you,
and you shall glorify Me.”
Lord, You are the way, the truth and the light. Guide my and help me Lord Jesus to be a mini You.
Ultimately Lord, I pray my will shall be Your will. Me we be in accord, in unity. Great is Your faithfulness. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord unto me.
I pray what Moses prayed in Exodus 33:8, “I pray You, show me Your glory.”
Jesus want this for YOU. That’s certainly not my original thought. I know it for the BIBLE tells me so. And He tells and loves you too. What are you waiting for?
What great advice and example Lincoln led.
Yes, we humans choose our strategy and tactics. Even no choice is a choice of sorts, though often a poor one. Yes!
We can gather the importance of purity of heart and doing things for a noble purpose from this quote and let’s never forget the importance of purpose. Yes, PURPOSE!
To accomplish anything of worth, we must go forward without fear (not real caution from imminent recklessness that would be foolish in lieu of present danger but false fear). With that said, our enemy plants the seeds of doubt and false fear. To this end, we must overcome with courage. Yes, manly COURAGE!
When we have the best intensions to do good and what is right by God, He gets behind it and then we should be content with whatever the outcome because God is Boss! Yes, BOSS!
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 Berean
And lets check out this rendering of the text:
Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 Amplified
Verse 15
Proverbs 15:21
Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding walks a straight path.
Ephesians 5:2
and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Verse 16
Ephesians 6:13
Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
Colossians 4:5
Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) See then that ye walk (properly, how ye walk) circumspectly.–The word rendered “circumspectly” is properly strictly, or accurately–generally used of intellectual accuracy or thoroughness (as in Matthew 2:8; Luke 1:3; Acts 18:25; Acts 18:28; 1Thessalonians 5:2); only here and in Acts 26:5 (“the straitest sect of our religion”) of moral strictness. The idea, therefore, is not of looking round watchfully against dangers, but of “seeing,” that is, being careful, “how we walk strictly;” of finding out the clear line of right, and then keeping to it strictly, so as not “to run uncertainly.” In the corresponding passage in the Colossian Epistle (Colossians 4:5) a similar admonition has especial reference “to those without,” and bids us have a resolute unity of aim, a distinct religious profession, amidst all the bewildering temptations of the world. Here it is more general; it bids men not to trust wholly to general rightness of heart, in which “the spirit is willing,” but to be watchful over themselves, and to be a law to themselves, “because the flesh is weak.” . . .
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 15. – Take heed then how ye walk strictly. The construction is somewhat peculiar, combining two ideas – see that you walk strictly, but consider well the kind of strictness. Do not walk loosely, without fixed principles of action; but make sure that your rules are of the true kind. Many are strict who are not wisely strict; they have rules, but not good rules. Not as unwise, but as wise. This rendering brings out the force of ἄσοφοι and σοφυὶ: “fools” (A.V.) is rather strong, for it is not utter folly that is reproved, but easy-mindedness, want of earnest consideration in a matter so infinitely vital, so as to know what is truly best.
This passages reminds not to take time for granted. Our earthly lives are not ideal (full of evil) compared to our eternal dwelling. We are to take full advantage of opportunities which shall impact eternity. This time is important and not to ‘just pass it by’ or get lost in worldliness. We are to live on purpose and engage our destiny and other people.
People may not remember our names, even our faces but they do remember how you made them feel. I think each Christian is called to:
Build bridges of grace that will support the weight of truth.
Mark Vrogop
Like Paul encouraged us to ‘run the race as to win the prize, an eternal one’.
I also appreciate this quote:
Time has been given to you for one reason—so you can fulfill your destiny.
Your time and the way you use it are intimately linked with purpose and destiny. Knowing and living your purpose gives you God’s perspective on the use of your time.
Tony Evans, Called for a Purpose
Solomon prompted us herein:
“there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven”
It also says that God “has made everything appropriate in its time”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 / 11
So let us make the most of ALL our time around the Circle of Life, whatever that might be, let’s to it intentionally, passionately, purposely, all in love, succinctly as the season permits, and wise as possible.
Dear Lord, You are in and out of time, space and matter. Help me to make the most of the time You have given me. Show me how my choices result in me wasting the time. Make everything I do purposeful, even sleep, rest and relaxation that You have given me. Enable me to use it all in line with the wonderful purpose for which You have created me. In Jesus’s name, Amen 🙏.
Keep in mind that believing in God’s sovereignty does not mean you believe He causes everything in your life. Rather, it means that God either causes or allows everything in your life. And if He allows it, He can use it.
Trusting in His sovereignty means trusting that He can cause everything to work for your good—even the confusing and hurtful things—if you choose to love Him and respond to Him in the calling of your destiny.
You are not a mistake.
You were made on purpose for a purpose.
Embrace that truth and start living in light of it.
Tony Evans, Called for a Purpose
Think on this. If God is awesome, which He most certainly is, and He created you, as He did all humans in His very image (See Genesis), what creation, ID and potential do each of us have with this revealed truth?
Virtually Unlimited!
See Matthew 6:33
“Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality.”
– Abraham Lincoln
I found this commentary to be most excellent
Holy, holy, holy—The “tris-hagion” of the Greek liturgies. In Isa 6:3, as here, it occurs; also Ps 99:3, 5, 9, where He is praised as “holy,” (1) on account of His majesty (Re 4:1) about to display itself; (2) His justice (Re 4:4) already displaying itself; (3) His mercy (Re 4:6-8) which displayed itself in times past. So here “Holy,” as He “who was”; “Holy,” as He “who is”: “Holy,” as He “who is to come.” He showed Himself an object of holy worship in the past creation of all things: more fully He shows Himself so in governing all things: He will, in the highest degree, show Himself so in the consummation of all things. “Of (from) Him, through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” In Isa 6:3 there is added, “the whole EARTH is full of His glory.” But in Revelation this is deferred until the glory of THE Lord fills the earth, His enemies having been destroyed [Bengel].
Almighty—answering to “Lord of hosts” (Sabaoth), Isa 6:3.
The cherubim here have six wings, like the seraphim in Isa 6:2; whereas the cherubim in Eze 1:6 had four wings each. They are called by the same name, “living creatures.” But whereas in Ezekiel each living creature has all four faces, here the four belong severally one to each. See on [2689]Eze 1:6. The four living creatures answer by contrast to the four world powers represented by four beasts. The Fathers identified them with the four Gospels, Matthew the lion, Mark the ox, Luke the man, John the eagle: these symbols, thus viewed, express not the personal character of the Evangelists, but the manifold aspect of Christ in relation to the world (four being the number significant of world-wide extension, for example, the four quarters of the world) presented by them severally: the lion expressing royalty, as Matthew gives prominence to this feature of Christ; the ox, laborious endurance, Christ’s prominent characteristic in Mark; man, brotherly sympathy with the whole race of man, Christ’s prominent feature in Luke; the eagle, soaring majesty, prominent in John’s description of Christ as the Divine Word. But here the context best suits the view which regards the four living creatures as representing the redeemed election-Church in its relation of ministering king-priests to God, and ministers of blessing to the redeemed earth, and the nations on it, and the animal creation, in which man stands at the head of all, the lion at the head of wild beasts, the ox at the head of tame beasts, the eagle at the head of birds and of the creatures of the waters. Compare Re 5:8-10, “Thou hast redeemed us by Thy blood out of every kindred … and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth”; and Re 20:4, the partakers with Christ of the first resurrection, who conjointly with Him reign over the redeemed nations that are in the flesh. Compare as to the happy and willing subjection of the lower animal world, Isa 11:6-8; 65:25; Eze 34:25; Ho 2:18. Jewish tradition says the “four standards” under which Israel encamped in the wilderness, to the east, Judah, to the north, Dan, to the west, Ephraim, to the south, Reuben, were respectively a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man, while in the midst was the tabernacle containing the Shekinah symbol of the Divine Presence. Thus we have “the picture of that blessed period when—the earth having been fitted for being the kingdom of the Father—the court of heaven will be transferred to earth, and the ‘tabernacle of God shall be with men’ (Re 21:3), and the whole world will be subject to a never-ending theocracy” (compare De Burgh, Exposition of Revelation).
The point of union between the two views given above is: Christ is the perfect realization of the ideal of man; Christ is presented in His fourfold aspect in the four Gospels respectively. The redeemed election-Church similarly, when in and through Christ (with whom she shall reign) she realizes the ideal of man, shall combine in herself human perfections having a fourfold aspect: (1) kingly righteousness with hatred of evil and judicial equity, answering to the “lion”; (2) laborious diligence in every duty, the “ox”; (3) human sympathy, the “man”; (4) the contemplation of heavenly truth, the “eagle.” As the high-soaring intelligence, the eagle, forms the contrasted complement to practical labor, the ox bound to the soil; so holy judicial vengeance against evil, the lion springing suddenly and terribly on the doomed, forms the contrasted complement to human sympathy, the man. In Isa 6:2 we read, “Each had six wings: with twain he covered his face (in reverence, as not presuming to lift up his face to God), with twain he covered his feet (in humility, as not worthy to stand in God’s holy presence), and with twain he did fly [in obedient readiness to do instantly God’s command].”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
We are wise to HEAR and co-operate with God’s supernatural power to best fulfill our destiny and divine purpose.
This is tuning into God’s purpose and will for our life. Like WiFi, we need to set our minds on the right frequency with the right username and password. The frequencies God speaks to our include His Word, Revelation and Circumstance. The username is His name, foremost is Jesus. And the passwords are unique to each of us.
This info-pic gives us a glimpse on how to center upon discover His unique will for you.
Like our DNA 🧬, we share a lot of similarities. Our DNA is common to all humans; (99.9%) as matter of fact. So principles carry forth for all of us…to love, express joy, have faith, etc. To use good manners, be polite, encourage, show respect, etc. To be honest, diligent, work hard, work smart, be generous, etc. and so forth.
Don’t get to hung up on the .01 difference but don’t ignore it either because it matters. It’s God’s unique customization. When we get locked into and connected to God’s flow, our purposese will often be revealed as it has discovered us.
We simply need to engage ‘actively listening’.
Once we have heard, we need to execute. To go and do. Not to do perfectly, rather simply our best.
God wants, even demands, our participation in success and achievement. He rarely spoon feeds us when we are capable. It’s co-operation as He prefers to often work ‘through’ us not just ‘to’ us.
He gave us faculties and resources. He expects us to work, to go, to do, to exercise our dominion as we were created in His image.
I think this quote sums up execution well:
All I can do is all I can do but all I can do is enough.
AL Williams
As important as doing, executing is in our own efforts is limited. We are wise to fully partner with our Creator by abiding. This is well covered in the book of John, Ch 15.
While we abide, we adapt. We adjust to circumstance and additional revelation which is in sync to our greater purpose. Yes, we are loved and important but it’s (life) ultimately NOT about us. We, like the earth 🌍, revolve around the sun ☀️, as we do God.
The closer and better we abide, the more we are ‘in the zone’ and ‘in flow’.
As we abide, we are wise to learn from God. To absorb what He is teaching us.
Last but not least, we need to rest. All living creature need sleep and rest. We need to recharge and relax. You know, let go and let God. Stress is a good thing, over stress is a bad one. If you are human reading this, not a google bot, you know what I mean.
Ultimately, we must trust God. His ways are sometimes different that ours. They are higher, as the Good Book says.
One with God, can accomplish more while praying and resting, than a 1,000 without.
When we fully trust God. When we do our best to obey Him. When we work hard. We are entitled to rest. Like Solomon teaches in the book of Ecclesiastes, there is a time for this and a time for that.
Rest is a part of the rhythm of life.
This isn’t a 4 step and done program. It’s a way of life. It’s a continual cycle, as the seasons of nature constantly and consistent transition, so are we.
When we truly seek God hear from God. When trust and obey Him, we don’t just have confidence everything will work out fine ‘after the wash’ we have better, we have Godfidence.
For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10, NKJV
The Amplified version gives us some greater detail to ponder
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
Ephesians 2:10 AMP
Its value has increased because its purpose has been changed.
Tony Evans
It’s the same basic element (sand) but it’s value increases at its purpose improves. Think about how that applies to people and in particular to your own life. And more specifically, from the view of our being a creation of God’s. We are His workmanship but He expects us to maximize our time, talent and treasure for His glory. When we fulfill our greatest purpose, we are most fulfilled.
Pursue your destiny with passion and expediency because when you discover the eternal impact of your actions, you will sense that you have greater value than you realized.
Tony Evans
How do we best co-operate with His best purpose so we can manifest our destiny?
I think this more about a ‘how’ than a ‘what’. How shall we live vs. what shall we specifically do. One should lead to the other. Like any big endeavor, we are wise to start with our destination, our overarching goal.
What is God’s will for you? I don’t know exactly nor is it likely anyone else knows for sure. But God can reveal it to you. Pondering this for a moment:
Think and ruminate upon what the Word, divine and self revelation and your particular circumstances have in common.
Dr. Evans gives us some good advice here:
Many people struggle today to locate their destiny. They spend so much time looking for the plan, the purpose, and the calling, they forget where all of that originates. It originates in God Himself. If you can’t find your destiny, don’t go searching for it—go searching for God. Deepen your relationship with Him, spend time with Him… He’s the connection you need because He’s the One who already knows what you want to know. He knows your destiny, and as you connect with Him as your Source for all things, you will also tap into the full force of your purpose.
Tony Evans, Called for a purpose
The following verse is so critical to our success and in particular, discovering our destiny and pursuing our purpose:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
I think the NLT version often pairs well with the more literal versions.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33 NLT
When we allow, when we seek God first and foremost, then He will lavish us with all the ancillary stuff including directions to our destiny.
I think this previous post may also assist.
Wow Columbus is talking deep purpose herein: “I have found the sweetes consolation since I have made it my whole purpose to enjoy His marvelous presence”
This last line is so wise, encouraging and is truly harmonious with Romans 8:28. Pure Gold!