I read a devotional the other day which pointed out the first Holy Spirit recorded words of Jesus as a boy of 12:- "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luk 2:49). His final recorded words in John 19:30 were:- “It is finished”. From His first recorded response to His mother’s frantic cry, after having searched for him for 3 days, to His final words on the cross we see destiny and purpose fulfilled. From a boy of 12 with a heart for the Father’s business, Jesus already knew His destiny and was taking it seriously, discussing spiritual themes with leaders in the Jerusalem temple. What an amazing destiny that was completed on that bloody cross in His early 30’s, having lived His life to the glory of the Father and reached a lost mankind. He lived His life with purpose and vision and He allowed nothing to divert the plan that had already been settled in the eternity until He could utter the final words of His Life, “It is finished” – Father’s business on earth completed for the eternal destinies of those who would follow Him.
This reminds me of the Apostle Paul, who
after His radical conversion, also knew God’s destiny for his life and could
utter at the end of his ministry on earth, “For I am already being poured out
as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that
Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2Ti
4:6-8)
We all have purpose and destiny in Jesus
Christ. There is a higher calling to just
living our life on earth. It is also to
be concerned with the Father’s business and Jesus can be our example of living
life this way. The first recorded words
in Matthew 3:15 was in answer to John the Baptist – “But Jesus answered and
said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil
all righteousness." Righteous
living! Jesus was concerned with living
righteously and fulfilling everything that had been prophesied about Him. John did not want to baptise Jesus, who he
knew was the Lamb of God who could forgive him his sins but Jesus wanted to
fulfil all righteousness by being obedient to His Father.
The Apostle Paul recognised the worth of
obedience and righteousness when he penned this encouragement for the church:-
“For the grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious
appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,
that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own
special people, zealous for good works.” Tit 2:11-14 (Emphasis added)
“I speak in human terms because of the
weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of
uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so
now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” Rom
6:19
Walking in the footsteps of our Saviour is
the call to “deny” ourselves but those who truly love do not find it hard to
sacrifice for those of their affection.
Just look at how a man will woo a girl in their courting days. If they live far apart, he will travel large
distances to be together for weekends.
He and she will deny themselves sleep to spend that last moment
together. Yet the sacrifice hardly seems
a hard thing, even when the tiredness becomes a battle the next day. So it is when we fall in love with the
Saviour. We want to please Him.
Jesus loved so much, He was willing to give
Himself and pour Himself out and finally die on that cross so that we could be
forgiven and given eternal life in Him. He
lived and He loved and He loved and He lived.
“Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR
HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. And the
second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' On these two
commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Mat 22: 37-40
The Apostle Paul, whose revelations came from Jesus Christ Himself,
was quick to tell us that if we do not love, we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2) and
that we are to pursue love (1 Cor 14:1).
In other words, we are to look for ways to love others and to come up higher
in our love walk.
“Let all that you do be done with love.” 1Co 16:14
It is in loving that we find living because God made us to give and
receive love. We are never happier than
when we actively show kindness, friendliness and love to others and to God. This is how Jesus lived, giving up His very
life in the ultimate act of Love.
This 2014, let us try to walk practising loving others for doing so,
in obedience to the Father, we shall help to make this world a better place and
show others that we are His disciples.
The love walk is not an easy road but Christ has not left us alone to
struggle and His promise to us is:-
Act 1:8
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Let us lean on the Holy Spirit’s power for
He is the One who sheds His love abroad in our hearts and we can ask Him to
show us the way and help us to love even the “unlovable” in Jesus name,
remembering that no one is out of the reach of the Father’s love.
