Here I am on the road again. Even though Papa has curtailed my travel for the last few years, it is amazing the joy and comfort I find when He sends me out again. I am in Abilene, Texas today and Holy Spirit has made Himself obvious here again. He let me enjoy the time with an amazing teenage woman yesterday when I arrived. WOW, it is always exciting to watch Him equip younger saints to walk with Jesus through the decades ahead.
This morning, while having coffee with my hosts, He drew my attention again to a theme He has been emphasizing recently. Our ability to understand His revelations (in the Scriptures and in our day to day chats with Him) is greatly enhanced and refined when we grasp and think in terms of His eternal purpose for our creation. The same thing is true for our understanding of the people we observe and interact with in this world of time and space. For example: We might watch the voting record of an elected politician. The exact same voting record will have very different meanings based on what we believe about the purpose of his heart. Is his purpose to get re-election and added power for himself ? Is his purpose to get more money ? Is his purpose to represent and reflect the values of the people in his district ? Is his purpose to implement the purposes of God ? Etc. etc. What we understand and believe about his purposes will directly influence what we believe about him as a person and how we respond to him. This is the reason why most of our modern political campaigns focus on on attacking the person instead of debating the very real issues that face our society.
Setting aside the world of politics and our society, we can see the same dynamic working in one on one experiences. Imagine for a moment you walk into a room and see quite clearly in front of you a man with a knife facing a woman whose facial expression is clearly one of fear and uncertainty. As you watch he lifts that sharp knife and plunges it into her chest. Your reactions and response would be governed directly by what you believed about his purpose. Was he angry because she rejected his desire to rape her ? Was he trying to rob her ? Was he a terrorist sowing fear and discord in her community ? Or was he a paramedic relieving the pressure around her lungs so she could breathe ? Or was he a surgeon starting the heart surgery that would save her life ?
Whether we are caught up in a dispute between husband and wife, parent and child, siblings, classmates, or co-workers; we will more often than not discover that the root of the strife was in the simple fact that the two people did not understand each others purposes. I not long ago was in a conversation with a man who showed that he was very angry with God. The reason for his anger was this. In his mind God’s purpose was to save people from pain, discomfort, and death. Thus, God’s instructions to the army of Israel to kill their enemies were a direct violation of the real purpose for which God existed in the man’s mind. Sadly, the man was projecting on to God a purpose which was quite different from God’s real purpose.
What we understand and believe about God’s purposes will directly influence what we believe about him as a person and how we respond to him. I encourage you to take some time to meditate and reflect.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE GOD’S PURPOSE REALLY IS ?
His, thus Yours,
Stuart
His-Family 