What's Your Purpose?

But it is a spirit in people,
the breath of the Almighty,
that makes them understand.

Job 32:8

Remember Moses? He led quite the charmed life for a long time as the adopted son of the Pharoah.  He was privileged and enjoyed all the comforts and courtesies of being a Prince of Egypt.  And then he killed an Egyptian slaver driver for beating an Israelite.  So he ran away to the desert to hide.  While he was there, he settled into the rough, but routine life of a shepherd tending the flocks of his father-in-law.  

Then God stepped in and told Moses, "Your purpose is to go to Egypt, tell Pharoah to let My People Go, and then lead them to the land I promised them."  That's a pretty hefty purpose!

How many times have we tried to figure out why we are here?  How many times have we tried to determine our purpose in life?  Some people wander around the world trying to "find themselves" or trying to "find my true path."  Some people search for their purpose for their entire lives without accepting it.  That's right, we tend to reject our purpose because it's not grand enough, or flashy enough, or popular enough, or because no one will notice, or, and here's the usual suspect, we don't want to do it!  It might make us uncomfortable.  It might mean we actually have to step out of our comfort zone.  It might mean we have to speak to people we don't particularly want to deal with.  

Moses was full of excuses trying to tell God, "I appreciate the offer, but I really don't want to do that!"  God didn't take NO for an answer from Moses, from me and He's not taking NO as an answer from you either.

When I knew beyond a doubt that God had called me to ministry, I said "NO" many times and in as many ways as possible.  Guess who won that debate?  God then pushed me to minister to Law Enforcement, again, being stubborn, I said "NO" many times and many ways, and still God won.

There have been times when I have been faced with a situation that I found overwhelming and I was expected to help the officer involved.  In my heart of hearts I shook my fist at God and shouted, "YOU DID ME TO THIS!  SO NOW WHAT?".  The Apostle Paul refers to the "peace that defies our understanding" and he wasn't kidding.  In the midst of all of my feeling overwhelmed, God's peace washed over me like a tidal wave and I learned (and am still learning) what it means to rely on God and not my own understanding.

Job wrote that it is the very breath of the Almighty, the same breath that brought to life, that brings us to understanding that God has a purpose for us and is not going to stop directing us toward that purpose until it is fulfilled.  No matter how long it takes.  If took me 43 years to actually surrender to God's call to ministry.  Took another 2 years to realize that Law Enforcement was where God wanted me to minister.  And I'm still learning!

What's your purpose?