A
charge presented during the 2017 Leaders Retreat of
The
Anglican Student's Fellowship, ASF, RSUST on Friday 31st March, 2017.
Introduction:
We all have
a purpose and a destiny upon our lives. Our purpose specifically is to fulfill the will of God upon our lives, but in
order to do that we have to know what the will of God is and then begin to walk
in it. Generally we all have a purpose to fulfill here on the earth.
Every
believer also has a specific calling God has called him or her to fulfill.
Ephesians
2:10 "For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we
should walk in them."
The Word of
God is saying through the Apostle Paul that before the world was created, God
ordained certain good works for us to walk in. He knows the beginning from the
end and He knows what we are supposed to do in our time here.
1 Peter 1:17
"And if you call on the Father, who
without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves
throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear"
You might
say I don’t know what I am supposed to be doing. I am not called into the
ministry. It is true that all are not called to the 5 fold ministry: Apostle,
Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist, and Teacher. But we all are called to good works.
Even as Paul said to the Ephesians, we were created in Christ Jesus for good
works before the world was created. I don’t know if you have ever considered the
scripture this way, but God expects us to fulfill our calling here on Earth,
and we will be held accountable for our time here. As a matter of fact our
reward in eternity will be based on what we do with what we have been given
here and now.
As the
Apostle Peter said we will be judged according to our own works so we must
conduct our time of sojourning here in fear. Sojourning simply means we are
passing through. We have to do something while we are on our way to something else.
We are not just occupying time and space. Jesus talked about this in the
parable of the talents.
Matthew
25:14-31
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far
country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. "And
to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each
according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who
had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five
talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who
had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. After a
long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he
who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying,
`Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents
besides them.'
His lord said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you
were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter
into the joy of your lord.' He also who had received two talents came and said,
`Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents
besides them.' His lord said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you
have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.' Then he who had received the one talent came
and said, `Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown,
and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and
hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' But his
lord answered and said to him, `You
wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and
gather where I have not scattered seed. Therefore you ought to have deposited
my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own
with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who
has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.' When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and
all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory."
Note:
1. Each of
these received talents according to their own ability, or we could say it like
this, each person receives the grace to accomplish what God has for him to accomplish.
2. No one was
given an unfair burden and
asked to do more than they were capable of doing.
3. We only have
to accomplish what God has placed in our hand to accomplish. Maybe you are
called to work with children or be a teacher. If that’s the case take the
talents God has given you and use them to build up the next generation.
This is just
one example but you can use your own judgment and see for yourself that it
takes the entire body of Christ to walk as a whole. We can fulfill God’s
purpose individually but we must also fulfill God’s purpose collectively. I
can't do it all any more than someone else can, I can only do what I have been
graced to do. If I won’t do my part then this puts a greater burden on someone
else to do more than they are supposed to do. When that happens as in the
parable of the talents, what was given to the unprofitable servant will be
taken away and given to someone who has more. This should be not only a warning
to us but also to encourage us to reach out and fulfill the calling God has
given each one of us.
Action Plan
Here are
five important action steps you can take now to fulfill your purpose.
Step
1: "Decide For
Yourself What Is Worthy Of Your Pursuit."
No one else
should decide for you. You may receive counsel from others, but you should make
the decision; otherwise you will be unfulfilled in your pursuit. There are
countless stories of men who achieved great success yet remained unfulfilled
because they were living another person’s dream.
Step
2: "Go To Your
Source To Understand Your Potential."
God spoke to
the land and said, “Produce!” He spoke to the seas and said, “Teem with
creatures!”, He spoke to Himself and said, “Let Us create man!” Only God has a
complete understanding of why you were created and what your potential is. You
may have a hint or a glimpse of this understanding, but you will never know
complete fulfillment until you fully know the Source of your potential.
Step
3: "Write Down
On Paper Or Develop A Vision Board Of Every Dream, Goal Or Desire That Is Important
To You."
Write down
anything you want to become, do or possess. This is extremely important. I’ve
learned that what I have received from God requires me to write it down so I
can repeat it often and closely guard the accuracy of the goal He has given me.
Step
4: Narrow your focus.
After you’ve
written down what you want to become, do or possess, develop actions steps you
can take now to create momentum toward those things. The big vision will come
from a series of small decisions.
Step
5: "Be Aware That God Will Network You With Others To Help You Get
Where You Are Going."
People are
God’s hands on this earth. You may find two different types of people will come
into your life
I.
A person you have the ability to help,
II.
A person who has the ability to help you.
Recognizing
and discerning these people is vital.
Conclusion:
You will
never achieve your purpose in life unless you become strategically motivated to
pursue it. Make plans right now to get alone with God, pursue Him and
listen for His affirming voice to clearly define your purpose, write it down,
develop action steps and get moving.