A.W. Tozer – The Purpose of Man

According to Tozer, and [...]]]> Biblically defined, mans’ purpose is that we might worship God and enjoy Him forever. Apart from that, man has no other purpose; and short of that, man wanders in spiritual disorientation taking him further from finding his created purpose.

A.W. Tozer – The Purpose of Man

Purpose Lost… and Regained

According to Tozer, and arguably the Bible, the greatest tragedy of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden has not been the spread of disease, wars, genocide, greed, selfishness or even death itself…those things are merely short term consequences.

The heart of the tragedy is that man lost his purpose in life – to worship God and enjoy him – and in turn lost his identity – an image bearer of the King of Kings created for intimate fellowship with Him.

Too many people do not know their purpose in life. Ask a college student what he wants to do when he graduates, he might have an idea, and it will most certainly include making as much money as possible while finding “the one” and grow old and  happy together.  Ask him what his purpose is…and he will probably stare blankly at you with a “I have no idea what my purpose is” look on his face…or even more sadly with, “I don’t think I have a purpose for my life.”

To regain our purpose is to gain Christ. He is the only way our identity is made clear to us and our purpose restored.

I just started reading this book…the cover says it all: we have been created to worship God…and enjoy him forever.

Related Posts:

• I Have Called You by Name, You are Mine
• Do You Believe It?
• Longing For a Far Off Country
• Ecclesiastes – Our Spring Study in Search for the Meaning of Life

Yes, its true that we all [...]]]> I had a friend ask me the other day, how are you doing? without thinking i responded, busy…really busy…but good. he then proceeded to ask me a question that i had never thought of: Are you really that busy? are you at the full capacity God has created you with?

Yes, its true that we all lead busy lives. But aren’t we suppose to finish the race, perhaps even the day, having left everything on the field, so to speak? ok ok…yes…life is a marathon not a sprint and if you burn-out you’re no good to anyone. i agree with all of that; however, I had never thought of the question the way my friend posed it and the truth is, i’m really not that busy all the time.

God gives each of us unique capacities of what we can handle, and its how we manage our time that determines whether we finish well or crap out at mile 2.

Manage it Well

These too are from Jeremy Taylor* on how we should spend our time:

1. “In the morning when you awake , accustom yourself to think first on God. And at night also, let him close your eyes.”
2. Set apart time each day for “solemn devotion…and let nothing but a sudden, violent, and impatient necessity make you, upon any one day, wholly omit your morning and evening devotions.”
3.  Do not the work of God negligently and idly. In honoring God and doing his work, put forth all they strength…
4. Let him that is most busied, set apart some solemn time each year in full attendance upon God (in other words, take a vacation, spend time in prayer and in Scripture).
5. At the end of each day, let us be careful to fully examine the days actions with particular scrutiny (examine your day, learn from your mistakes).

Spend it Well

If time is the one resource you never get back, I would say that we would be wise to spend it well. I am terrible when it comes to organizing how I spend my day, much less my month. Honestly its something I want to be more  disciplined in…much more disciplined. Fortunately I am led by the Spirit of God, and one of my main prayers these days is just that: help me manage my time. As Jeremy Taylor wrote,

God has given every man work enough to do that there is no room for idleness; and yet has so ordered the world that there is space for devotion.*

I thank God that not only does he call us to work diligently, with everything we have, but he also requires that we rest well. For the Christian, there is no room for laziness or for burnout.

Manage the day well, but spend it totally in honor of and service to God.

* Jeremy Taylor: Rule and Exercise of Holy Living and Dying

Ecclesiastes 12.13-14

We wrapped up our study of Ecclesiastes this [...]]]> This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Ecclesiastes 12.13-14

We wrapped up our study of Ecclesiastes this last week with chapter 12 (here is the podcast from Kristen Hines’ teaching). Pretty straightforwardly, Solomon concludes his discourse with these simple words: “all is spoken, the end of the matter? it is to fear God and keep his commandments.” quick, to the point, which is unlike much of Ecclesiastes, Solomon strikes at the heart of the believer’s life: if you want to be holy, you must keep his commandments. And you only keep his commandments when you have a healthy view of Him. 

When, and only when, we view God as the Sovereign ruler of the universe do we gain proper perspective on both the holiness that is required of us and the depravity of sin and all those who are claimed by it. In other words, only when we realize the inestimable vastness of God do we see the true heinousness of sin. And its at this point that we respond to God in love and gratitude, forever thanking Him for saving us from what we could not save ourselves from (Ephesians 2.1-9).

This is the end of the matter…to love God, to stand in awe of him, and flee from anything that is not of him.

Related Posts:

• Life is Full of Risks (Ecclesiastes 11)
• Two Are Better (Ecclesiastes 4)

Not easy words, but words that scripture leads us to time and time again. Throughout the Bible, most of the moments that God calls his people to action are loaded with question marks, uncertainty, and absolute risk with little to [...]]]>

Life is full of risks. Faith calls you to action anyway.

Not easy words, but words that scripture leads us to time and time again. Throughout the Bible, most of the moments that God calls his people to action are loaded with question marks, uncertainty, and absolute risk with little to no guarantee of success [think Jonathan and his armor bearer or David and Goliath].

Yet God comes through time and time again, proving his faithfulness. This is our God. One who absolutely loves making foolish the wisdom of the world and baffling people time and time again with His sovereignty, power and love.

Teaching through Ecclesiastes

Last Monday our College students worked their way through the 11th section in our study through Ecclesiastes (podcast here). I have been amazed time and time again with this group’s thirst for righteousness and truth from the Word of God this semester – unquestionably apparent in their perseverance through 11 weeks of teaching from one of the most intellectually and theologically challenging books in our entire Canon of Scripture. Ecclesiastes will shake everything you believe about a good, meek and mild, gentle God and wreck your perceptions of evil, suffering, and sin.

Why does God allow evil in the world? How could a good God allow suffering, natural disasters, etc.? Do I even want to follow a God who would? If I can’t understand Him, how can I worship Him?

These questions and more have littered our studies this semester, coming up over and over again as Solomon teaches the believer this one simple truth: God is Sovereign, Majestic, and ruling over all creation. He doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for His actions but gives us the promise that He knows exactly what He is doing. Life is full of uncertainty and faith calls you to action anyway.

We serve a God that doesn’t give us all the answers we seek.

He is Higher, Greater, and More than all we could ever imagine.

Faith calls you to step out with your life, take risks with little to no guarantee of success, but every promise that He who has called you is faithful and will never abandon you…even if that means giving up your life.

When I first heard the news that Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, international philanthropist, and experienced Himalayan mountaineer, was running money through his non-profit’s name for personal expenses and free travel, i was caught off guard. Then [...]]]>

When I first heard the news that Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, international philanthropist, and experienced Himalayan mountaineer, was running money through his non-profit’s name for personal expenses and free travel, i was caught off guard. Then I read the news that the non-prof, Central Asia Institute, was “buying” Mortensons’s books for a grand total of $4 million when that money should have been building schools, and things got worse.

mind you I have only read Three Cups of Tea and occasionally read a blog update from CAI, but every time i heard of the work they were doing in the most remote mountains in the world, my heart leapt with joy. Greg started out building one school for a village high in the Pakistani mountains of the Karakoram…for the same villagers who saved his life after a mountaineering accident. They have now built and staffed dozens of schools all over the region.  The majority of CAI’s work is in educating girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan…unheard of in that part of the world, especially for a white “infidel.” Mortenson is one of those guys that when you read of his heart for the people of central Asia, you realize the shadow of the Kingdom written all over him, even if he doesn’t know Christ at all.

Things Are Not Always What they Seem

Which brings me to this conclusion: even the best of us, and the best of our intentions, are filthy without Jesus. 

As far as I know, Mortenson is not a believer [based on his writings of "enlightenment" in the Himalaya]. He, like any person in his shoes, saw an opportunity and jumped on it. Regardless of his best intentions, his depravity caught up with him…and it won the day. What appeared to be one thing – an honest non-profit educating outcast women in Muslim run countries – turned out quite the opposite.

Aren’t we the same way in our own lives? On the surface we appear to have everything together, filled with smiling children, and on the inside we’re a wreck…thinking, hoping, praying we’re fooling the on-looking world and that no one stops long enough to see the real us.

Now, I am in no way trying to downplay the good things that have been done by CAI. but will their opportunities in central Asia dwindle because of their CEO’s dishonesty, pride, and greed? probably.

What I am saying is that Greg Mortenson needs to know Jesus. He is no different from you or me. Without Jesus we may appear to be a “good person,” but we are short, way short, of “good.” we are all Greg Mortenson. all of us. we are deceptive, prideful, greedy, manipulative, and cunning.

Thankfully, we serve a God of grace and love and compassion. We serve a God who loves us in spite of all of our sin and shortcomings. Thankfully God loves Greg Mortenson, too…even if he never knows it. I pray he does.

Foolishness to the world. Extravagant and Awesome for those who believe!

Growing up I remember Easter having a lot to do with Easter Bunnies, dyeing hard-boiled eggs, and little boys wearing dresses to church (no shame if you’re dress your boy in smock, dress, thingy). Your “Sunday best” really was your best “Sunday best” of the year.

while this all sounds negative, [...]]]>

Growing up I remember Easter having a lot to do with Easter Bunnies, dyeing hard-boiled eggs, and little boys wearing dresses to church (no shame if you’re dress your boy in smock, dress, thingy). Your “Sunday best” really was your best “Sunday best” of the year.

while this all sounds negative, i have extremely fond memories of Easter, but if i’m perfectly honest, Easter for me was always the Easter bunny, colored eggs, candy….and then…Jesus.

The very reason my salvation exists is wrapped up in these last few days, from his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday night, his crucifixion on Friday, and his resurrection on Sunday. This day was once called Resurrection Sunday. I’m not entirely sure when we shifted to “Easter” but i like the former a little better than the latter. Not because of the name, since it derives from the same word for “Passover,” but if it were called “Ressurection Sunday” i’m not entirely sure we would even have an “Easter bunny.”

Jesus is the ONLY reason that tomorrow exists. But for me, he was always a part of Easter.

These days that is changing. I am forever reminded of my need for continual repentance, confession, and grace.

I am reminded that Christ’s death only only happened because of my sin and only because of His resurrection do we have any hope at all. Easter is not just bunnies and candy…that is part of our celebration.

Easter is the hope of the world.