Purpose

8/13/16                            Alex                                      20

I’ll never forget that classic line in “Chariots of Fire” in which Olympic runner Eric Liddell said, after winning an important race, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”  I’m impressed by the Olympics, particularly this year as I am realizing many Olympians use their achievements to give glory to God, often ignored on mainstream media but highlighted on social media. 

I think Paul was impressed by achievements in sports too, but kept it in perspective when he wrote “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  (1 Cor. 9)

What a joy it is to use our God-given talents and abilities in ways that matter to God!  This is part of the “crown that will last forever”.  The world and its “glory” will pass away, but that which we, part of God’s creation, do to honor our Creator has eternal value.  Sharing the Gospel isn’t just about sharing the path to eternal life – part of the treasure we share is how life here and now can have eternal significance. 

Today I shared that joy with Alex, 20, a young artist who believes in God generally but needed to know more about Jesus specifically and wanted to know if his art might be compatible with Christianity.  “I just have this constant need to create” he told me.  We talked about the difference between living for self and living for God, and how Christians need to be honest that we often have mixed motives but that more and more we can learn to live for and honor God in all we do. 

Using our God-given talents and abilities to bring glory to ourselves is ultimately a frustrating and lonely existence, but using them to serve and honor our Creator is to be all we were created to be.  Life has meaning.  We have a purpose.  We matter to God!  This is part of the good news of the Gospel.