For a while now I have been overwhelmed with the purpose each and every one of us has in this world. We each have a story that only The Lord knows the ending too. I heard a preacher once say there will be a lot of good people that go to hell and a lot of bad people that go to heaven. This immediately rang off in my spirit, and yes you did read that right. The fact is that it doesn’t matter how you start in this world, it only matters how you finish, and whom you live your life for. The Word tells us that our journey is about winning the race (I Corinthians 9:24-27), but we all don’t start this race running to win. If you are anything like me you’re totally oblivious to the race to begin with. I was too focused on what I thought was the shiny and shimmery things around me to even acknowledge the fact that I am running a race. I was totally lost in the world, and what I thought was shiny and shimmery things were actually bondage and strongholds of sin. They were what my pastor would call “the beautiful side of evil”. It looks beautiful, it looks pleasurable, it looks fun, it looks exciting, and it looks like it would be pleasant to do or try, yet in reality it is just sin; plain and simple. In reality it is like the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that so easily deceived Adam and Eve. It looked good, but man did it pack a punch. Don’t ever be so wise in your own eyes to think this same concept cannot befall you (Proverbs 3:7).

When that preacher said that a lot of good people go to hell, and a lot of “bad people” go to heaven he really hit it right on. The Word actually confirms this. I mean Moses killed a guy and look how God used him. Paul beat and murdered tons of Christians, but he went on to write the majority of the New Testament. David lusted and slept with another mans wife before killing him, yet he still was a chosen King of Israel. And through his lineage came our Lord and savior. If God used them how much more could He use us? These are also just a few stories that represent the human factor of great men of God. These men would be considered “bad men”. But God changed and worked on these men just as He does to you and I. God needs a willing vessel, a broken spirit and a contrite heart to do so. On the other side, there are many people who give to charities, who love one another, who have never murdered anyone, who will never cheat on their spouse, they may even go to church and tithe, yet still end up going to hell. It doesn’t matter how you start the race, it matters how you finish the race. The important thing is to cast off your sin, and start running with endurance the race that is set before you (Hebrews 12:1). Repent of your sins, and run to God. As soon as we acknowledge this fact, forget who we were, and look forward, then we can begin to fulfill God’s purpose and plan for our life. God will not work through us until we realize how lost and broken we are without Him.

Never be too naïve to think that your attendance in church makes you a valid candidate to walk through the pearly gates and on the streets of gold. That is not enough. Make The Lord the object of your worship. Say no to what your body and flesh wants, and say yes to the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). Say yes to The Lord.  The Word is pretty clear that the works of the flesh will not get you into heaven. The works of flesh, which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Whereas the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:19-23).

To get back to my point in my first sentence we all have a purpose in this world, but we have to first fix our lives so that we can fulfill that purpose. We must surrender every issue we have to God. We must learn to let things go. What else do we need than to know the creator of the entire universe protects us and holds us in the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:16)? This alone should give us peace. We all face personal attacks on a daily basis, but our struggles must be left at the foot of the cross. These are just distractions. Our Lord will fight our battles for us (Exodus 14:14). We must trust in Him, and learn to let His will be done in our life (Proverbs 3:5-6). By submitting to God we can let His will be done through us.

This is our purpose in life. We were created to be in a covenant with our Lord, and to worship Him. We need to get our minds off of ourselves, and off of the world, and start asking the important questions like: What does God want out of us? What can we do to help reach the lost? What can we do to help grow the Kingdom of God? What can we do to edify and uplift our brother and sisters? That is my burden. How can I fulfill the will of The Lord in my life? As soon as we start putting God first in our life rather than all the things around us, then I guarantee things will start falling into place the way that they should. When we start trusting in Him, living for Him, serving Him, and communicating with Him then we can start fulfilling His will in our life. Forget the things of your past. Don’t let those things bog you down. Look at Moses’ testimony. Look at David’s testimony. You are never too bad off to not be used by The Lord. Run the good race with the finish line as your goal. Commit your way to The Lord and you can begin to fulfill His purpose in your life (Psalms 37:1-6).

-Andrew