Purpose

Expecting a Hit

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. –2 Peter 3:9

I’ve heard that one of the most difficult things to do in professional sports is to hit a baseball. The hand-eye coordination that is required to hit a ball that is speeding towards you is beyond what other sports ask of the human body. Sure, you may run more and be hit more in other sports, but purely from a getting all the synapses to fire in the right way so that your brain communicates quickly enough to your hands what your eyes are seeing, standing at home plate is a challenging place to be. Add on top of that that everyone else’s eyes are watching you to see how you will perform, it’s quite the pressure cooker.

It’s easy to feel the same way about sharing our faith.

We wonder if we’ll be able to recall just the right Scripture verse in order to answer the person’s question.

We ponder whether our mental acuity will be up to the rigorous questioning.

We’re fearful about what people who are watching us will think when we “strike out.”

So it’s tempting to want to call a time-out and to walk away from the plate.

But we need not feel this way.

After all, as Scripture tells us  and my pastor often reminds us the reason Jesus hasn’t returned is because there are still some who need to be saved.  So just as the baseball player must approach the plate fully expecting to accomplish what their coach wants, so when we share the Gospel we should do so expecting that it will be received. After all, God has promised that there are still some people out there who will receive it, and He has given us the privilege of being a part of bringing that work to fruition.

If a baseball player approached home plate concentrating on all the things that could go wrong, they likely wouldn’t be a very good batter. Instead, they must rely on their training and their God-given abilities, concentrating on what they know they should do, rather than the challenges inherent in doing so. They must walk to the plate expecting a hit. And so should we.

Continue Reading

Purpose

Privileged: Blessed to be a Blessing

A friend once passed on some wisdom that was passed on to him:

“You were blessed to be a blessing.”

In other words, when we receive blessing, it is our job to pour out that blessing upon others.  As my friend described it, we were to see ourselves as a conduit for blessing those around us. God was gracious and generous to us, so that we in turn could be gracious to others.

It’s a Scriptural principle. The early followers of Christ were intent on “passing on” the truth that had been given to them (I Corinthians 15:3). They saw the possessions that they had been given as instruments of generosity to be shared with others (Acts 4:32-35). Jesus Himself told His disciples that others would recognize them as His followers based on how they loved each other. And what would prompt their love for one another – His love that He had first given them (John 13:34-35).

The saying, however, is true in another way as well.  Not only were we given good things in order to pass them on to others, but when Christ uses us to pass on His good gifts, that in itself if a blessing. In other words, we are blessed when we are a blessing. It is a privilege to be used in order to demonstrate Christ’s love and compassion to another.

Viewing service this way, changes your perspective on it. You no longer mind the late night phone calls, or the additional appointment at the end of an already busy day, because you realize that God is granting you favor by using you for His purposes. You realize that a lack of sleep is nothing in comparison to the gain in Heaven. You start recognizing all the benefits and experiences that God has given you, in order to equip you for this particular task. When faced with a difficult situation, your heart pleads “Lord, use this so that one day it might enable me to encourage or strengthen someone else,” rather than “Lord. please just end this!”

Not that I’m perfect at this. I still have days where I wonder how I’ll get things done. There are moments where I ponder whether I can really handle all the relationships and responsibilities that God has entrusted me with. But the more I see it as a privilege, the less I view it as a problem. The more I see it as a blessing, the more I realized how blessed I am.

Continue Reading