Worship and Purpose

All that I am, praise the LORD; everything in me, praise His holy name.

~Psalm 103:1 (NCV)

     "I see you dancing in God's hands..." Words from a great man who passed suddenly from this life a few days ago. In 2003, I attended a dance conference held at Bahamas Faith Ministries where Dr. Myles Munroe was speaking. He was teaching on Worship and Purpose, and the importance of understanding why we worship God. Dr. Myles spoke about creation and God's plans for us, and becoming like Christ. I was one of the last people he prayed for at the altar call. I was standing in a corner and he called me over to where he was, all the way across the platform. He asked me where I was from, paused, and with that great big smile that he will always be remembered by, said those words to me, along with some other things that only God would have known. That brief moment was so amazingly powerful. I remember running around the entire sanctuary!

     It has been many years since that prophetic word was given to me, and everything Dr. Myles said on that day has come to pass. I count myself fortunate to have had something personally imparted into my life from God through him. Some say his passing away was untimely, some say it was his time and he died empty. The truth is, only he and God know. We offer prayers for the families of all who were with him in the catastrophic accident that marked the end of his life and the lives of others who died including his wife and fellow ministers, that God would comfort the grieving, give them peace, and that people would only speak words that give strength and encouragement.

     Whenever someone leaves this realm, it is always a reminder to us that life is temporary, and we are only here for a brief moment on the continuum. God has promised to redeem and restore years that were taken from us, but there is no promise in the Bible to regain time that we waste. What are we doing with the goals that we set out to accomplish this year? How are we spending our time, our finances, and our gifts and talents? Have we finished anything that we started, have we even started, or are we still talking about starting? Dr. Myles once said: "One of the greatest tragedies in life is to watch potential die untapped". "What will you do with your dash?" is a message that many ministers and motivational speakers use to describe the time we have between our birthday and our last day. Our dash represents everything we do with our lives, our opportunities, resources and abilities that we have been given. If you are reading this blog, that means you still have a chance to make the most of the time you have in this world. We were all created by God to fulfill a unique purpose in this life, not to be like anyone else, or for anyone's approval. Once we find it, we must run with it until the race is over, so that when we are finished, we can hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

~Psalm 90:12

                                                      

Stay in Your Lane!

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be eager to confirm your call and election.

Do this and you will never ever be lost.

2 Peter 1:10 (CEB)

     “Stay in your lane” is a saying that literally means to know your place and purpose in this world, and to not move out of it. So many people are lost, unhappy, confused, frustrated and discouraged because they are traveling in a lane that is not for them, either because they have allowed others to put them there, or they themselves are trying to fit into a mold that is ill-suited. Sometimes parents want to push their children toward certain career choices to assure financial success or even because they vicariously live through them, instead of encouraging them to prayerfully research and explore all of their options before making a decision. This can result in burn-out, stress, emotional and even health problems later in life.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,

so that we may grow in wisdom.

Ps. 90:12 (NLT)

     It’s important to know your purpose in life as well as in the Kingdom of God, where people often seek after titles and positions of status that have no bearing on anyone else’s well-being, other than to exalt the person who carries the title.  Why would anyone want to be called a prophet or prophetess, yet they never have an encouraging word for someone else? Why become a pastor when you don’t really love people?  Maybe your calling in life is to feed hungry people on the street. That’s an awesome mission that often goes unnoticed and probably won’t get front row recognition in a church building, but God sees…and He will reward you openly.  So many ways of serving and helping others have no official credentials on paper, but the spiritual effects are great. Everyone will not be a mega-church pastor or have an international ministry, but everyone can find his or her place in life and be at peace with who we are, which brings our greatest joy. If you know that you are being led by the Lord, don’t allow people, groups, or organizations to convince you that what God put in your heart to do is unimportant, or that you need to be doing something else. Usually when others do this, it’s for their own benefit and not yours, and certainly not God’s.

Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

~Matt 7:13-1(MSG)

      Your place in this world is unique, and is based on God’s plan and purpose for your life.  Are you struggling with “staying in your lane”? Keep looking forward, and don’t get distracted, because if God is guiding your journey, you’re going in the right direction!