Purpose Driven

Scripture Reading:  Luke 4:14-29

 Main Scripture: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, Luke 4:18 (NIV)

Worship Song for Meditation:  Lord I’m Available to You (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJznj1a8I1w)

February is black history month; it’s a time of reflection to remember and celebrate important events and people in the African diaspora. As I reflect, I pause and ask what caused ordinary people like Martin Luther King Jr, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks to fight for a cause that they knew was so dangerous?  They were fully aware that they could lose their lives but that did not stop them.

The answer I believe is purpose, these people lived purpose driven lives. These people lived unselfishly, they saw others with a need, they saw others being oppressed and decided that if it will cost them their lives then they were willing to give it. Some of them like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr did die fighting for the cause.

Purpose can be defined as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. Rick Warren in his book, A Purpose Driven life stated that “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”

The night before his assassination in April 1968, Martin Luther King told a group of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will … I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!” (King, 222-223). For King, it was about God’s will for His life. He believed “the preacher must have a kind of fire shut up in his bones. And whenever injustice is around he tells it.”  He believed that the Lord anointed him to deal with the problems of the poor.

Jesus Christ also led a purpose driven life that resulted in Him dying on the cross for all of us. In Matthew 26:42, He said “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." We also see in the Bible where many of the disciples were killed for preaching the gospel. There are also  many other great leaders who fought for various causes that they believed in, such as Mother Theresa, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Benazir Bhutto to name a few.

Ladies while you reflect today, ask God Why did he place you on this earth?  

Some of us already know the answer to this question but we tell ourselves we are too busy or we can’t do it because we are not equipped or the time is not right and so on.  However, Today’s scripture tells us that the Lord has already anointed us to go and do His will. That means the power, the will, the determination that we need to fulfill our purpose has already been given to us. It means that God will make a way.

How will you live your life after today?  Will you fulfill your purpose or will you just continue living for yourself?

Have a God filled Day