A life full of purpose. It is something we all are called to live. We don’t always recognize what our purpose is, and we don’t always recognize how we fulfill our purpose. There are a lot of things that are necessary to happen in us so that we can fulfill the purpose God designed each one of us for. First God reveals His purpose for us. It is usually revealed in small pieces, that as you assemble them you get to see a bigger picture. And the little details bring us forward into the larger picture, as we make the steps necessary.
Secondly God begins to talk to us about the issues in our lives and character. All the things that we have in us that keep us from being all He called us to become. God deals with each of us in the unique ways that we need to begin to see ourselves for who we really are, not for who we portray ourselves to be. So
Things happen TO me,
So that things can happen IN me,
So that things can happen THROUGH me.
Three men in particular whose lives were recorded in scripture reveal this process. Saul, David and Paul all experienced God in this very way. And the way they responded to God’s involvement in their lives determined if they accomplished the purpose of God for them.
Saul was from the smallest family of the smallest tribe in the nation of Israel. In other words – He was insignificant. Not a person of prominence or important. Saul was very insecure. He himself stated that he was insignificant. Saul was also very proud. Scripture states he was without equal in all of Israel in physical appearance. Both of these attributes show forth in the decisions that he makes. He decides to do things not because they are right, but because people are looking at him. Take the decision that cost him his destiny found in 1 Samuel 13.
Saul was going to fight the Philistines, so he gathered his armies and prepared for battle. Samuel was supposed to come and make the sacrifice and bless the troops. This happened before every battle, the priest, or prophet would come and seek God’s direction for the battle and pronounce blessing. And the troops wouldn’t fight without a blessing. And only a member of the priesthood could offer a sacrifice according to God’s law, so they are waiting for Samuel. And on this day Samuel was late, not minutes but days, and so the troops started to leave and go back home.
When Saul saw what was happening he decided to fulfill the role the priest was to fulfill, because his people were looking at him. He performed the sacrifice and blamed Samuel for having done so.
“What have you done?” Samuel asked. Saul answered, “My soldiers were leaving in all directions, and you didn’t come when you were supposed to.
Saul decided once again, as he had done on so many other occasions, to change the plans of God to suit himself and followed his own plans and as a result he missed out on all that God wanted for him. Saul disqualified himself from his destiny because he continually chose to ignore the opportunities for change that God offered to him and He focused on himself and missed the confrontation of God and the opportunities to change.
Now David had a similar start in life. He was also an insignificant nobody. He was just a small shepherd boy and even his own family thought little of him. He had one major difference though, He knew his God. But that didn’t stop the difficulties from coming. He, like all of us, had to overcome;
- fear
- insecurity
- pride
- selfishness
- self promotion
- discouragement
- despair
Saul was constantly hunting and trying to kill him during his early years in the palace, and David had opportunities for revenge and refused. David consistently worked at keeping his heart right.
David definitely wasn’t perfect, and many times did decide to do things his way. His committing adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah was not the first time that David fell. Nor was it the last. What made things different for David was when God confronted him, would always repent and refocus his life to fulfill the destiny God had for him. This was what kept David on track and allowed him to fulfill his destiny. Scripture states that David did all that God called him to do, and then he died. Acts 13:36 “for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors.”
David, despite his mistakes, and despite his missing God’s plan on several occasions, was never disqualified from the destiny of God. This gives us great hope, because many times we have all missed out on following God’s plan, and we have not always responded to God’s dealings properly. But we can still obtain His promise, and fulfill His purpose for us.
We all still have the opportunity to fulfill the promise that God gave to us. Our choice is whether we will respond to the hand of God or resist.
The Blog of Tom Sanders 