Friday, April 30, 2004
40 Days of Purpose Day 5
Seeing life from God's view
Rick Warren, in today's devotional, starts off by saying "The way you see your life shapes your life. It is how you define and lead your life that determines your destiny. You determine your influence over time, money, using your talents and the value you place on relationships.
Warren asks us to visualize how we might describe our life; that image is our life's metaphor. It is our view of our life that we hold consciously or unconsciously in our minds. And it is this unspoken metaphor that influences our life more than we can imagine. If we think life is a party, then our metaphor for life might be having fun. If we see life as a race, the metaphor for life may be speed and we might be in a hurry most of the time. Or, the metaphor may be family life, placing that above all else.
The problem with most of life's metaphors is that they are not God's description for your life. The Bible speaks of three metaphors from God's point of view: that life is a test, life is a trust and life is a temporary assignment. These ideas are the foundation of purpose-driven living.
Why are we continually tested in life? The Bible speaks of many tests, all to prove character, faith, obedience, love, integrity and loyalty. God tested Abraham to offer his son Jacob. Adam and Eve failed their test in the Garden. David failed his tests many times. We don't know all the tests God could give us, but when it happens, it will be to develop or prove one of the characteristics listed at the beginning of this paragraph. The tests could come in the form of minor criticism, delayed promises, major changes, unanswered prayers and even senseless tragedies.
When you realize that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the tiniest incident has significance for your character development. Every second of every day is important for growth opportunities to deepen your character, demonstrate your love and depend on God.
Life is also a trust, as we are entrusted with the things of God, His creation; and all our opportunities, relationships and resources that are gifts from God. We never really own anything during our brief stay on Earth. God just loans us the Earth while we are here. We just get to enjoy it for a while. Our culture says "If you don't own it, you won't take care of it." Christians live by a higher standard, that is, because God owns it, I must take care of it the best I can. And at the end of our lives, we will be evaluated in Heaven and rewarded according to how well we handled what God entrusted to you. That means everything we do, even the simplest of chores, has eternal implications.
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. He uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to see how trustworthy we are. Luke 16:11 says, "If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?:
Tomorrow: Life is a temporary assignment.
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Rick Warren, in today's devotional, starts off by saying "The way you see your life shapes your life. It is how you define and lead your life that determines your destiny. You determine your influence over time, money, using your talents and the value you place on relationships.
Warren asks us to visualize how we might describe our life; that image is our life's metaphor. It is our view of our life that we hold consciously or unconsciously in our minds. And it is this unspoken metaphor that influences our life more than we can imagine. If we think life is a party, then our metaphor for life might be having fun. If we see life as a race, the metaphor for life may be speed and we might be in a hurry most of the time. Or, the metaphor may be family life, placing that above all else.
The problem with most of life's metaphors is that they are not God's description for your life. The Bible speaks of three metaphors from God's point of view: that life is a test, life is a trust and life is a temporary assignment. These ideas are the foundation of purpose-driven living.
Why are we continually tested in life? The Bible speaks of many tests, all to prove character, faith, obedience, love, integrity and loyalty. God tested Abraham to offer his son Jacob. Adam and Eve failed their test in the Garden. David failed his tests many times. We don't know all the tests God could give us, but when it happens, it will be to develop or prove one of the characteristics listed at the beginning of this paragraph. The tests could come in the form of minor criticism, delayed promises, major changes, unanswered prayers and even senseless tragedies.
When you realize that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the tiniest incident has significance for your character development. Every second of every day is important for growth opportunities to deepen your character, demonstrate your love and depend on God.
Life is also a trust, as we are entrusted with the things of God, His creation; and all our opportunities, relationships and resources that are gifts from God. We never really own anything during our brief stay on Earth. God just loans us the Earth while we are here. We just get to enjoy it for a while. Our culture says "If you don't own it, you won't take care of it." Christians live by a higher standard, that is, because God owns it, I must take care of it the best I can. And at the end of our lives, we will be evaluated in Heaven and rewarded according to how well we handled what God entrusted to you. That means everything we do, even the simplest of chores, has eternal implications.
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. He uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to see how trustworthy we are. Luke 16:11 says, "If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?:
Tomorrow: Life is a temporary assignment.
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