ONE THING I DO

Rev. Alexander John

Rick Warren, the author of 'The Purpose Driven Life', wrote, "The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It is 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." I believe if we're going to find fulfillment, peace, or satisfaction, it will be only through aligning ourselves with God's purposes and living intentionally that way.

It is one thing to have a goal or a resolution. It is quite another to achieve that milestone in life. The space between a dream and its accomplishment is called the plan. The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.

No matter where you find yourself in life today, know that before you were even born, God had a plan for your life. But this doesn't mean He made you to be a robot or programmed your actions/responses for different situations. God designed you with creativity, emotions and amazing reasoning skills. Yes, God created you with a plan, but in many cases you get to work out the details. God enjoys your creativity. He enjoys watching you problem solve and figure things out. I think that He enjoys watching his creation discover and learn and mature.

Here's the deal. While it's true that God has a plan for your life, it is a big-picture plan. You need to use the resources that God provided you with to get there. Wisely using the time God has given to you is crucial. We only have so many days to live and accomplish the things that God has for us. Start using your time effectively. One of the lies that Satan tries to tell us is the lie of the 'later'. "I'll do that later". "I'm not quite ready right now." "I'll get around to it later when I am more prepared". "I'm tired, maybe later." "I'm in the wrong place right now, later when I move to the right place then I'll start."

Apostle Paul, who was the most successful missionary in the Bible, is my personal inspiration. I have always been amazed at how he accomplished all that he did. Once he discovered God's extraordinary purpose for his life, he did not dwell on his past failures. His life acquired new meaning and he focused on the future. This meant that he would get up every day and choose the things that God would have him choose. He faced each situation with determination. Paul's motto was "one thing I do". He devoted his life to the aim of pleasing Christ his Master. To this singleness of purpose, he owed his exemplary godliness and his uncommon success as a minister and a missionary.