In a world filled with endless distractions and superficial pursuits, finding one's true purpose can be a daunting task. People often search for meaning and fulfillment in their careers, relationships, and material possessions, only to find themselves feeling empty and unfulfilled. However, there is a profound source of purpose that transcends these temporary fixations—a purpose found in Christ. In this blog, we will explore the journey of discovering your true purpose in Christ, unleashing your divine potential, and living a life of fulfillment and significance.

Surrendering to God's Plan:
Finding your true purpose in Christ begins with surrendering your life to God's plan. The first step is acknowledging that there is a higher power who created you with a unique purpose in mind. As you surrender your desires, ambitions, and plans to God, you open yourself up to the divine guidance and direction that He provides. Trusting in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty allows you to align your life with His purpose, which is far greater than anything you could imagine.

Seeking God's Will:
Discovering your purpose in Christ involves seeking God's will for your life. This requires spending time in prayer, reading the Scriptures, and seeking His guidance. The more you cultivate a personal relationship with God, the clearer His voice becomes. Through prayerful reflection and seeking His wisdom, you will discern the gifts, talents, and passions He has placed within you. By aligning your pursuits with God's will, you will find fulfillment and purpose in serving His kingdom.

Embracing Your Unique Design:
God has created each individual with a unique set of gifts, talents, and passions. Embracing your unique design is crucial to understanding your purpose in Christ. Take time to reflect on your strengths, interests, and the things that bring you joy. Consider how you can use these abilities to bring glory to God and serve others. Whether it's through art, music, writing, leadership, or caregiving, your talents can be powerful tools for spreading God's love and making a positive impact on the world.

Serving Others:
True purpose in Christ is inseparable from the act of serving others. Jesus Himself set an example of selfless service throughout His ministry, and He calls us to do the same. When we serve others with love, compassion, and humility, we not only impact their lives but also discover a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose within ourselves. By using our God-given gifts to bless and uplift others, we become instruments of His grace and agents of transformation in the world.

Overcoming Obstacles and Growing in Faith:
The pursuit of purpose is not without its challenges. Along the journey, you may encounter obstacles, setbacks, and moments of doubt. However, it is in these moments that your faith is tested and strengthened. Remember that God works all things together for good, even the trials and difficulties you face. Trusting in His faithfulness and relying on His strength will empower you to overcome obstacles, grow in faith, and move closer to your true purpose in Christ.

Finding your true purpose in Christ is a lifelong journey that requires surrender, seeking, embracing, and serving. It is a process of aligning your desires with God's will, discovering your unique design, and using your gifts to make a difference in the lives of others. As you embark on this journey, remember that your purpose is not defined by worldly standards but by your relationship with Christ. Through Him, you can unleash your divine potential and live a life of fulfillment, joy, and eternal significance. Embrace this journey, trust in His guidance, and allow Him to shape and mold you into the person He created you to be.

Daniel 6, discusses the famous Bible story of Daniel and the lions’ den. It is more than a simple account of God’s deliverance. It also shows that no one is a match for the one true God.

Romans 8 is one of the most powerful and popular chapters in all the Bible. In it, Paul describes with great detail what it means to live as Christian, both now and for eternity. The chapter begins, as well, with one of the most comforting statements in all the Bible.

The importance of keeping Jesus in your decisions cannot be overstated. Making decisions can be difficult and stressful, especially when it comes to important matters like relationships, finances, and career choices. However, when we keep Jesus at the center of our decision-making process, we can trust that He will guide us towards the path that is best for us.

One of the main benefits of keeping Jesus in your decisions is that it allows you to align your will with His. When we seek God's will for our lives, we can trust that His plans for us are good and that He will work everything out for our ultimate benefit. By staying close to Jesus and listening to His voice, we can be sure that we are making decisions that are in line with His will.

Another advantage of keeping Jesus in your decisions is that it gives you a sense of peace and assurance, knowing that no matter what the outcome of a particular decision may be, God is in control. When we put our trust in Him, we can release our worries and fears about the future, and instead, focus on living each day to the fullest, knowing that He will take care of us.

Additionally, keeping Jesus in your decisions also allows us to practice humility. By recognizing that we are not in control, and that our understanding is limited and we are fallible, it reminds us to seek His guidance in all things. It allows us to rely on Him as the ultimate guide and authority, and it reminds us that we are not the ultimate decision makers in our lives.

In conclusion, keeping Jesus in your decisions is crucial for living a fulfilling, peaceful, and authentic life. When we align our will with His, we can trust that He will guide us towards the path that is best for us and that we can find a sense of peace and assurance knowing that He is always in control. Making decision with Jesus in mind helps us to understand that we are not the ultimate decision makers but He is the ultimate authority, we just follow His will.

2020 well was, you know kinda terrible. 2021 came and left in a flash with no improvement. 2022 (2020 too) seems to be off to a rough start, of course. How are we supposed to stay positive in times like these?
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Well, the short answer is Jesus. The long answer is also Jesus.

Time and time again, the Bible instructs us to not be of this world. What does it mean by that you may ask? Well, the answer is more complicated that you might think. Yes, of course, it means to not get too wrapped up in sin and the pleasures of this world. But it also means we need to change our perspective of this world and our lives in it.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2:15-17

What we need to do is focus on the big and I mean BIG picture. If you think about the totality of your life, I truly hope you aren’t focusing solely on your time on Earth. This is just a blink of an eye, a brief moment in time in the eternity of your life. If you can somehow wrap your head around eternity, that will help you understand that this pandemic is temporary and your life is so much grander and longer than what you we are dealing with right now.

I truly believe that one day I will look back on these days as just a fleeting memory of time. A “remember that one time when we had to live through the turmoil of our worldly lives and we thought it was sooo important” kind of thing. I plan to one day sit at the feet of Jesus praising Him for getting me through this tough time of my live and understanding that there was a purpose. A purpose to this stress, a purpose to this pain and purpose to this pandemic. But we already know the purpose don’t we? At least we can come up with some theories if we try hard enough.

This is a time to get closer to Christ. This is a time to trust Him with our lives. This is a time to reflect back on our worldly lives thus far and change our perspectives moving forward. This is a time to focus on eternity and not this temporary life on this floating rock.

So, whatever you are dealing with today.... COVID, work, school, family problems, stress, anxiety etc., keep this perspective in mind. When you focus on eternity and your part in it, these things will seem more manageable. I remember reading a book in college called "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". Well my friend, compared to eternity, all of these things are the "small stuff". 
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That is why I am not afraid of what’s going on. Because I know there is a bigger story at play and I trust the author with the ending. 

​So, as I was jogging this morning, I was thinking about what 2020 means to me and I'll tell you, I think I'm grateful for it. Hear me out.
 
Do not get me wrong, I do not like wearing a mask or being quarantined. 2020 has changed our lives dramatically, whether we cannot go to work, we cannot go to school, we cannot see our friends or our family. But I think this year has given us unique opportunities and forced us to kind of tackle things a different way.
 
Two things that 2020 has forced us to do:
 
#1 - 2020 has forced us to slow down.

In Exodus, God tells us to be still. God wants us to be still at times so we could hear him. Be still so we can learn from him. It has forced us to slow down in a way we have never imagined. Gone are the times of going to movies, going to restaurants all the time, concerts, whatever those distractions we are used to. Our society has been distracting us from our families, from our friends and from God. They are kind of gone. I mean, you can still go to a restaurant, kind of, but it certainly has spurred our desire to go do that. 2020 has forced us to be still and to slow down.
 
#2 -  It has also forced us to be around our family more, quite frankly.

I am home all the time now. I have two teenage daughters and they are going to school from home. My wife goes to work. She is a school principal and must be there but she is home a lot more as well. 2020 has forced me to be around my family more now, which brings a whole slew of blessings with it. Maybe it has done the same with you.
 
Two opportunities that 2020 has brought:
 
#1 -  2020 has given us the opportunity to focus more on God.

Since we are home more now, we have had plenty of time to “be still”. So we have had the opportunity to read the Bible more, to follow Christian social media more and to learn more from Bible plans. It has given us the opportunity to do all sorts of stuff that we weren't able to do before because you were so busy.
 
Take advantage of this opportunity to get closer to him.
 
#2 - 2020 has given us the opportunity to refocus our lives.
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So as we go into 2021, we all have the opportunity to learn from 2020 and refocus our lives going forward.
 
Think about how you want to refocus. I, for one, do not necessarily want things to go back to normal. Going back to normal to me means the busyness and the chaos we were dealing with. Refocusing means less time watching TV, less time going to movies, less time going restaurants, less time even to travel to work and back.
 
It means more time with my family, my friends and with God. It’s given us an opportunity to refocus our lives and not go back to the way they were.
 
So think about these things, especially as we turn the page on another year. Think about how you can refocus your life and refocus your faith on God.