Purpose part 5
There's a phrase I want to grab from an Old Testament Bible verse that I want to use to close this Rant series with. Its from Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of eunuchs that he might not defile himself." And the phrase I want is, "purposed in his heart." Because that's what takes our purpose--to be loved by God and to love Him back by loving each other with that same love--from an idea to a lifestyle. Charity is love in action. And that's when love is real--when its an action. When you put your money where your mouth is, if I can say it that way. Because, watch this, "Keep thy heart wtih all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). What's in your heart is what flows out into your life. Be it bitterness, hurt, unforgiveness... or mercy, grace, and love! Whatever you purpose in your heart, is what I'm trying to say. Whatever you believe is in your heart. The heart controls everything. Which is why we struggle so often and so much with the idea of "head vs heart." Because even if we "know" what we should do, in our heads... the heart wants what it wants. Always has, always will. Love is the strongest force in existence. Love is all powerful. And that doesn't mean MOST powerful. It means love has--love IS--all of the power! So if we purpose in our heart to love one another... nothing can stop it. Now, listen, I'm not saying that loving someone will get you what you want. Because that's not the point. Love is never about getting. Because love is giving. The only way love will get you exactly what you want is if, and when, you understand that the other person's happiness, or joy, is exactly what you want. If you love unselfishly... that's when you can get what you want. If you want to meet someone's need, and you love them... mission accomplished. But you have to purpose it in your heart. Love is not a feeling. It is a decision. A decision to put someone else first. To esteem others higher than yourself. And I've always said being humble doesn't mean you think less of yourself. It simply means you think of yourself less. If you're always worried about yourself, that's called being self-centered. Selfish. But if you're worried about others, that's called being Christ-centered. People-centered. If your purpose--if what you purpose in your heart to do--is to love people... then you'll live a life worth living. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. You can't have one without the other because they are the same thing. So when you understand your purpose--to receive and release the love of God--and then you purpose in your heart to live out that purpose... when you keep your heart by keeping it open so that the love that you have been filled with can overflow out of it... that's when things come together. That's when things line up. That's when things make sense. Because that's when things are revealed to be in Divine Order. God loving us and us loving each other. That's what its all about. That's our purpose!