Years ago (in the 1980s), my “mentor” (Jim Durkin, Sr.) preached that every believer had to live a “purposeful life.” He called one of his central teachings “Purpose and Vision” and explained that without these guiding the life of a believer, that life would be driven away. Gods course and lose yourself in self-centered futility.
Even though Jim Sr. turned out to be right, he still fell a step short of what is really required in the life of a believer. Today, satellite GPS offers a great comparison:
In the ’90s, I was excited to believe that I would never get lost again. Not that I’ve gotten lost while driving often in the past, but has happened. Then, in the mid-1990s, I discovered an expensive little book at the bookstore, full of maps: maps of every highway in every state in the United States, and every major city highway. With that spiral-bound book tucked under my car seat, I felt confident that I could drive through any city I could find myself in. But I had no margin for error. When I studied the map book, sometimes I didn’t even know where I was parked, let alone where I could go. At other times, I would rely on a “copilot” to read the map book while I drove, until we were hopelessly lost. To my surprise, even when I read the map book and understood it, sometimes the roads In the real world and the printed roads they were not the same. And these errors don’t even cover the many times I found myself in one vehicle while my map book remained under the seat in another!
I never dreamed that the day would come when my car would speak to me. Not as the radio spoke to me, but “intelligently”. Through their GPS, the cars Y Cell phones can “talk” to me while I’m driving, pinpointing my location, telling me how far to the next turn, telling me to “slow down” and “get into the left lane” as I approach the turn. It even tells me when I’ve arrived, the total distance travelled, the arrival time and whether the tie I’m wearing is appropriate for the occasion.
When Jim Sr. told us that we would fail in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ if we did not lead a “purposeful life,” he hit the nail on the head. Or will we live for to be or we will live for God. Don’t think it’s too trivial when I point out that Jesus thing to live for us, not himself. And more, He will also die for us.. Having lived Y he died for us, is it not reasonable that live for him? Many have called this, “The Exchanged Life”: Christ he died for me and now me Live for him.
But now that we’re in a new millennium, it’s time to update, not just our travel maps, but also how we live our lives. From now on we can move from a “purpose-driven life” to a Presence-driven life!
The short coming of life with purposeas taught by Jim Sr., is that what we guide it’s a book. oh very well book, the Bible, but it is still a book. I can study it, derive life principles from it, and put them into action in my life. Prayed I can take it with me, hide it under my seat, misread it, and even have my “copilot” misread it. In short, the basic problem is that the book is not the same as a living voice coming to me from my dashboard.
Not that I have a dashboard in my life, but do you see the problem? If I live by the principles of life that I derive from my reading of the Bible, many things can hinder or confuse that process. But if I “live by the voice on my board,” that “voice” is with me to instantly correct me if I’m in the wrong direction, guide me back to the right path, tell me how far I have to go to my next turn and even if I have enough gas to get there.
In other words, my life can be “powered” by a book I study Prayed a voice i hear.
The Bible says that whoever has faith in Jesus to save him from sin and death, God supernaturally unites that person with Jesus, by His Spirit. From the moment of that person’s trust in Jesus, the Spirit of God is alive within. The Bible says in 1 John (2.27) that the Holy Spirit “we received from Christ live in you. You don’t need anyone to teach you anything else. Instead, the Anointing of Christ [the Holy Spirit] teaches you everything. his anointing [the Holy Spirit] It is true and contains no lie. So live in Christ as He teaches you to do.”
Those people in whom the Holy Spirit lives, they can be guided and taught, corrected and comforted by the Spirit of Jesus within.
Let’s look at that distinction one more time. Your life can be guided and directed, by any of the following:
(1) His own selfish desires;
(2) Your best interpretation of the Bible (at least, what you remember);
(3) The Voice of God, living in you and giving you instant guidance at the point of need.
ok Which is better?
Seriously, there is no better way to live life than to go from selfish life toward a life that is driven by purpose, but ultimately to Life powered by presence!
