What Is My Purpose? Learning to Love God and Love OthersSample
Worship
Focus
William Blake, the 18th Century English Poet, once said, “We become what we behold.” Take some time to sit and be still, imagining for a few moments what it means to behold the beauty of the Lord in worship and devotion.
Listen
Simone Weil - Waiting for God
“There are people who try to raise their souls like a man continually taking standing jumps in the hopes that, if he jumps higher every day, a time may come when he will no longer come back but will go right up to the sky. Thus occupied he cannot look at the sky. We cannot take a single step toward heaven. It is not in our power to travel in a vertical direction. If, however, we look heavenward for a long time, God comes and takes us up. He raises us easily.”
Apply
Our purpose in loving God starts with simple admiration and worship. The more we “seek and behold” the beauty of the Lord, the more we draw close to him and reflect his divine love for us.
What are some of the ways you can “look heavenward” and worship God today?
How does beholding the beauty of the Lord increase your love for God?
Respond
Practicing gratitude is one way to “seek and behold” the beauty of the Lord. Consider all the ways God has blessed, provided, and shown up for you recently. Make a list and display it somewhere you can be reminded of God’s love for you, if necessary.
Scripture
About this Plan
Explore your purpose as a follower of Jesus: to love God and love others. Over seven days, we will unpack the themes of personal worship, transformation, compassion, service, and justice. Each session starts with a prayer to help you focus on the day’s theme, a passage or two from scripture, a thought from a theological perspective, and ways to apply and respond to the reading.
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