Purposefooled预览

What is Jesus doing in the world? How is our great King building His kingdom? Titus 2:14 says He “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself, a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” Jesus is redeeming a people. Romans 10:12–13 says He is “bestowing His riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Jesus is saving those who call on Him.

If we want to build His kingdom, not our own, gospel proclamation is our greatest priority. After all, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Rom. 10:14).

This means that when an opportunity to share the gospel shows up in my day, everything else gets put on hold. When my neighbor begins asking questions about Jesus, I linger as long as I can to answer them and continue the conversation. As I linger, I willingly give up on all the other things I hoped to accomplish that day. When my child starts up a conversation about heaven and hell at bedtime, I lean in and take as much time as I can. It doesn’t matter that I had planned to knock out those emails after bedtime. When I become aware of an urgent need in the life of my nonbelieving coworker, I drop everything to try and meet it. In meeting that need, I may have a chance to tell of the One who has met all my deepest needs. When a gospel opportunity comes up, it always takes priority.

You’ve been entrusted with so many things: relationships, circumstances, belongings, opportunities, capacity, and comfort. You’ve been placed in a particular time and place in history. Unfortunately, too often we only consider how these things might help us build our own platform and accomplish our own goals, but that’s not why we exist. We exist for Christ. To know him and make Him known. All of these things entrusted to us are to be mobilized for the building of Jesus’ kingdom, not our own.

You exist on this earth at this time and place so that people might find God! If you carry in your heart the Spirit of God and the hope of the gospel of Jesus, everywhere you go, God is at work building His kingdom. Whether you find yourself in a doctor’s office, on a bus, in a cubicle, on a cul-de-sac, at a PTA meeting, or at a board meeting, you are not there to build your platform, but His. You are there to utilize all you’ve been entrusted with to welcome everyone over the bridge Christ built to know the purpose they were made for.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for entrusting me with so many blessings and opportunities. Please give me eyes to see how I can use them to build your kingdom today. Amen.