Do you know why you are here? I can honestly say I have total clarity today about why I am here on this earth. It may have taken four long decades to come to the realization, and I know now I could have learned long ago had I followed after the Lord as I do now but I am thrilled to be able to say – now I know. How about you?
First and foremost, I am here to love the Lord with all of me, and to love my neighbor as myself. Sound familiar? Secondly, I am here to go into all the world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thirdly, I am here to humble myself and minister God’s love to a world in need – including people and animals.
If you love the Lord like I do, if you study His Word as I do, you know you are here for these reasons above. When I have these priorities in order, when I truly dedicate and live my life for the Lord and His glory, then He shows me the unique and precious gifts, plans, and purposes He has for my individual life.
God has gifted me with writing, preaching the Gospel, evangelism, public speaking, working with homeless dogs, creativity, tenacity, passion, compassion, a phenomenal capacity to love and endless desire to give and to serve. He has unfolded to me in the past few years exactly what He intends for me to do with these gifts of His thus far.
I know people who have no idea what their dreams are. I wonder if they have asked the Lord what His dreams for them are. I know some who have no idea what gifts they have. I wonder if they have pressed into the Lord to know. I have met many who have no desire to live. I was a miserable combination of all of these for most of my life.
Why? I did not love the Lord with all my heart. I did not love my neighbor as myself. I did not share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I did not minister God’s love to a world in need. In essence, I was not a follower of Jesus Christ nor a student of God’s Word.
When I gave all of my life to the Lord, He gave me more of Him than I have ever had. With Himself, He slowly unfolded His vision for my life. Now, as He reminds me often, He desires that I always put His and my relationship above the dreams and gifts He has given me.
To God be the glory!