Day 44 – purposeful
Let’s take a peek at an average day of an average middle-aged man. Having set his clock the night before, he arises promptly at six in the morning, puts on his jogging clothes, and runs three miles. His goal is to finish in thirty minutes, but he feels so fresh that he accomplishes the task in two minutes less. Returning home, he showers, dresses for work, and pours a cup of coffee. He begins to read at the breakfast table the morning newspaper, keeping abreast of the world around him. Before leaving the house, he gently awakens his wife and kisses her on the cheek. He ponders on his drive to work the schedule of activities before him and begins to prioritize them. Fortunately, his day goes exactly as planned and much is accomplished in his nine hours there. Only a few items remain unfinished, and he makes a note in his day-planner to address them tomorrow. On the way home he goes by the bank to deposit his wages and by the supermarket to pick up a few groceries for supper. That night several neighbors come to his house for a cookout, and two hours of good food and fellowship ensue. After the guests leave and the kitchen is cleaned, he sits in front of the television and chats with his wife and children. Together they make plans for the immediate and distant future, and he records some of these on the family message board. He ends his day in bed reading a chapter of a popular novel until sleep overtakes him. There he slumbers, until the six o’clock alarm heralds for him the beginning of another purposeful day.
It is commonly said that humans are creatures of habit. But I believe, more than anything else, that you and I can be described as creatures of purpose. Our entire lives can be viewed as a continual “grinding out” of some purpose, be it great or small. We incessantly set goals and work to achieve them. We make plans, short-term and long-range, and prioritize our activities around them.
The Argument from Human Characteristics declares that God as well must be purposeful. It informs us that the atheist’s universe—random, meaningless, impersonal, purposeless—cannot grant us purpose. It tells us that God is the Source from which our purposeful nature comes.
I am a firm believer that God has a purpose and a plan for you, one that encompasses both the immediate and the far-removed. I believe His purpose is relevant in the monumental and mundane of your life, and I pray that you may know His purpose and live accordingly. I understand how often His purpose seems to you hidden or hindered, and I empathize with those of you who lift an angry fist or a tearful eye toward this purposeful God. To you, I offer my firm conviction that God’s purpose will be accomplished, no matter any appearance to the contrary. I want to assure you, in the midst of whatever is going on in your life, that God is too great for His plans to fail. You can bet the whole purpose of your life on it.
Daily Quotation
Leslie D. Weatherhead, The Will of God, 55.
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