18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20, NIV
That's also not the only purpose: I am betrothed to a wonderful, cute, sweet, Godly (and many other superlatives) young lady to whom my job (and my joy) is to love her, cherish her, protect her, provide for her, etc.
But right now, we are both in a holding pattern that is at times frustrating, and at times really scary. One of the offshoots of this holding pattern is that I still don't understand (and haven't been able to integrate in my mind) how that applies to my circumstances right now. We are both living entirely on grace (and what seems like borrowed grace), and while I'm grateful for that grace (I don't want to be foolish and curse it or reject it), I have been left confused and discouraged regarding what faith looks like, what moving in faith looks like, and what the next steps look like that would not only directly address this holding pattern but also address aspects of the two purposes laid out in the above paragraphs.
So there's that. There is also the fact that, despite having held nine different full-time jobs since becoming an adult, not counting several part-time jobs as well as quite a few 1 or 2-day temp gigs, I've almost never demonstrated the boldness enough to share my faith with most individuals that I have communicated with in my working history. The only times I ever really participated in faith conversations where when it turned out a colleague (rare) or a client (slightly less rare) already believed, or if I was playing in a band at church. Then these conversations occurred a lot more often.
I could go on, but the point of sharing the above is that this devotional did give me some hope, which is why I want to share it on here with you all as well. One thing that I do that gives me tremendous joy (and I realize it gives God joy, so long as I use it only for His glory and for no other purpose) -- is music-making. Composing, song-writing, improvising, you name it. There is one problem: I haven't quite been able to wrap my mind around what getting paid to do this looks like. I still have to provide for my betrothed, after all, and for any children if we have them. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I do believe music-making definitely applies regarding my sense of purpose (my "why am I here?" question), but I haven't been able to put this puzzle together. Just like with the aforementioned holding pattern that my love and I are both currently in. The story continues, as it must.
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Acts 20:24 Devotional
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. | Acts 20:24, English Standard Version 2016 (ESV) | Download The Bible App Now
https://bible.com/bible/59/act.20.24.ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/act.20.24.ESV
The Mission of God
All of our lives are used for something. Most people spend their lives focused on growing a family, building their career, or amassing possessions.
While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation is so great that nothing on this earth is as important as God’s work.
Paul says that nothing in His life matters as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of God is not opposed to growing families or building careers. In fact, God desires for us to use those opportunities to faithfully accomplish the mission of God. We can raise families in the way of God, and we can tell our coworkers about God’s grace. Any place we find ourselves in can be an opportunity to accomplish the mission of God.
Take a moment to consider your own life and where you spend your time. Are you using every opportunity you have to spread the good news of Jesus? Does your life, like Paul’s, point toward God?
Consider a few ways that you can begin to change your perspective and live your life on mission for God.
https://bible.com/bible/59/act.20.24.ESV