Why am I here? Have you ever asked yourself this question? I hope so because, make no mistake, this is THE foundational question that will influence how you
live your life. After all, WHERE you find your purpose is WHERE you will invest your life. Let me explain…
Let's say you believe that you exist ONLY to attain fame
and fortune. Well guess what? You will PRIMARILY make personal investments in ME-focused
things like music lessons, sports camps, study groups, personal trainers, and
self-help seminars. BUT if you believe that you exist ONLY to attain blessings
for others then you will PRIMARILY make personal investments in OTHERS-focused things
like tutoring, mentoring, service and social care projects. In fact, if you want
to know whether you believe you exist primarily for the sake of YOURSELF or
OTHERS look at how you spend your time. Do you spend more of your time on
ME-focused activities or OTHERS-focused activities?
But how does God want us to spend our time? What is God's purpose for our existence? Well, the book of Genesis gives us the answer.
Genesis 3-11 describes a world plagued by pain, sin, and curses (3:14, 17; 4:11; 5:29; 9:25). But this is not the world God intended. NO. The world God intended is found in Genesis 1-2. It's a world of rest, peace, and blessing (2:2). So how is God going to repair His broken world? Well, God's restoration plan is found in Genesis 12:1-3. Here’s what it says,
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘GO from your country, your people and your father’s household to the LAND I will show you. I will make you into a GREAT NATION and I will bless you; I will make your NAME GREAT [so that] you [will] BE a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and ALL PEOPLES ON EARTH will be blessed through you.’”
Jacob provides the best picture of the stereotypical ME-focused person alive at this time. True to his name which means "deceiver," Jacob takes advantage of his brother, Esau, when he is in great need by purchasing Esau's birthright in exchange for some stew and bread (25:27-34). Jacob then deceives his dad, Isaac, into giving him Esau's blessing (ch. 27). It is clear that Jacob is concerned only about one person... HIMSELF. So how can a ME-focused person like Jacob BE a blessing to the entire world? Answer: It's not possible. And so God knows that if He doesn't do something, His restoration plan might be derailed.
And so God sends Jacob to his uncle Laban for a little training seminar. On his journey to Laban, Jacob gets reassurances from God through a vision at Bethel that God will be with him and come through on His promises (This vision at Bethel is eerily similar to Abraham's vision in Genesis 15). But in this vision God doesn't tell Jacob that He has signed him up for a seminar being taught by his Uncle Laban called: "What It Feels Like to Be Deceived." As it turns out, Laban is quite the teacher and he gives Jacob a strong dose of his own medicine. You can read all about it in Genesis 29.
Jacob eventually gets fed up with Laban's deception and so he makes a run for it with his family and possessions. By fleeing from Laban and back to Canaan, the author wants the reader to understand that Jacob is also fleeing away from his old, deceptive ways and back to God. Jacob is a new man. The author reinforces this in chapters 31-32 through the retelling of Jacob's several encounters with God's angels. In one of these encounters, Jacob wrestles with a man (whom Jacob presumably understands to be an angel) until he receives God's blessing and favor. At this encounter, Jacob's name is changed to Israel which means "struggle with God." This experience was meant to commemorate Jacob's transformation and his desire to struggle for God's favor and blessing (no matter the personal cost). The story of Jacob ends in chapter 35 when Jacob returns to Bethel and recommits himself to God.
THE BOTTOM LINE
God created you and me to restore a broken world. But to join God in his plan, we need to accurately reflect God to the world around us by loving others well and by investing our lives for the sake of others. As we see in the Jacob narratives, God is also in the business of transforming us into the types of people he can use for His purposes. This should be a source of hope for all of us. Because no matter where you are at on your spiritual journey, God can use you! But first, you have to want to be used by God. So let me ask you: Do you want to be used by God?
And so God sends Jacob to his uncle Laban for a little training seminar. On his journey to Laban, Jacob gets reassurances from God through a vision at Bethel that God will be with him and come through on His promises (This vision at Bethel is eerily similar to Abraham's vision in Genesis 15). But in this vision God doesn't tell Jacob that He has signed him up for a seminar being taught by his Uncle Laban called: "What It Feels Like to Be Deceived." As it turns out, Laban is quite the teacher and he gives Jacob a strong dose of his own medicine. You can read all about it in Genesis 29.
Jacob eventually gets fed up with Laban's deception and so he makes a run for it with his family and possessions. By fleeing from Laban and back to Canaan, the author wants the reader to understand that Jacob is also fleeing away from his old, deceptive ways and back to God. Jacob is a new man. The author reinforces this in chapters 31-32 through the retelling of Jacob's several encounters with God's angels. In one of these encounters, Jacob wrestles with a man (whom Jacob presumably understands to be an angel) until he receives God's blessing and favor. At this encounter, Jacob's name is changed to Israel which means "struggle with God." This experience was meant to commemorate Jacob's transformation and his desire to struggle for God's favor and blessing (no matter the personal cost). The story of Jacob ends in chapter 35 when Jacob returns to Bethel and recommits himself to God.
THE BOTTOM LINE
God created you and me to restore a broken world. But to join God in his plan, we need to accurately reflect God to the world around us by loving others well and by investing our lives for the sake of others. As we see in the Jacob narratives, God is also in the business of transforming us into the types of people he can use for His purposes. This should be a source of hope for all of us. Because no matter where you are at on your spiritual journey, God can use you! But first, you have to want to be used by God. So let me ask you: Do you want to be used by God?
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
How much of what you invest your life in is for the purpose of attaining
your own personal blessing?
How much of what you invest your life in is for the purpose of attaining blessings for others?
What are some practical ways you can move from a ME-focus to an OTHERS-focus?
How much of what you invest your life in is for the purpose of attaining blessings for others?
What are some practical ways you can move from a ME-focus to an OTHERS-focus?
It would be an good exercise for all of us to keep a journal for one day of how much time we spend doing ME-focused activities and how much time we spend doing OTHERS-focused activities. I think it would show us a lot about who we are choosing to be.
ReplyDeleteIs it sin to engage in ME-focused activities, or is the line between God-honoring behavior and self-righteous living somewhere else?
Great question Al! I want to hear what people think. Does anyone out there have any thoughts? Is it a sin to engage in ME-focused activities or is there a specific balance to maintain between ME-focused activities and OTHERS-focused activities?
DeleteInvesting in yourself is NOT a sin. In fact, God has given us things like art, music, sports, and hobbies for our enjoyment. However, Jesus is constantly talking about laying down our rights for others and serving others (John 15:13; 1 John 3:16). Why would he make this one of his main talking point?
ReplyDeleteWell, our natural tendency is to be ME-focused. In fact, Jesus assumes that we already have a love for ourselves when he tells us to love our neighbors AS OURSELF (Leviticus 19:18). If we don't offset our natural ME-focused tendency then over time we will look less and less like Jesus and more and more like Donald Trump. In other words, a simple investment in ourselves can quickly become a tragic obsession with ourselves at the expense of others.
So where's that point where ME-focus becomes a sin? Well, the Bible makes it clear that the line begins when we become greedy and prideful (Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 4:19). However, that line is not always easy to discern (especially in a world full of greed and pride). My suggestion would be not to spend your time calculating where the line is but rather spend your time learning what it looks like to be more like Jesus. And then become that person!