As we began this series called ‘Why You Matter!’ our goal during the month of January is
to help us better understand THAT YOU MATTER tremendously in God’s eyes –which we
talk about a lot – but also WHY you matter so much to God.
To understand why you matter so much to God, one has to address the simple life question
of ‘Why do I exist?’ This is a question of PURPOSE. The WHY question is always
answered with an understanding of PURPOSE. When you understand the PURPOSE of
something, you can understand WHY it exists.
We made the point from the Bible that the purpose of our existence is to give God joy by
advancing His Kingdom….This first point of giving God joy is all through Scripture. One
key passage is found all the way back in Deuteronomy 6:3–5 (NIV) 3 Hear, Israel, and be
careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land
flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Paul spoke often and from varying angles in helping his readers understand that they
matter and WHY they matter. As for his own purpose, He said things like
this…..Philippians 3:12–14 (CSB) 12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am
already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken
hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken
hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is
ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Just a note here – Integrity’s mission statement is ‘…to advance God’s Kingdom
through the development of fully devoted followers of Christ….’
So – we don’t advance God’s Kingdom WITHOUT developing fully devoted followers of
Jesus. It is these followers that God works through to advance the Kingdom. It is the Fully
Devoted Followers of Jesus who have the most fulfilling lives – both on earth and in
eternity.
For you to become this follower, you must take full OWNERSHIP of your spiritual
growth, and your spiritual condition. Becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ is about
much more than just studying God’s Word – though that is very important.
Remember – increasing your Biblical Knowledge helps you to know ABOUT God.
Getting to know how He created YOU to make a difference is about getting to KNOW
God. There are big differences between these two approaches to following Jesus!
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