The Power to Live our Purpose

Scripture: Luke 10:1-9  
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Jesus sends His disciples on their mission
paulines.ph

Reflection: Everyone is called by God to fulfill a specific purpose. Nobody in this world exists just to consume natural resources and not contribute anything. We may think that we're not talented enough, or charismatic enough to make a mark on society, but that is not an excuse. God has used misfits in the past who accomplished great deeds remembered to this day. Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon and countless heroes of the bible were all ordinary people and even seen as unremarkable and lacking in talent. But God used whatever they had to offer to accomplish mighty deeds. In the same way, God can take any talent we offer Him and use it for someone's blessing.

God asks us to trust in Him completely when He sends us out on our mission. We should learn to take our focus out of the fears and obstacles that confront us and rely on His power which He makes available to us. When Moses freed the Israelites out of Pharaoh's tyranny, he did not do so by using his talents and abilities. He just made himself an instrument and through him God performed amazing miracles that scared the oppressors of his people and paved the way for their freedom.

All of us have something to share for the good of everyone. It does not matter if your talent benefits the whole world or just a few people around you. The most important thing is that we use it, and God is satisfied with that. He is most satisfied if you use your talent for the purpose of serving others out of love and not out of self promotion.

God asks us to free ourselves of obstacles and distractions that make us lose focus on our mission. Obstacles such as pride, selfishness, fear, doubt, and greed. Pride and selfishness makes us focus on personal reward instead of how we could serve and love others. Fear and doubt makes us distrust ourselves and God's power to help us achieve our potential as instruments of blessing. Greed makes us focus on personal gain instead of helping others.

To be successful in our God given mission, let us ask God to help us trust in His power which He makes available to us and through us. And let us ask Him to fill our hearts with love for others that we may be ready to offer ourselves as instruments of blessing.

Surrounded by Abundant Blessings

Scripture: Luke 11:5-13
5 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Manna
from susanbailey.org

Reflection: "Ask, and it will be given you." These words from the Lord show how gracious God is. He is under no obligation to give us anything because we have rejected Him through disobedience. But out of infinite goodness, He still continues to bless and provide for us. What's more, He does it gladly.

The universe belongs to God, and all living and non-living things exist because of Him. The richness of God is immeasurable and as His children through Christ, He offers it to us.

God's blessings surround us all the time. God longs to pour it out like a loving father would want to lavish his children with all the good things. But the problem is, most of us are not in the position to receive it. For instance, if you pray for a lifetime partner, God would want to see that you yourself can be a blessing to the person He wishes to give to you. But if He sees that you want a relationship for selfish purposes, he would delay or withhold the blessing, because He does not want you to end up in a hurtful relationship. If you pray for riches, God would want to see if your heart is formed for generosity. But if you're not ready, he would say no for now. God would not want you to destroy your life living in riches but drowning in selfishness and greed. Blessings can be curses if it lands on the wrong hands.

Blessings are around us, and we are swimming in it. Let us confidently approach God with hearts that are ready to receive His blessings. Being ready for blessings means being the blessing yourself. Share your blessings and be a blessing.