What Is My Divine Purpose?
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Ezekiel 15,16 and Psalm 145 (NIV)
(Beatrice Yong, CIC Facilitator)
READ:
Ezekiel 15 and Psalm 145
OBSERVE:
In Ezekiel 15, God compares the people of Jerusalem to a useless vine that cannot produce fruit and is ultimately destined for destruction. The passage emphasises that just as a vine is good for nothing when it is unfruitful, so too will Jerusalem face judgement for their unfaithfulness.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise that celebrates God’s greatness, mercy, and faithfulness in all things, ultimately inviting all creation to join in worship daily and proclaim His mighty acts for eternity.
APPLY:
Most people wear many hats: friend, parent, spouse, employee, boss… the list goes on. The catch is that each hat bears a purpose and corresponding tasks. When the tasks converge, more often than I’d like to admit, I seem to ‘transform’ my key purpose of being a follower of Christ into being yet another hat that I wear, another checkbox to tick off on my proverbial to-do-list.
Should the role of being a Christian be just another hat that I wear?
After reading the two passages, I’m reminded that bearing fruit and praising God are not just
tasks to be completed. Rather, just like how fruit needs to be continually borne, and how the Psalmist exhorts us to praise God every day, these cannot be one-off occurrences. These are some of the uncompromisable aspects of my divine purpose that cannot be compartmentalised in my life… let alone made into yet another task to be filed away as “completed”.
In my busyness, the ideal doesn’t match reality, and I’m reminded to reconsider the task-oriented mental framework I slip into when things start to pile up.
DO:
I need to put in place rhythms to keep myself accountable:
- Giving thanks in all things, and remembering to accord all praise and glory to God. I can do this by ending my day with the Daily Examen.
- Being accountable to spiritual friends on how I’m bearing fruit because I know that I can be prideful or even complacent.
- Continually seeking God regarding His divine will for me, and for how I can continue to serve His people.
PRAY:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your faithfulness even in the absence of my own. May You continue to give me the courage and grace that I need to live a life that is pleasing in Your eyes. Amen.
