Day 8 Thinking about my purpose
Point to Ponder: I was planned for God’s pleasure.
Verse to Remember: “The Lord takes pleasure in his people.” Psalm 149:4
Question to Consider: What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?
Again, all of them. The two things that really come to mind are work and school.
Work is a struggle sometimes. I like my job. I enjoy the research, and even if I don’t think I’m making a difference with what I write for the members, I am gaining knowledge that can help people in other parts of my life. So it’s rewarding. The problem I have is when we have slow times and I don’t have anything to do. This isn’t a problem in itself – it’s a problem when work picks up again and I get assignments. I find I get used to the slow times and doing things other than work, and I have trouble getting motivated to work when there’s work to do.
School is another area where I should concentrate more on doing it for Jesus. I think I’m supposed to be in school, but I’m not putting my whole effort into it. In fact, I’m kind of tired of being in school right now. I’ve had moments where I think I was nuts for going back for a master’s, and moments where I don’t know what I’m going to do with this degree after I’m done. I have moments where I think that maybe I should have just gone to seminary after all – but then I just know I wouldn’t enjoy seminary as much as I’m enjoying the INO program, and I wouldn’t really get the education I want out of it.
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I suppose the theme for this day "Planned for God's Pleasure" is related to how we can find joy in our work by getting a belief that our work is serving a good purpose and pleasing someone we love. So, for example, if we set our hearts on how strongly we love God or Jesus, and then imagine that our mundane work is in service to Jesus, this could make us happier in our mundane work.
I suppose God "loves" the people. The people are doing some things that will cause them harm (environmental problems). Someone needs to reach people and help them do different things that won't cause so much harm (solving environmental problems). You have talents as a writer, as a thinker, and as someone who cares about the environment.
It therefore makes sense to frame your dedication to learning about the environment and writing as a dedication to the ultimate aim of helping to reach people with a message. This is the message of solving environmental problems. You are especially well-suited to reaching Christians with this message. And so, you could also ask yourself, is this reading or this work giving me ideas or skills or knowledge that will help me reach Christians with a message about environmental problems and their solutions?
So long as you can find the practical application of your learning to this ultimate aim and this calling you have, I suppose you will be able to find enough enthusiasm to carry it through.
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