Some KNOW who they are and what defines them:
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
“I’m Hub McCann. I’ve fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and TANKS! I’ve seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I’ve won and lost a dozen fortunes, KILLED MANY MEN! And loved only one woman, with a passion a FLEA like you could never begin to understand. That’s who I am.”
Of course, the amazing lines above are FICTIONAL.
But Jesus was even more certain of His IDENTITY and PURPOSE. At twelve, he spoke like a Prince and Heir to the throne when He said, “I must be about My Father’s business.”
At 30, He gave us His “mission statement” when He read in the temple a prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” Luke 4:18.
Jesus then made the most stunning, jaw-dropping statement: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” Luke 4:21. He was BOLD and CONFIDENT.
Matthew narrates additional lines from Isaiah 9:1-2: “the people walking in darkness have seen a GREAT LIGHT, and on those living in the land of the shadow of death, A LIGHT HAS DAWNED” Matthew 4:16. Later, the Father confirmed Jesus’s purpose, speaking from Heaven:
“This is My BELOVED SON, in whom I am well-pleased. Listen to Him” Matthew 17:5.
The Bible contains much more about the purpose of Jesus, Joseph, Moses, Paul, and others.
Imagine if you will, this single purpose: the earth is shrouded deep in the darkness of sin–but Jesus said to His followers: YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Matthew 5:14. He is the source of that light, John 8:12. But He invites us to share in that incredible purpose. He is the sun that will rise on the horizon and bring light into every single place. Jesus is the Light of the World. And we get to spread His light.
Dear God, show us Your purpose for each of us.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 