Purpose

Vol. 2 Issue 2
January 10, 2008
The weekly newsletter of True Potential Publishing

Love

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

I was beginning to wonder if spending nine weeks exploring the fruit of the Spirit might be a little too preachy, a little too much like I was giving a sermon instead of writing about purpose and human potential. The fruit of the Spirit includes some wonderful character traits, but is it really on topic for this newsletter?

When I started reading Paul’s introduction to the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians, I realized that he was writing about freedom; escaping the slavery that prevents us from accomplishing our purpose and embracing the freedom to become whole, fully-realized human beings – as God intended us. That’s about as on-topic for our weekly Purpose letter as I can imagine.

*****

When we talk about “love” in the New Testament, we always have to start out with a Greek lesson. The New Testament was written in Greek and then translated into other languages; ours being English. The thing is, the Greek words the New Testament writers used don’t always have an English equivalent that’s going to accurately and fully convey the meaning the writer was trying to get across. “Love” may be the best example in the New Testament. In fact, “love” may be the most important word in the New Testament.

In English we use the word “love” to convey a lot of different meanings, from I “love” hotdogs, to I “love” the guys on my bowling team, to the sign on that seedy little video store on the west side of town called the “Love Shop,” to “For God so loved the world…”.

It can get a little confusing. That’s why the Greeks had different words for all those meanings of “love” … and that’s why we need a Greek lesson before we start to consider what the New Testament means when it speaks of “love.”

“Epithumia” is a Greek word that could be translated “love” in English. “Epithumia” means “craving, a desire for what is forbidden, lust.” It’s what that guy at the video store was thinking when he ordered his sign. When the Bible uses “epithumia” it’s not a good thing and certainly not what Paul was talking about as fruit of the Spirit.

“Eros” means “erotic or sexual love.” “Eros” isn’t in the same irredeemable league as “epithumia.” It still has mainly to do with sex, but is can mean the romantic and intimate love between man and wife. Not altogether bad, but not a word used in the Bible, so we’ll move on.

Of the two words used to convey “love” as we generally understand it, “phileo” would be the meaning we use most commonly as part of our everyday life. “Phileo” means “to approve of, to like, to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend, to be fond of doing.” When I say that I “love” hotdogs and I “love” the guys on my bowling team, I’m talking about “phileo.” It’s a nice word, but not fruit of the Spirit.

“Agapao” (or “agape”) is what the Bible says we should have as a result of God’s Spirit living inside of us. “Agapao” wasn’t used much in Greek culture at the time the New Testament books were written; it was more of a “church” word. Believers used “agapao” to express the unconditional love God has shown to us in Christ and that believers should show toward their brothers.

My friend and author David Pawson explains “agape” love in his book, Is John 3:16 the Gospel?

"[Agape] is the love of action. In other words, ‘eros’ is centered in the heart, ‘phileo’ in the mind, but ‘agape’ is centered in the will. The nearest English word I can get to ‘agape’ is care. To care for someone means giving them two things: your attention and your action. It is to do something loving on their behalf. Essentially, it is a response to someone’s need. It is neither a response to their attractiveness nor a response to things which may interest them. To act in agape love is to respond to someone else’s need, pay attention to that need, and then do something about it."

The kind of love Paul lists as fruit of the Spirit is a love of will and action. It’s a love that would sacrifice itself to come to the rescue of others. It’s the same love Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Paul tried to show the early believers that no matter what else they considered a sign of being godly, if they didn’t have love they were wasting their time. He told them that they could display all the gifts of the Spirit; they could speak in tongues, they could prophecy, they could have all the wisdom and knowledge and power in the world, they could give all their money to the poor and sacrifice their lives, but if they didn’t possess love (agape) it would all be for nothing.

Right after that, he explained what agape love is and isn’t: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (I Corinthians 13: 4-8a).

Agape love isn’t a feeling; it’s a matter of will. You have to practice it intentionally.

How do you incorporate agape love into your everyday? Take Paul’s advice. The next time your spouse or child or coworker aggravates you, take a breath, be patient; look past your irritation to their need.

The next time you see a young mother in a parking lot, in the rain, trying to wrangle three children and get her groceries in the trunk at the same time, offer a hand. The next time the kid in line ahead of you is fifty cents short, dig out your change. The next time you see a soldier in an airport buying lunch or a coffee, pay the cashier. Be kind.

Don’t worry about Bob having a nicer car than you, or about Sally having a bigger house. Life is about loving Bob and Sally, not about loving their stuff. If Bob or Sally is a little green about you having the nice car and big house, blow it off; Bob and Sally are more important than your stuff too. Don’t envy, don’t boast.

Don’t be rude, don’t be self-serving, don’t get angry every time something isn’t going your way, don’t hold a grudge. You get the idea. Take Paul’s list above and make your own list.

*****

To say that love is the key to success in life, the key to fulfilling our life’s purpose and living to our highest potential seems a bit naive in light of today’s philosophy and concept of success. In a world that defines success as “the attainment of fame, wealth and power,” can love really trump all of man’s schemes and strategies to make his life matter?

As I said in last week’s letter; everything this world has told you about success, purpose and human potential is wrong. True success goes beyond the here and now. True success lasts; real meaning and purpose are still alive long after the cars and houses have turned to dust and long after the opinions on men have been lost in the history of eternity.

When our lives on earth come to an end and when this earth itself finally passes away, Paul tells us, only three things from the here and now will remain: “faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

*****

I mentioned my friend David Pawson, above. David lives, writes and teaches in the United Kingdom. His book, Is John 3:16 the Gospel? And many, many other wonderful resources can be purchased from www.goodseed.org.

Next week, we will explore joy, and discover how joy is integral to living out our purpose and living up to our true potential. Until then, may God bless you and keep you.

Steve Spillman

Purpose

Vol. 1 Issue 20
December 13, 2007
The weekly newsletter of True Potential Publishing

Putting it all Together

In the last seven weeks we’ve covered seven characteristics related to God’s purpose for your life. Understanding these characteristics will help you recognize and accept the purpose God has planned for you. They’re not strategies for spiritual success that I or anyone else have created. They’re facets of our lives and His character that reveal how He weaves each of us into the tapestry of His eternal purpose.

This week we’re going to review these seven ideas and see if we can’t boil them down into a workable game plan.

1. You were built for your purpose

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

God considered you personally enough to give you your own unique personality and abilities and matched them to your unique purpose. You’ve been made to order.

God knew who you would be and what He had in store for you long before you were born. Who you are as a person, your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes, are matched to what it is He has for you to accomplish.

When you accepted Christ you underwent a second birth, a birth of the spirit. What makes up your spiritual nature are the gifts and the measure of faith you were endowed with as a result of your spiritual birth. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith” (Romans 12:6).

Your physical traits aren’t any more of an accident in God’s plan than the spiritual traits you received as a result of your spiritual birth. He made you physically and spiritually to fulfill His purpose.

Don’t think too highly of your talents and abilities; they were given as a gift, to use in His purpose. Don’t cling too tightly to the people, traditions and things you love; they are blessings on loan for His purpose. Don’t mourn your shortcomings or be disappointed in your handicaps; they may be your greatest gift in His economy. And be careful about what and who you disdain; they may be the very palette on which God paints His purpose in your life.

2. Your personal history has equipped you for your purpose

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Have you ever regretted something that’s happened to you or something you’ve done? How about a certain part of your life when you wish you could take a do-over?
How do you feel about your present existence? Do you feel like what you’re doing doesn’t really count for much in light of eternity? Wish you could do something important with your life?

All the seemingly bad stuff that’s happened in your past and the seemingly boring stuff that’s happening today aren’t outside of God’s plan or in spite of God’s plan. They’re a part of God’s plan. If you’re thinking that it would take a miracle for your mixed bag of past and present to ever add up to anything worthwhile in God’s eternal plan, you’re right it would. That’s what He does.

The problem with being in the middle of life is that, usually, you’re just to close to it to see God’s plan unfolding. But the plan is there anyway. Seeing it at work is only a matter of perspective. Just kept on trucking and God will work His plan.

3. It’s really His purpose – working in you.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

The Bible indicates that plan tends to look at things from man’s side of the equation and purpose tends to look at things from God’s side. The biggest problem with our concept of purpose lies in just whose purpose we’re really talking about. We’re all too eager for God’s purpose to fit into our plans. We’re really big on believing that God’s purpose is to prosper us or to give us good health or to keep us safe from harm. But we’re not so big on God’s purpose being personal sacrifice or personal holiness, or personal obedience.

How often do we pray, “Thy will be done,” and really mean it?

The most important thing to remember is that your purpose is really His purpose for your existence. God’s purpose for man is to glorify Himself. His purpose for your existence is that you may glorify Him.

What if God’s will, His purpose for your life didn’t include health, wealth and happiness? Would you still be able to pray, “Thy will be done”?

Sometimes His purpose overrides our plans; that’s as it should be. There are some things more important than health, wealth and happiness. There are some things more important than life itself.

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12: 24-25).

4. Behavior – obedience with a little “o”.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

When you think about your purpose in life it’s easy picture the glorious stuff - the big task. The basics, the little tasks that come along every day, sometimes just aren’t interesting enough to hold your attention.

Too many people spend their lives waiting for the big task while they ignore the little tasks God puts in their path every day. They’re looking for a hundred yard kick-off return and ignoring the blocking and tackling. The irony is that if they never get the blocking and tackling right, they’ll never be able to make the spectacular play they’ve been waiting for all their lives.

So what’s the blocking and tackling in the Christian life? It’s the stuff we already know. It’s found in Matthew 22:37-39. If you get this right, when the big play comes, you’ll be ready.

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Your purpose, what God’s plan is for your life, is unique and individual and meant just for you … and … it’s universal, meant for every person that ever existed. It’s both. The unique part of your purpose has to do with your individual mission in life. The universal part of your purpose has to do with how you’re to treat your God and your neighbor every day. It’s the blocking and tackling; it’s obedience with a little “o”.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind.” If you can’t get this one right you can forget about finding your purpose in life. Without the Purpose Giver, you have no purpose. How much private one-on-one time do you spend with Him every day?

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Our neighbors are everyone we come into contact with; the lovelies and the un-lovelies. They’re our neighbors when they’re a pain and they’re our neighbors when they’re in pain.

Jesus’ time on earth was spent teaching us who our neighbors were and how to treat them. The less important they were, the more unlovely they were, the greater grace and love Jesus showed them.

What’s your purpose in life? You already know parts one and two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind …” and “… love your neighbor as yourself.” Those are the basics. Get those two things right and the spectacular plays will follow along behind just fine.

5. Communication – purpose requires relationship.

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

If God is interested enough in you that He had you in mind when He first spun the world into existence. If your reason for being is that important in the grand scheme of things, don’t you think a regular morning meeting is a pretty good idea?

Way too often, people have told me that they just can’t find God’s will for their lives. At the same time they completely ignore God’s will for their day. You miss God’s will for your day enough times and you will miss God’s will for your life.

Having a daily meeting with God can be pretty simple. He already knows what you need. But He also wants you to ask. He wants you to ask so that you know He responds. But don’t spend the whole meeting telling God what you want and never listening for any feedback from Him. That’s a to-do list; not a meeting.

The most important part of the daily meeting is about listening. You’ve got a role to play in God’s eternal purpose and in that role there’s a task at hand today. You miss that and you’ve missed the reason for the meeting.

Today’s schedule involves your role in carrying out your purpose - today. If you handle today’s tasks today, then you’ll be ready for tomorrow’s tasks tomorrow. And don’t spend too much time on what got screwed up yesterday. Obsessing over yesterday takes your eye off the ball today. Today has its own issues and its own schedule. Focus on that.

Don’t get bored or disappointed if the daily schedule starts to seem a little, well … daily. Trust Him for the big picture and settle into the task at hand.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

6. Stepping out of the boat – Obedience with a big “O”.

Obedience, with a big “O” is about stepping out of the boat; and it brings, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and mind and soul and love your neighbor as yourself” to another level.

Big “O” is the complete surrender of everything you consider “yours.” It’s obedience to His call in spite of tradition, safety, common sense, security, even family. It’s obedience when it doesn’t make any sense, in the natural, to obey. It’s obedience in spite of your personality, your talents and your plans for the future.

The day will come, or it already has, when God will tell you what He wants you to do. It may not agree with your tradition or experience or career, or retirement plan. It may not make any sense on the surface and your friends and family may think you’ve lost your marbles, but when God talks to you personally about what He wants you to do with your life there’s no mistaking the meeting.

Your future lies in your response. Just because God had your part of His purpose planned when He created the universe, doesn’t mean you have to follow it. But the little “o” is never enough once you’ve had that intimate conversation with God. The big “O” demands that you make a decision. The decision to make “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and love your neighbor as yourself” personal. The decision to bet your life on it. When that time comes, and it comes for each of us, make the bet. There’s a lot more at stake than your retirement plan.

7. Timing – knowing when He’s called and how to answer.

You can have one big task in your lifetime that defines the reason God put you on this earth or you may have been given a lot of little tasks that together define why He put you here.

People have a tendency to always be looking for the “big task,” the big reason that will define their purpose. Too often we romanticize the “big task” and downplay the little tasks. But little tasks add up.

Timing is being ready to jump when you’re called. It’s also about not worrying if what you’re being called to do is the “big task” or not.

If you’ve already heard that call and jumped out of the boat and the waves are getting big and the wind is starting to scare you, stop for a second and remember Who called you out of the boat in the first place.

If you feel like you’re still in the boat waiting for the “big task” to come along, do what’s right in front of you. Purpose is everywhere. Sometimes big “O” it’s hiding in the little “o”.

*****

Those are our seven characteristics of His purpose for your life. So, can we turn them into a game plan? Seven simple steps? Let’s try.

1. Know that you’re capable of fulfilling His purpose for your life. He built you with all the parts you need.

2. Don’t worry about your past. Consider it training for your future.

3. Remember Whose purpose it really is. You’re a part of His plan, not visa-versa.

4. Fulfill your purpose daily by loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself.

5. Spend time every day talking and listening to God. Purpose requires relationship and relationship requires communication.

6. When He calls, step out of the boat. There’s nothing too scary, too big or too demanding to keep you from the task He has planned for you.

7. Purpose is everywhere. Be ready for the Big “O” when it comes by answering the daily call to little “o”.

There! We’ve done it! All that talk boiled down into seven simple steps. Seriously, fulfilling your purpose in this life isn’t that complicated. As a matter of fact, I think we can boil it down even more; into three words … trust, listen and obey.

*****

Until next week. May God bless you and keep you and may his face shine upon you.
In Him,

Steve Spillman