|
Trust In the Lord |
|
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." |
|
|
Seek The Lord |
|
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD."
|
Welcome To Life's Quests
Quest: n. The act or instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search
"The
chief end of man is to glorify God
and to enjoy Him forever."
The main quest and purpose of our life is to glorify God, our Creator. In that quest we can discover many things. We will discover His deep, compassionate love for us; His kind, gentle words of acceptance; His equipping us for the ministries He's called us to; and we may even discover what those ministries are. In the quest to glorify God, we might even begin to understand what 'enjoying Him forever' really means.
In young adulthood, the quest often takes off in a different direction. Instead of intentionally seeking to glorify God, we seek to belong, to find an identity, to excel in competence, or to engage in activities. These are the quests of our personalities: four distinct personality types (SJ, NF, NT, SP) and four distinct quests. As Christians, perhaps we hope that God will be glorified as a by-product of our searching. All too often it takes years to see the emptiness of our pursuits. These four quests should be deliberate and intentional avenues in which God is glorified in our lives. These four quests should not be sought after merely as selfish acquisitions in our own journey to self fulfillment.
For the Christian, we already belong because we are "accepted in the Beloved"; we already have an identity because we are "Children of God" and "joint heirs with Christ", "citizens of heaven", "new creations", "ambassadors", "priests" and "saints"; we are already competent because we can "do all things through Christ who strengthens us"; and we are to be engaged in activities for the Kingdom - to "stir up love and good deeds", "pray without ceasing", "walk in the Spirit", "present our bodies as living sacrifices", give, fellowship with other believers, "make disciples", and "do everything to the glory of God". And here we are, back, full circle, to our beginning.
"Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Most of my adult life was spent in pursuit of me - finding an identity. I struggled to know myself and my place in the world. I desperately needed to know who I was, what I was good at, what I was here for, and where (in the world) I was headed. I was not pursuing a fast-track career, or gaining prestige or wealth. In fact, I was a single mother, with just a high school education, limited transportation, and a rather negative outlook on life. I had no dreams, at least no dreams I thought would ever come true. I wasn't thinking about my future, my children's future or much of anything, except survival. Seeking God and His kingdom was not much of a priority, and sometimes seemed unrealistic. For a good portion of those years I did not attempt to glorify God.
I was theologically sound. I knew my position with God. I knew I was saved (born again), and I knew I was going to heaven when I died. I understood I was in Christ and He was in me. I knew Jesus as my Savior, but not as a close friend. I didn't know God very well, and I was unsuccessful at gaining a complete picture of myself. My picture was of weaknesses, and very few strengths. By default I built my life on and around the weaknesses instead of strengths. My life's direction during those years seemed pretty dismal.
"It is better to build on your strengths and see yourself thrive than to build on your weaknesses and struggle to survive."
-- unknown
When my quest began to revolve more around God's purpose for my life, I began to see wonderful things happen. I gained a clearer picture of my strengths - as God designed me, and how life experiences have shaped me uniquely for His purpose. It's been a long journey, and it's not over yet. But now I can say I know myself very well, and I am growing deeper in knowing, understanding, and appreciating God and His ways.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."