Move with a Purpose

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

Move With a Purpose

            If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times – move with a purpose!  And the strange thing is I’ve heard it in different venues, in different activities, and at different ages in my life.  Even though all this is true, the predicate for the phrase carried the same message:  Have a purpose in your actions.

            When I was very young, my father instilled in me a strong work ethic.  Dad told me to never do things halfway.  He said to always give it my all because my name goes on my work.  During my years in high school, I can remember my basketball coach telling us to, “Move with a purpose,” or in other words don’t move at half-speed.  The quicker you move, the harder it will be for the defense to follow.  And of course, the environment in which this phrase is emblazoned in my brain was in the military.  The drill sergeant would scream, “Move out with a purpose.”  Slacking off or not giving it your all made you stand out in a crowd of a hundred soldiers, which always garnered the gentle attention of a drill sergeant (sarcasm intended)!

            One of Newton’s laws of motions states that matter at rest tends to stay in that state until an outside force acts upon it.  We have all heard that since our days in high school and college.  But I ask you this, what is the purpose of the force acting upon the resting object?  Is there a reason for it to act?  If I began to explain the reason, this would be the point in which you would stop reading!  There is a reason, and I’ll leave it with that.

            Since there is a purpose for every action, what was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth?  Many might say He came to save the lost which would be a true statement.  But I propose a deeper purpose, and a reason for the force causing His coming!

            Since the day sin entered into this world through the choices of two people, mankind has been separated from our Creator.  God loves us, the only facet of His creation made in His image.  We are special!  God longs for a relationship with each of us in the same way we long for relationships.  God set His plan of redemption in motion thousands of years ago.

            It is true that Jesus came to save the lost, but He came to first and foremost be a sacrifice for our sins.  He was the perfect Lamb, without blemish, without spot.  He was the first and the only perfect sacrifice according to God’s law.

            Jesus moved from Heaven to earth with a purpose.  That purpose was to die for us.  He knew that purpose yet came anyway because of His great love.  So, during this season of celebrating His birth, let us remember the purpose of His birth was to sacrifice Himself for sins He never committed.

            Jesus came for a purpose.  We should all be moved by our internal force and move closer and closer to Him every day.  In His purpose we will all find our purpose in God’s kingdom!