Life, Mission, and the Kingdom of God

Tim Elmore spoke at Chapel today and he started his message by talking about when we die and 20 years later our names get mentioned in conversation, our entire lives work will be summarized in a single sentence, much like an epitaph on a gravestone. He talked about having a single purpose that drives our lives. He said today: The two greatest moments of our lives are the moment we are born, and then the moment when we figure out why.

As he did so, he spoke from Esther 4:13-14.

Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think that in the king's palace
you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent
for such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from
another quarter, but you and your family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps
you have come to royal dignity for such a time as this."

Out of this passage he challenged us with four points.

If I don't step out and take a risk:
1. ...my fate will not differ from the rest of the crowd.
2. ...God will bless someone else who will.
3. ...I may lose more than an opportunity.
4. ...I could miss my God-given mission in life.

And of course, there was more to the message, but it all centered around the idea of our mission, of knowing the mission.
I thought this message was very fitting for the coming week. In my class, Leadership and Administration in Youth Ministry, we are going to begin writing Life Purpose Statements.

When I did this last year I felt clueless. How do I summarize my life's mission with a single statement. As I read through Scripture, I kept coming back to Isaiah 61:1-4.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liverty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lords favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn in Zion-
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display His glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins,
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

I knew my life's mission had something to do with this passage. I didn't know what to call it, so I called it Social Justice, but this summer I learned that my hearts passion is more than that; it's for the Kingdom of God, and my life's 'mission statement' will be written around the Kingdom.

When I have developed my written Life Purpose Statement for class, I will post it.

By the way, Tim Elmore said his was: "he influenced the influencers". Seems to work. He does leadership training.