I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. (Philippians 1:27)
I love the Thanksgiving season. I enjoy the cooler weather and the fall leaves. School is out and family is in. You can watch football, go shopping, or just relax for a few days. But most of all, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our blessings. We live in the wealthiest nation in history where God gives us modern technology, comfort beyond imagination, and solutions for most of our health issues. We, as Christians, also have a gift that is arguably greater than all of the material blessings God grants us. We have the gift of purpose via the Great Commission.
People need purpose. I watched the Minion movie with Grace recently and even in a children’s show, the Minions were lost without a purpose. Their life became meaningless without an evil villain to support and/or terrorize. This idea comes from many modern health studies that indicate there is a direct relationship between having purpose and longevity. When you retire, you need another purpose to fill the void that a job satisfies. Harvard researcher Eric Kim finds that a higher sense of purpose also correlates to a reduced risks of disability, stroke, heart disease, sleep issues and other health problems (https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/21/harvard-researchers-say-a-purpose-leads-to-longer-healthier-life.html). Purpose is critical for our overall well-being and God provides what we need.
Paul in the Philippian letter tells Christians they have “one spirit and one purpose” (1:27). This applies to us as well because the Great Commission gives all Christians purpose. Who would we be without this purpose? Imagine Jesus returning to heaven without giving His disciples a mission. They may yearn for His return, but would they actively seek out the lost and preach the Good News to them? In the Army we have an operation order (OPORD) that tell us everything we need to know to accomplish the mission. The most important part of the OPORD is the mission statement. If no other information gets through, the mission statement tells soldiers what they must do. The Great Commission is the Christian OPORD. We have the Bible which gives us lots of information, but the essential part of the message for our lives is the Great Commission. This is what gives us purpose in life.
God gives His people purpose. In the Old Testament, God’s people’s mission was to remain pure so that they could bring a life-saving savior into the world; an inward focused purpose. Now God blesses us with an outward focused mission that opens the door of His saving grace to the whole world. Thank you Lord for giving us purpose!
Scripture: Philippians 1:27
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