Work With Purpose

For a while now I've been reading in the book of Acts. It's been thrilling following the accounts of the disciples adventures and struggles in bringing the gospel of Jesus to the lost. Acts is a captivating retelling that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Many times it is a life and death situation for the disciples, and you're left marveling at how they narrowly escaped death yet once again. Tonight when reading in Acts chapter seventeen I was struck yet once again by the tremendous amount of opposition the disciples faced over and over again, and they NEVER quit! They were beaten, threatened, thrown into prison, brought before authorities, and told to stop preaching the gospel time and time again, and they NEVER quit! They literally would preach one place until they were no longer welcome there and then move onto the next town and begin preaching there only to be threatened, accused, and opposed in that town too.

Y'all this has hit me deep! It's been like something that has slowly marinated deep in my soul as I have woven my way through the book of Acts. With each passing verse and chapter I've found myself thinking, "Aren't they discouraged yet. Don't they want to give up yet?" I mean I get discouraged because my computer freezes up on me when I'm composing a blog post. Or my knee hurts a little when I'm running. Or because my life doesn't look quite like what I expected or hoped in this season. While these are all real and valid components of my life some days, my recent journey through Acts has challenged me to reconsider how I navigate the opposition and challenges life throws at me.

I've been astonished to realize that there is not any recounting of the disciples complaining of being overwhelmed, discouraged, or tired beyond giving of themselves again. Nope, instead after being rejected in one town they faithfully head to the next town and commence preaching once again. It didn't matter if they were going to get shot down again. It didn't matter if they got beaten again. It didn't matter if prison was their next stop. They kept being faithful to their calling. Kept doing the next thing. Kept taking the next step, following the Holy Spirit, and trusting God to use it all for His glory!

But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Acts 17:5 NLT

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Acts 17:10 NLT

But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. Acts 17:13-14 NLT

Do you hear it, do you see it, do you feel it?! Within just a few short verses of each other Paul and his team have been kicked out of a town twice and gone on to preach at the next place they were sent to. If you crack open the book of Acts you will read of this very thing time and time again! 

I'm gonna make a confession. The other night I was feeling a little down about this. I was thinking to myself, "The disciples in the book of Acts defied death, they endured intense suffering, and were ridiculed, mocked, and threatened all for the sake of the gospel." In comparison my life looks and feels pretty mundane and boring some days. But as fast as that thought entered my mind the Holy Spirit whispered. "It all holds purpose. Open your eyes to see it. The very things that you see as opposition in your life. The things that discourage you and get you down. They're you're opportunity to allow Me to do My deeper work in you. That's YOUR suffering, that's YOUR struggle. You know what it is for you that you keep coming back up against. You know what it is for you that you face around every corner. That's your opportunity to lean deep into Me and grow character and grace that has an impact for Me and My kingdom." 

It's true! God has placed each one of us on earth at this unique point in history for a specific plan and purpose. Every difficulty, every closed door, and every dead end that He allows in our lives holds a specific purpose. If we allow the Holy Spirit to keep this in the forefront of our minds, if we chose to work with purpose, it will change us from the inside out. In the weeks and months ahead I'm going to be seeking to adopt the disciples mindset. When a door closes, when something doesn't work out, when people judge me or put me down for the way I chose to live my life, I'm gonna pick up my knapsack and head to the "next town." I'm gonna work with purpose at each opportunity God gives me until that door closes, and when it closes I'm gonna trust God with that closed door. Truth is that the rejection and opposition the disciples faced often sent them forward to the next opportunity God had for them. So I'm not gonna question the closed doors, the opposition, the suffering I face. I'm going to embrace it as part of God's grand plan to lead me forward in His grace and truth. I'm gonna trust that the purpose the next opportunity holds is worth the opposition I'm facing right now. I'm gonna walk through the mundane and boring some days hold knowing that with Jesus the next adventure is just a closed door and an unexpected opportunity away. With this in mind, I work with purpose. 

Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, "Your blood is upon your own heads--I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles." Acts 18:4-6