BORN WITH A PURPOSE

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. —Luke 2:8-11

“Born to Be Wild” is a throw-back song which speaks about living for self and doing what one wants. It is about living for pleasure and never wanting to die. I find it interesting that this song mentions both birth and death. But the sad thing about this song is it, like so many songs and movies man devises, only focuses on the temporal and material.

There was another whose birth announcement to shepherds included also the work He would do though death. He is our Savior and would “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:32). He would be a sin offering for us (II Corinthians 5:21). Instead of being born to live for self and the temporal, Jesus was born to live and die for others as He was focused on the eternal. The main “reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (I John 3:8). He did this through his death that “he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:17).

You were born with a purpose. Fellow follower of Jesus, He caused you to be born-again into the family of God. You are a child of the King and He has purpose for your life. Now the question is this: Are you focused on the eternal or the temporal, the spiritual or the material? Is the life you are living the life He desires for You— What impact are you making for Him as you live for Him? That which you do for Him should flow out of your relationship with Him. Are you focused on the His will or your will? May it be His!

Dear Father, may I focus on those things that are important to You and not be caught up in those temporal things that mean nothing and are only passing away. Be pleased to focus me on those things You would have me focused on and do these in the Name of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit’s power. Yes, may this be so!