PURPOSE. WORSHIP.

I hope that those who attend Covenant have been encouraged by our time together lately. Honestly, sermons on family, on fatherhood, on marriage are not the easiest to hear considering that I am a 24-year-old single male who doesn't see any evidence of a call to single life, except for the simple fact that I happen to be currently single. I am very much encouraged this morning though. Reading in Psalms, my mind was taken once again back to Genesis (go figure), and I had some clear, strong thoughts from the Lord. You know how it is when something, even something you've heard a thousand times, hits you in such a way that it causes not just knowledge, but change. The lightbulb over your head becomes a flame in your heart, however large or small. So yeah, one of those moments.

I am inspired by a greater sense of purpose. It's not a passive life we live, watching the world go by like open box cars, trying to figure out the moment when we can jump, all the while working up the guts to do it. But that's just the thing. Our purpose is so clearly laid before us. Ours is a pro-active life, an offense. "Have dominion," God told Adam. I'm not having dominion if all I'm doing is watching the box cars go by. I'm getting played. I've been there too much, yet to be set free by an understanding of the Truth.

The Truth is being brought to us powerfully each Sunday morning. And praise God. Our purpose is being made more clear. "Have dominion." "Be fruitful and multiply." These translate to my epic sense of purpose as, "Take hold of this world for the sake of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Do your thing in His Name, build His kingdom, and spread the Truth that first brought you here." These are simple things really. Moment by moment honoring God. It's harder, I think, than sitting around worrying about details. However, if God orders our steps, I just have to walk them as I see them. My efforts of discernment should be focused on doing what most honors the Lord.

As I am, looking forward to maybe one day not being 24, single, living with two other guys who leave a mess in the kitchen and threaten raucous company in the late hours of the "night," I find myself with purpose. And that's all I need. (I think my roommates are great, by the way.)

I imagine that this Sunday's worship will reflect a lot of this. I figure that similar thoughts are on the hearts of Covenant-peoples. I look forward to singing that God is great, that His Truth is everything, and that all this world will give Him praise because He made it, because it's His regardless of the evil making whatever mess it can while it can, and because I'm blessed enough to be here living for that very same honor and praise. The purpose of my life shares in the same essence of our corporate worship, and that excites me. That inspires me. I hope that you, reader, find the same to be true of yourself.





"We live in a constant paradox of hope and despair."