Recently, I presented the idea that God’s plan can become our purpose. In other words, when we search for God’s plan by reading His Word, and follow it, our lives begin to have meaning.
Jesus said it this way, “Blessed are the those who hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, for they will be filled.” “Filled with what?”, you might ask. Well Jesus went on to say that the merciful will receive mercy, the pure in heart will see God and the peacemakers will be called the Sons of God. The results of seeking His righteousness, is His righteousness. And we are even promised that when we are persecuted because of it, we will inherit the Kingdom of God. I can’t think of more purpose to life than that.
We had a unique experience at Faith Mission last month. Some of you may know that the MSU Mustang football team got a new head coach. His name is Rich Renner. Rich has been with the Mustangs for 20 years as an assistant and now has the reigns. One of the first things he did as head coach was to begin integrating service into his players’ development.
So, for several weeks, he had the players come to Faith Mission in groups of 8 or 10 and serve a meal. They were reluctant at first to trade their pads for aprons, but they did it. The experience was transformative. They learned lessons of gratitude and teamwork. They had a new appreciation for their own lives and many of them were eager to return.
In an interview with our development staff, Rich said, “The impact was evident by the end of their time at the shelter. The players had not only learned the importance of service. They listened to stories of hardship and resilience, gaining new insights into life’s challenges.”
Now I can’t say for sure that all those men were believers or even that they all came to the mission with a pure heart. But I do know that the ones who did serve because it is God’s plan that we love and serve people, found purpose in what they did. They told me as much. And they returned to their lives and their team better men for it.
When we follow God’s plan, our lives have meaning. And in some cases, following God’s plan can even bring meaning to someone else’s life. One client said, “I can’t believe those football players took time out of their day to come serve me.” When we love God and His plan, we can’t help but love people.
