Real Purpose in Life
Every now and then I hear a statement that just STOPS me dead in my tracks.
Here is one from the immensely popular, often controversial, but always intellectually stimulating Jordan Peterson, author of 12 Rules for Life. You can learn more about this book here.
Here is one from the immensely popular, often controversial, but always intellectually stimulating Jordan Peterson, author of 12 Rules for Life. You can learn more about this book here.
I doubt you will hear this week (or even this month) anything more radically, profoundly, almost ridiculously different than the status quo message of our culture.
Our culture tells us the purpose of life is to live for yourself. To maximize yourself. To look out for yourself. To demand every right you can for yourself. To promote yourself. To make yourself look as amazing as possible. Yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.
It is the number one lie-temptation the Evil One has been using for a very long time. He uses it because it works.
So Peterson, who is on a fascinating religious-spiritual journey (I do not think he is a Christian, although he may understand Christianity better than most Christians), sounds like an Old Testament prophet with a clarion call for a vastly different way of life.
What if our purpose in life is to serve, to love, to sacrifice, to look after the interests of others, to work for the benefit of all others, to live selflessly for the sake of others... and to find the largest burden you can bear and bear it?
What if...?
Can you imagine how utterly and wonderfully different relationships would be, life would be, and our broken, hateful, steal, kill, and destroy culture would be?
Can you imagine how different church and Christianity in our nation would be if we did this?
Peterson didn't invent the idea. He simply said what Christ said and did.
Our culture tells us the purpose of life is to live for yourself. To maximize yourself. To look out for yourself. To demand every right you can for yourself. To promote yourself. To make yourself look as amazing as possible. Yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.
It is the number one lie-temptation the Evil One has been using for a very long time. He uses it because it works.
So Peterson, who is on a fascinating religious-spiritual journey (I do not think he is a Christian, although he may understand Christianity better than most Christians), sounds like an Old Testament prophet with a clarion call for a vastly different way of life.
What if our purpose in life is to serve, to love, to sacrifice, to look after the interests of others, to work for the benefit of all others, to live selflessly for the sake of others... and to find the largest burden you can bear and bear it?
What if...?
Can you imagine how utterly and wonderfully different relationships would be, life would be, and our broken, hateful, steal, kill, and destroy culture would be?
Can you imagine how different church and Christianity in our nation would be if we did this?
Peterson didn't invent the idea. He simply said what Christ said and did.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." Luke 9:23-24
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:12-14
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
So, What Burden are You Carrying?
If the way of Jesus Christ is truth and if that way is life, then when you carry the burden of another, you participate in life and you help another find life as well.
CHALLENGE: For the next 30 days, without telling anyone you are doing so, start finding and carrying burdens. Do it joyfully, prayerfully, and persistently.
Follow Jesus in his cross-carrying, burden-bearing way and see what Jesus will do through you.
Pastor Brian Rice
CHALLENGE: For the next 30 days, without telling anyone you are doing so, start finding and carrying burdens. Do it joyfully, prayerfully, and persistently.
Follow Jesus in his cross-carrying, burden-bearing way and see what Jesus will do through you.
Pastor Brian Rice