Living on Purpose

A friend of mine once shared a story with me about an early church father. I forget who exactly it was, and I was unable to successfully fact-check it for this article, so take this with a grain of salt. Caveats aside, I believe it is said that Ignatius would pause whatever he was doing whenever the clock tower bell rang on the hour and say, “One less hour until the day of judgment.”

I nodded a noncommittal expression towards my friend, unsure how exactly to respond. It felt both admirable and oppressive at the same time, and I felt a bit guilty about thinking it was too extreme. The oppressive aspect of that sentiment is seen more vividly in a song entitled “The Preciousness of Time” by hip-hop artist Timothy Brindle, who wrote: “No time to waste playing PlayStation or taking vacations. Today is the day of salvation.”

Are we to live every hour of every day under the constant awareness of the impending day of judgment? Should we never go on vacations or play games or take seasons and rhythms of rest in life because there are more people still to share the gospel with and there is more work to be done? I think not. God has ordained rest as well as work. We are, in fact, not the Lord, and we entrust all of our efforts and ministry in this life to him; only Christ’s shoulders are broad enough to carry that burden.

And yet, it may be said that we in comfortable America console ourselves too quickly on this front. While extreme, these anecdotes point to a truth of which I think we may need reminding: time is short, life is urgent, we should be living our lives on purpose. A particular verse jumped out at me recently that I’ve been thinking about in this regard, and I would like to share it with you. Romans 12:11 says, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Paul tells us it is possible to be slothful in zeal. While we may have once had a passion to know the Lord and make him known, it is possible for that fire to have died down and grown cold. It is possible for us to become spiritual sluggards, to abandon the love we had at first. Paul urged the Thessalonians to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1Thessalonians 5:14)

What does Paul call us to? He does not call us to more activity–initially. He calls us to a fervency of spirit: to have a spirit that is boiling over, on fire with zeal. A life lived in service to the Lord is fueled by a heart that is on fire for the Lord. At the beginning of Romans 12, Paul had appealed to his readers “by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” By his mercy he chose us before time began, opened our eyes, gave us a new life, forgave all our sin, granted his Spirit to dwell in us, continues to put to death sin in our lives, and carries us all the way to glory. His grace is the very realm in which we stand.

This was the driving force of Paul’s life. He was enraptured with the love of Christ for him. He says in Galatians 2:20, “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Or in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” Or again in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Note that he follows by adding, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me” Fervency for Christ leads to service.

A genuine fervency of spirit grows as our hearts comprehend more deeply the mercy of God toward us in Christ. As we consider our lives, that we are trophies of his grace, that we are not our own, but have been bought with a price, our hearts are oriented towards the glory of Christ. The burning zeal in our hearts is not to be useful, or to be meaningful, or to have a purpose, but simply that Christ would be exalted.

There is a famous story of Moravian missionaries from the 1700s. Two men from Germany felt the call of God to go to the West Indies to preach the gospel to the slaves there. They were not permitted to do so. So, they sold themselves into slavery, it is said, so that they could go and minister to the slaves. As the ship left to bear them away, they called out, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!”

What a precious statement that cuts right to the heart of the matter. Their fervent spirit was fervent about the glory of Christ because of his unfathomable mercy he freely gives to all who believe. The love of Christ compelled them into service. They did not say, “God will send someone to save those people when he pleases.” Rather, they said with Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8.)

Brothers and sisters, let us feel a sense of urgency. We mustn’t meander through life. We need to mature and grow in our walk with Jesus, to bear the fruits of the Spirit, to apply the means of grace. People need to hear and believe this gospel and know this Christ; be they spouse, kids, family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, some foreign people in a far-off land. The church needs encouragement, help, admonishing, patience. I can attest that my own fervency of spirit has gone up and down, as with all of us.

God has placed us each in a different season and context of life, family, employment, etc. Let us consider how we might serve the Lord and glorify Christ in our particular circumstances. God has also placed us in a church body together. Let us consider the needs of the church, both as individuals as well as a corporate body, both casually and formally.

Life is urgent. Let us not be slothful. Let us stir up our hearts with the gospel to be fervent in spirit. Let us serve the Lord. Let us live on purpose.

Matt Hauck attends Grace Bible Church