daily devotional

There’s a God given purpose living inside of you. A designed purpose for your days using your experiences, your talents, and your passions. We often go on a search for our purpose. Maybe I’ll find it over here, as if purpose is some sort of object hidden in the bushes, waiting for you to find it. I assure you, your life has purpose and it doesn’t require a hunt to be found. You’ve never lost it. It’s inside of you. Within you is purpose.

If you don’t feel guided by your purpose, understand it’s just been laying dormant. It’s not a hunt that’s needed, it’s a movement. Your purpose needs to be stirred and moved so you’re reminded of what’s within you. Imagine it’s like you’re pregnant. You’re carrying around purpose. Sometimes it lays real still. And sometimes it gets hiccups and you know it’s there. And other times you’re not sure if it’s purpose moving around or if it’s gas. Yeah, that’s the way purpose feels sometimes.

Last week while listening to an Elevation Church podcast, I heard the story of two pregnant women explained in a way I never understood before. Remember the story of Elizabeth?

Elizabeth and Zachariah were unable to have children until she miraculously became pregnant at a very old age. The bible isn’t specific in her age, but it’s estimated she was in her late 80’s. Elizabeth was pregnant with a miracle who had tremendous purpose. That miracle was a baby named John, who would grow to become John the Baptist, the man chosen by God to pave the way for Jesus. His purpose was to go before the Messiah preparing for his work on Earth.

Elizabeth’s little cousin was Mary. You know, virgin Mary … the “Mary did you know” from Christmas. Yes, that Mary. And Mary was pregnant with a miracle as well. Who was she pregnant with? Yes, Jesus! The very son of God sent to save the world.

The entire story goes down in Luke chapter 1. Zachariah is visited by an angel and told his barren wife will have a baby and that baby’s purpose is to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. 6 months later the same angel comes to Mary and gives her the shocking news that she will bare the very child of God who will save the world. Woah … that’s a big deal. Scripture says in verse 39 a few days later Mary went to the town where her cousin lived. You know why it took her a few days? Yeah, probably because her head was spinning. What just happened here? My world just got turned upside down. I had a good thing working. I was engaged to this really nice guy, now I’m like all of a sudden pregnant and he knows there’s no way it’s his baby. They stone unwed mothers in this town. What am I going to do now? Oh, I’ll go see my cousin Elizabeth who’s pregnant too.

So now we pick up in verse 41 when Mary comes into her cousin Elizabeth’s house…

“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her.”

Elizabeth was pregnant with a baby who had tremendous purpose. Mary was pregnant with Jesus. The purpose in Elizabeth leaped within her when the Jesus in Mary came near. Ahhhhh … did you get it?

The purpose in you is moved by the Jesus in others. Your life has purpose. You are pregnant with purpose. You don’t need to go searching for it, it’s already inside of you. Perfectly placed within you by your creator. But maybe it’s been laying still. You don’t feel led by purpose. You don’t feel driven by purpose. What needs to happen is your purpose needs to be stirred. It needs to be moved. How is the purpose in you moved … by the Jesus in others.

As a follower of Christ, Jesus is living inside of me. He guides and directs me, working through my hands, my feet, and my words. The Jesus in me is here today to move the purpose in you. This world desperately needs exactly what is inside of you. Someone, somewhere needs you to fulfill your purpose and live up to your potential. Their world is depending on you to seek what God has placed in you.

If your purpose has grown stagnant. If you feel like you’ve lost your way and unsure what exactly you’re supposed to be doing on this earth … the answer is GET AROUND PEOPLE WHO HAVE JESUS IN THEM.

And the Jesus in you will move the purpose in others. Today you will be surrounded by people who feel as if they have lost their purpose. People who are wandering around unfulfilled and unhappy. They’re good people, made to do good things, however the noise of the world has silenced their purpose. What they need is you. The purpose in them needs the Jesus in you. Let God work through you. Let his light shine through you. Let his love flow through you. You don’t need to do anything other than show up and greet them, just as Mary did. Jesus will do the work. Jesus does the moving and stirring. You’re just carrying him there.

Are you searching for your purpose … well you can stop driving yourself crazy hunting for what’s already inside of you. You will feel it move when you get around people who have Jesus in them. Spend time with the right people. Have conversations with the right people. The Jesus in them is there to move the purpose in you. And the Jesus in you is desperately needed by some seeking people around you. Just show up for them today and let God work through you.

Imagine this, God simply wants to use you to move someone else into their purpose today. He wants to use you to stir someone up who’s grown stale and stagnant. He wants to use you as their answered prayer. YOU COULD BE AN ANSWERED PRAYER TODAY. And all you have to do is show up with Jesus in you and say hi. That’s it.

Let the Jesus in you move the purpose in others today. And let the purpose in you be moved by the Jesus in others.