Photo by Victor Habbick freedigitalphotos.net

God has used doves to speak to me at various times. You might be rolling your eyes at me, but it’s true. Once I was going through a hard time and asked God to show me He was really there with me. I was on the front porch swing and a dove across the street flew right toward me and swooped up at the last second. My heart just about stopped with awe, because it was such a tangible way for God to show me His presence. Since then  He has continued to use doves in the the same way. It always happens when I am troubled or hurting or upset about something, and it always reassures me of God’s presence in the midst of my angst.

So when a dove practically led me to church yesterday (the dove flew in front of my car on the street to our church, leading me for several blocks, then lit on the the telephone line directly above the church’s entrance), I knew God had something good in store for our church gathering. As we walked into the church building, I told my boys how God speaking to me through doves made me feel like my life had more meaning being connected with God like that…that my life had purpose.

And then guess what the sermon was about? PURPOSE. Yes, indeed. Don’t you love it when God orchestrates an awesome string of circumstances to speak to you directly?

Basically the sermon hit upon the very thing I told my boys…being in tune with God, loving Him with my whole being gives me purpose in this life.

Every inventor creates something for a specific purpose. If you used a light bulb to make a flower arrangement, you are not using the light bulb for its intended purpose…a purpose that would be glorious in its illumination…a purpose that would benefit the world in darkness.

God created us for a specific purpose and when we don’t use our lives for that purpose we miss His glorious presence and will never be fulfilled on this earth.

So what is our purpose? You know it, really.

Our purpose is fulfilled in loving the Lord.

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. …” Matthew 22:37-38

When you love Him…truly love Him and spend time with Him…you fulfill His purpose for your life. For when you love someone, you want to spend time with them. You admire them and want to be like them. And that is true with God. When we spend time with Him, we learn how to be like Him. And when we are like Him, we can love others better.

Loving God and loving others. Simple really. But so often we stray from our purpose. Oftentimes we think our purpose in life is the talent or abilities that God has given us. That may be our calling in life, but it isn’t our purpose. We can be a great artist and make our living at it, but it is not our purpose in life.

Our purpose is simple. Love God with your whole being. 

So how do you do that? How are you going to grow in love for God? Here are some suggestions:

• Spend time with Him. You prioritize your time to spend time quality time with Him. He is important and deserves our time above all other activities in your life. During this time, talk to Him, read His word, meditate on His goodness. 
• Go to church and worship with fellow believers. There is something special about the collective worship of people to the same GOD. There is unity and there is purpose in it. 
• Spend time with other believers. There is much encouragement to be found when you take the time to be with others who love God like you do. 
• Seek God throughout your day. He is working around you each and every day. Try to find Him in your day to day activities. You will be surprised at how He is at work in the small details of your life.

**Thanks to John Ketchersid at the Plymouth Park Church of Christ for an awesome sermon!