28 Nov Life lessons from a carpenter
When did you begin to understand your purpose?
Your purpose is who you are, determined by God, and God put in to your heart since you were in your mother womb for you to live in. It doesn’t change, it evolves.
Psalm 139:13-18:
[13] For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
[14] I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
[15] My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
[16] Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
[17] How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
[18] If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
Our purpose and destiny is God great thought about our life that given and determined by God.
Apostle Paul confirmed it
Ephesians 2:10:
[10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are including our purpose and destiny was created in Christ Jesus.
Recently, I was looking at a list of personal purpose statements.
I got to thinking about Jesus.
We are called to be conformed to the image of Jesus,
Romans 8:29:
[29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Jesus preferred self-description was “Son of Man.”
We sometimes miss the fact that He was once a boy, a teen, a young adult.
In the only description of His childhood, Luke records the incident when His parents lost sight of Him and He was found sitting in the temple, both listening to the elders and asking them questions.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
Luke 2:41-52:
[41] Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
[42] And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.
[43] And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
[44] but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
[45] and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
[46] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
[47] And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
[48] And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”
[49] And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
[50] And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. [51] And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
[52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Even at that early age, Jesus knew something about His origins and mission. He asked His parents, “Did you not know I must be about my father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)
Jesus could listen and ask questions. In doing so He found occasion to provide His own thoughts and all who heard Him were impacted.
Jesus knows for sure that His purpose and destiny is to do His Heavenly Father business.
But here we see what Luke says that He returned home and submitted to His human parents.
Much is revealed in a few lines of text. Jesus’ actions at an early age outline what healthy development looks like, such as knowing your identity, knowing how to converse, being curious yet respectful, and sharing your ideas with others while submitting to authority.
That Jesus could live a relatively quiet and unassuming life for nearly 30 years is also amazing.
He waited and rested in the Father’s timing and did not make a dramatic, premature entrance into the current cultural scene.
He was willing to surrender 30 years of patient development and quiet ministry for three and a half years of public ministry
God The Father work behind the scenes to prepare the Son
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13-17:
[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
[14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
[16] And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
[17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
At The Transfiguration
Matthew 17:1-8:
[1] And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. [2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
[3] And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
[4] And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
[5] He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
[6] When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
[7] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”
[8] And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up
John 12:27-32:
[27] “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
[28] Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
[29] The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
[30] Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.
[31] Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
[32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
The Son can do nothing from himself, but the Son sees what God The Father doing.
John 5:19-29:
[19] So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
[21] For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. [22] For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
[23] that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
[24] Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
[25] “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
[26] For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
[27] And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. [28] Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
[29] and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Jesus obey His Father to the dead on the cross and The Father give Him all power
Philippians 2:5-11:
[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
[6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
[7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
[8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
[9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
[10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I personally was fascinated with Jesus before I encountered Him as my Savior at the age of 17 and cannot help but keep that fascination even today, over 45 years later.
Are you fascinated with Jesus? Let’s keep our awe of Him and continue to learn and grow from His example. Amin
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