Blessed For A Purpose

"Today's Devotion" For March 17, 2005

Read: Luke 7:36-50
Galatians 2:11-21

BLESSED FOR A PURPOSE

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2:20)


Today is St. Patrick's Day. All over the Western world, and among Westerners living in other parts of the world, people who aren't even Irish are celebrating a servant of God who, in the early 6th Century is credited with bringing God's blessings in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland. In the purest sense of the intent of the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, the Irish take the time to count their blessings. Sadly, most who celebrate "St. Patrick's Day" could care less about his work as a servant of Jesus Christ and a missionary to Ireland. Yet, you and I can take a moment to give thanks for all those servants of God who have come before us and shared His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness with us and the world. So, in the spirit of the St. Patrick's Day observance, stopping to count our blessings would be a great blessing for us today.

I'm always amazed at how blessed I am, especially when things aren't going so well. It's at those times that I have to make a "gut check" and I discover that I've got more blessings than problems, so the current problem isn't so bad. God has blessed all of us with tremendous gifts and blessings. Most important of all His gifts and blessings to us is the gift of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. We have received the gifts of the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God because of Christ. As St. Paul notes, we have been "crucified with Christ," Who lives in us. In Him we live lives of faith guided by His love for us. Yet we often find ourselves following our own agendas which frequently differ greatly from God's, especially in our dealings with other people.

A good example of this occurred some years ago in a small Nebraska town with a population of less than 300 people. This small town, oddly enough, had two congregations of the same denomination, served by the same pastor, within a block of each other. There were no other churches in town. Once in a "blue moon" someone new would move into the community. When one of those rare family's moved to town one year, it decided to visit each of the congregations on different Sundays to decide which of them to join. It was quite obvious that they both had same pastor, so the family's decision wouldn't be based on the pastor's style, or lack thereof. The family's decision as to which congregation they would join would have to be based on other criteria. Which one should they choose? While deliberating this decision they ran into a member of the first congregation they had visited. She said to them, "I sure hope that you join our congregation. We could really use your money!"

I suppose it's not too difficult to figure out which congregation the family didn't join. When we lose our focus on God's blessings showered upon us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we end up being more concerned about material things than our relationship with God. We stop caring about the needs of others and focus on our own needs and desires. According to the legend of St. Patrick, it was his undying devotion to the Gospel that so impressed the pagans that they were led to Jesus. As did the faithful who went before him, and those who followed after him, Patrick's purpose was God's purpose. As we live according to God's purpose in our lives, we find ourselves truly caring about other people--people for whom Christ died and rose again. As we count our blessings, we look at others not as "sources of gain" for us, but as people in need of a Savior, just as we are. It becomes our overriding purpose in life to lead others to know the same joy and peace we have received as Christ lives in us and we in Him. Following in the footsteps of the faithful who have gone before us, we work diligently to share our faith in Christ with everyone we meet through how we live, work, and speak. We share the Father's love as we have received it, because Christ lives in us.

Prayer: Lord God, Heavenly Father, You sent Jesus to be my Lord and Savior from Sin. In Holy Baptism I have been crucified with Him and so I no longer live, but He lives in me. Let my life be one of living faith and of faithful service to others in Your name. Help me to be an effective witness to Your love, grace, and mercy, so that others may come to know You through me. Lead me to live my life according to your agenda so I may be an effective witness for Christ, in Whose name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.