Jesus Knew His Purpose. Do You?

Jesus Christ is our ultimate role model when it comes to “Finding Your Greater Yes!” He left Heaven to die and be crucified. But the cross was not an end in and of itself. Hebrews 12:2 tells us: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What was the “joy set before him?” It was the restoration of God’s relationship with man. Colossians 1:22 tells us, “But because Jesus died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ's death has made you holy in God's sight.” We are Christ’s “Greater Yes!” Jesus taught in synagogues, walked hot sandy roads, built into the lives of his disciples and ultimately let himself be executed -- all with this end in mind.

He was able to leave Heaven because he knew:
1. Who he was: the son of God
2. Whose he was: He belonged to God.
3. Why he was here: to die and rise again to reunite man with God
4. What he was destined to become: the glorified Christ in heaven

Can you confidently answer these four questions about yourself? Do you know who you are in God’s sight? Do you know how he really feels about you? Do you understand your mission in life and your destiny?

Ephesians 2:10 answers these questions for us: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We need to live our lives with the certainty and direction that Jesus modeled for us.

Breaking Out of the Cage

Eagles aren’t meant for cages, yet that’s exactly where this one sat. I noticed him on a visit to a zoo.

This eagle was created to soar over mountains with his wings spread wide. Yet there he sat, never to experience the power of his potential and destiny.

Many of us our like that eagle. We have an inner sense that life should be more exciting, our work more satisfying and our relationships more fulfilling. Without really noticing how it’s happening, we begin to view our circumstances as cages that keep us from true happiness. God wants to offer you a “Greater Yes!” He wants you to live a life that echoes now and for eternity.

If you haven’t begun, it’s time to get on the journey to finding “Your Greater Yes!”

Time to take out the garbage

A popular acronym in the early days of computing was GIGO, which stands for “garbage in, garbage out.”

This acronym captures the idea that computers are dependent on the quality of the input data.

“GIGO is usually said in response to users who complain that a program did not ‘do the right thing’ when given imperfect input,” notes Wikipedia. “It is also commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data.”

Many of us are unknowingly putting garbage into our minds that clouds our view of how God sees us.

It’s crucial that we have God’s view of ourselves.

Jesus told an expert in religious law that the greatest commandment of the Old Testament was: “'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. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matt. 22:37-39).

Jesus lets us know that, in order to love our neighbor properly, we must love ourselves. In other words, we must have the high view of ourselves that God does.

As the old saying goes, “God doesn’t make junk.” However, if we believe we are junk, we will think and act like it.

Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, all of us who have trusted him for forgiveness can have a fresh start with him everyday. We need to address our past, but we do not have to be paralyzed by it. We can trust God to change us because He loves us too much to leave us as we are.

Understand that God loves you and is for you. He has a plan for your life -- a “Greater Yes!”

Ask Him to help you view yourself as He does and to transform your way of thinking as you “input” His truth from the Scriptures.