Looking Beyond The Sun: Left On Purpose

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Left On Purpose

Around the world foreign embassies house ambassadors representing their homeland. They represent their state, the policies and beliefs to which their country adheres. Ambassadors do not represent themselves. They emulate the qualities of the one who sent them. We Christians represent God and His kingdom, a King and land marked by love, mercy, grace, purity, joy.

Paul writes “we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us” (II Cor 5:20a). God has sent us on a mission to reveal Him to the world. In all areas of our lives, we should act and speak in view of this responsibility—at home, at work, at Starbucks, in line, in the gym, in the airport, with friends, with family, with strangers.

We are not our own to live as we would choose. Just as a political ambassador reflects the interest of the state, so too we ought to reveal the kingdom of heaven. God left us on earth for a purpose, to show His love, grace, compassion to the world around us. He has left with the message of hope, and it is our responsibility to share this gospel with our words, our deeds, our lives.

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I love the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon, the author, is a man I can connect with. Not because of his wisdom (The Lord knows how much I need to grow in that). But much like Solomon I’ve wrestled with the futility of life. I’ve struggled with a sense of purposelessness, boredom with the mundane, and discovering fulfilled dreams still don’t satisfy. That’s why when he writes in Proverbs 1:14, “I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind,” I echo a resounding, Amen!

Everything on earth (i.e. under the sun) is meaningless unless there is something more, something beyond the sun. That’s the point of Ecclesiastes. Solomon knows that the only thing that will bring meaning is if we connect our daily, routine, mundane lives for the purposes of God and His glory. But it’s hard to remember that. That’s why God tells us to encourage each other day and after day (1 Thess 5:11, Heb 3:13). Because of the gospel of Jesus, we do have a great purpose. We have hope to share, love to give, and gifts to build up.

But so often I lose sight of this and need reminding. And I bet you do too. So that’s why I write this blog. I write because it’s a tool God uses to draw me closer to Him and reveal more of His goodness to me. It helps me sort out my thoughts and God’s thoughts as revealed in Scripture. I write this blog to help both myself and my readers look beyond the sun. Paul tells us to, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:2, 3). So every blog post has this goal behind it, to stir our hearts and minds to lift upwards and beyond the sun where life and meaning and perfect love are found.