Fulfill Your Purpose

My daughter, who is musically gifted and has experience in leading worship, was attending a worship event recently. Her ear could appreciate the talent possessed by the vocalists and musicians, but something was missing. While they were good, they had no passion. Conviction for what they were doing was missing. Perhaps, these were gifted people who liked the stage and liked to perform rather than having a calling to take people to the throne of God in worship. Perhaps, they lost sight of their calling. She scanned the audience only to see students and adults completely unengaged and surfing their phones. Heart-broken, tears filled her eyes at the sobering reality of a lack of Spirit-filled leaders with a passion to answer their call to lead God’s people. It reminded her to take seriously her calling and fulfill the ministry God has assigned to her.

And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord,” Col. 4:17.

God has given you a purpose and a ministry. Some of us are called to vocational ministry. Most are not. Regardless, all of us are given a particular purpose or task. Whether you are called to vocational ministry or not, this applies to you.

It is easy to think you are not good enough. It is easy to get discouraged if others don’t appreciate you, or if you feel punched in the gut by church-members who call themselves your friends, or if you are slandered, or if you are underpaid. The list goes on. It is easy to think you and your work doesn’t really matter. Whether you are called to “ministry” or not, you have a particular task to fulfill. You do matter, and doing what’s been entrusted to you matters.

It’s not just the spineless person who gets discouraged in completing and fulfilling their purpose. It’s not only the wimp who has moments of wanting to quit and raise the white-flag. Who was Archippus? He was referred to as a fellow soldier (Philemon 1:2). A soldier is extensively trained with their purpose deeply embedded into them to not give up—no matter the cost. That was Archippus in the gospel, yet Paul knew he needed to be urged on to complete what was entrusted to him.

There are times when I’ve given my older kids instructions when they are taking a younger sibling somewhere. I’ll say, “Be sure you watch them until they are safely inside.” It is ONE thing I’m asking them to be sure they do. One thing that must be done. This is same meaning when it says, “See that you fulfill….” It means giving careful attention to a task until it is complete.

What task has the Lord given you to do? There are many things in life that we do, things that battle for our attention, things that are legitimate steps in life, and things that can get us completely side-tracked. God has called you to a task—just for you. Some of you know exactly what that is. Some of you need to ask the Lord what it is. Whatever it is, do it. Do it well. Just like Archippus, be that amazing rock, that fellow soldier in seeing to completion what God has called you to do. Get up out of whatever is discouraging you, dust it off, and focus on the ONE thing to which you are unquestionably called. Yes, there are little things along the way that we must do, but DO NOT NEGLECT your clear calling and do it with passion!