Session 9
Life = Purpose (Part 2)
From The Gospel: Five Words You Need to Know
READ:
• John 10:14–18
• Psalm 37:4
• Psalm 119:73–80
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” —John 10:14–15
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” —Psalm 37:4
“Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.” —Psalm 119:77
Our purpose begins by getting to know God and learning to delight in Him. In John 10:15, Jesus claims that He knows His Father. In order to find and fulfill our purpose, we need to follow Jesus’ example and get to know as much about God as possible.
How do we get to know God? Just like we would a new friend. We choose to spend time with Him on a regular basis as we read our Bibles and pray. The Bible is God’s words to us—it’s just like we’re sitting down beside God on the couch or across from Him at a coffee shop table. He is speaking directly to each of us through scripture. And as we read a little more day after day, we learn more about God’s character and about who He is. Prayer is also an important part of our time with God. This is our opportunity to talk back to God. We can ask questions about what we read in the Bible, we can release our emotions about a particular circumstance, and we can thank Him for something He did in our lives. There’s really no limit or rules about how our conversations with God have to go. We are just called to do it.
And here’s what’s really cool—the more we get to know God, the more we will delight in Him. As we get closer to Him and get to know Him better, then we see how good He really is and how much He loves us. We see that He is faithful and keeps His promises. We see that He is a safe place to bring anything we are feeling or going through. It’s then when we start to spend more time with Him because we want to, that we learn to truly delight in the Lord. And when we know and delight in Him, we want to carry out HIS purpose for us. We will look more at that tomorrow.
RESPOND:
• Do you regularly spend time reading your Bible and praying? If not, what can you do to make that happen? If so, what is He currently teaching you about Himself?
• How do you feel about spending time with God? Is it something that you do because you’re supposed to or do you enjoy your time with Him?
• If time with the Lord feels more like obligation, ask God why and for him to give you a new excitement for it and enjoyment in it.