Everyone Has A Purpose

“The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi, I have loved you, saith the LORD.  Yet ye say, Wherein hast Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I love Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons in the wilderness.”  Malachi 1:1-3

This statement by God that He hated Esau stands out to the readers of this passage because we don’t like to think of God “hating” a human person, any person.  We are taught that God is love, and He loves everyone, and that is true.  He loves with a perfect love.  Some commentators say that when God says that He hates someone or some group of people, that “hate” really means “loved less”.  Other commentators say that this has nothing to do with the emotions of love and hate.  It is about God choosing His servants or rejecting others.  There are plenty of examples in scripture illustrating God’s choosing those whom He pleases to serve His purposes.

God chose Israel as the people through whom the Messiah would come.  Samson was chosen before he was born to deliver Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13:5).  Isaiah was chosen as a prophet of God from his mother’s womb (Isaiah 49:1); Jeremiah as well (Jeremiah 1:5).  John the Baptist was also a chosen vessel before he was born. (Luke 1:15).  The Apostle Paul gave God the credit for choosing him by His grace (Galatians 1:15).  God is perfect and sovereign, and He doesn’t have to answer to anyone.  He knows everything from beginning to end and knows who will carry out His plans.

Have you ever wondered what your purpose is?  God didn’t allow you to be born and grow up just to take up space.  He has a purpose for everyone, but everyone doesn’t always look for his or her purpose that God has for him or her to fulfill.  Life without purpose is rather boring.  I think most people want their lives to matter.  For some that might mean to become famous or make a name for himself or herself, but many of the folks who truly make a difference in the lives of others are never known by most and sometimes not even known by those whose lives were benefited by the efforts of the man or woman who sacrificed time, money, and/or effort to east suffering, provide for needs, or just lend a helping hand.

None of us are here by chance.  God knew each one of us before we were just a tiny blip on the radar of our mother’s womb.  No two of us are exactly alike.  Even identical twins have their own personalities, skill, and abilities.  If we were all exactly alike, what a dull world it would be.  Each one is given different talents of which we have the responsibility to exercise to our fullest potential.  It is sad to look back over a life in which we wasted so much time in trivial pursuits.  It is good to have a time for rest and recreation, but there is an awful lot of work left in order to make our world a better place for the next generation and to teach the next generation the value of unselfish giving of time and talents.  Now, while we are being kept from our normal daily routines by the pandemic of COVID-19, it is probably a good time to re-evaluate and see if we have been living with purpose or just going through the motions.  It is never too late to make a change for the better, and it is never too late to look to the Lord for His help.