Scripture: 22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
[John 6:22-27 NLT] The first two years of college are filled with classes that are deemed general education requirements. I remember thinking the same thing in a lot of my classes, “When am I ever going to use this stuff?” I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and none of the classes I was taking seemed to help. With the help of my father I decided to stop college and work. The idea was that I could be earning money while I figured out what I wanted to do for a career. In hindsight, I was looking for my life’s purpose. I needed to know how my life would make an impact in the world before I could give myself to school. I needed purpose. When I went back to school to finish my degree and then go on to seminary it was because I had that purpose. God had called me into ministry. What a difference this sense of purpose made. No longer did I wonder when I would use the information I was learning. There was no sense of wasted time, energy, or effort. I had a purpose for which God had called me. Everything I was doing was to fulfill that purpose. Every class I took was preparing me to live into that purpose. It truly was amazing the power that purpose had given to my life and schoolwork. I needed that purpose. In our Scripture for today Jesus tells the crowd what his purpose was. He made it very clear. Jesus says he came to give eternal life. In another passage Jesus says, “I … have come to seek and save those … who are lost.” Jesus was given a distinct, and unique, purpose as the Savior of humanity. There was obvious power in this purpose and because of this purpose the world will never be the same. Even Jesus needed purpose. We need purpose. God has a purpose for your life. One of the greatest joys in our journey of faith is finding our purpose. Once we have found our purpose we can spend the rest of our life living for that purpose. Your purpose may not be to serve God as a pastor, but God has a purpose for your life. I met someone this past week whose purpose is to share his testimony with the clients of his business. His business takes him into all kinds of different people’s homes. He was telling me that every time he is at a client’s home the Holy Spirit lets him know whether he should share his testimony or not. When the Holy Spirit tells him to share, he shares. This is his purpose. What is your purpose? Where has God asked you to join in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ? We all need purpose. Today ask God to reveal your purpose, if God has not already done so. If you are not sure what your purpose is for your life, start with your purpose for today. Ask God how you can join in the work of Christ today. It could be sharing your testimony, praying for a friend, talking to a relative, being a listening ear for someone who is hurting. Whatever the answer is, do everything in your power to fulfill God's purpose for your life today. After all … God has created and called you for that purpose. We all need purpose and our main purpose is to bring glory to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Prayer: Holy God, thank you for the purpose you gave Jesus Christ, your Son. I thank you for the purpose you have called me to today. Help me to pursue your purpose today in everything I do. In the name of Jesus, Amen.