Gifts

Do you know your purpose today? Is it just another day? Are you going through the motions of the same old routine? Maybe you, like me, have a bulging list of “to dos” and your appointment calendar is brimming over. You may know your schedule, but do you know your purpose?

If you’re a child of God, the King of Kings designed a divine purpose for your day today. Before you were born, God had already planned your schedule and prepared good works in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). Your purpose lies in the midst of the tailor made plan God prepared for you.

Since I’m an organizer and thrive on a structured schedule, I sometimes lose focus of my purpose somewhere between my prayer time and checking off items on my to do list. While giving my full attention to my plans for the day, I sometimes forget that I’m on this earth to fulfill God’s purpose, not my self-designed, self-willed purpose.

Fulfilling your purpose doesn’t mean every item will get checked off your endless to do list and it doesn’t mean everything will be completed as planned. Why? Interruptions! Unplanned and often irritating interruptions arrive at the most inconvenient times, forcing you to put your much thought out plan aside to instead give attention to something you’d often rather not deal with.

If you submit yourself to God’s plan for the day, interruptions will still come, but they won’t induce stress or flustration (flustered and frustrated). As you make your way through God’s to-do list, you won’t sigh in discouragement when incomplete items on your to do list glare at you.

God’s plan for this day and for this hour may be different than your plan. It’s wise to create a plan and to set your course for the day, but surrender that plan to God and allow Him to have His way with it. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart, a man plans his course but the Lord determines his steps.” As you orchestrate the course you’ve chosen to reach your destination, allow God the freedom to determine how you get there.

I remember times I’ve hesitated to answer the shrieking phone, frustrated because the unexpected call interrupted my precious schedule. I recall hearing the doorbell ring in the middle of my prayer time; I felt so put out that someone had the nerve to interrupt such a holy time. Yet, after listening to the heartache of a friend or offering a neighbor comfort and prayer, I realized that what I thought was a frustrating interruption wasn’t a frustration at all. It was a divine part of God’s ordained plan for my day.

What’s your purpose today? To fulfill God’s divine purpose for each moment. As you purpose to know Jesus, He’ll flow through your life to fulfill God’s purpose. Today, as you set your course, allow God to guide your steps and be willing to change your schedule to fit God’s heavenly schedule.