A Surprising Purpose

So this morning I wake up at 5 a m....on a Saturday!  Ugh.  I get up and make coffee and throw out the grounds in the trash, as usual... then I get on Pinterest.

I'm reading up on gardening items, and find out that used coffee grounds are good for plants that love acidic soils.  Keep in mind that I am a VERY amateur gardener!  It seems to me that I've heard something about coffee grounds a long time ago...but it didn't stick.  "Rats", I thought.  I had just thrown those grounds away.  Yes...I did go and look.  Too far down in the trash.  Next pot of coffee..they're mine. I'll probably have most of this pot drank by the time Steve gets up, anyway!  But, I digress.  I'm actually kind of excited about re-using those grounds for my hibiscus and   bougainvillea plants.  Who would have thought that used coffee grounds had a purpose?

What is our purpose?  So many Christians wonder what it is that they are supposed to do.

In John, Chapter 17, Jesus was about to go through His torture and crucifixion.  What did He do while He was waiting?  He prayed.  What did He pray for?  For strength, and for God's Will to be done, certainly.  But He also had another thing on His mind.  Us.  Us?  Yes, us.  He prayed for His disciples, and He also prayed for those believers that "would come after".  I love The Message's translation:

I'm praying not only for them (the disciples) but also for those who will believe in me.  Because of them and their witness about me.  The goal is, for all of them to become one heart and mind-- Just as you, Father are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.  Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.  The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they'll be as united and together as we are--  I in them and you in me.  Then they'll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me. (vs. 20-25)                                                   

In other words, Jesus is praying for all of us that will be His followers.  He wants us to share the same heart and mind that He and the Father share.  He wants us to be mature in this oneness and show the world that is without God, that He exists and did send Jesus.  And let them know that He (the Father) loves us exactly the same as He loved Jesus, Himself.  What an amazing thought!

That is our purpose as Christians.  To give the world evidence that God loves them so much. So much that He sent Jesus to save them from an empty life here on earth and to give us an eternity with Him in Heaven.

How do we give them evidence?  How can we show them that God loves them?  We give them proof, by our lives.  How we live...or rather...how we love.  When the world turns away, we love with our acceptance. When all they hear is negativity and ugliness...we love with our kind words.  When they are in despair, we love with our hope.  Will they all see and believe right away?  Probably not...but we show them that there is a difference.  That Christ has made a difference in our lives and that He can make a difference in theirs.  Wondering what your purpose is?  Go and love.  Love in the name of Jesus!!

In case you are reading this, and you have questions about becoming a Christian, feel free to check out another post:  Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  It just may have the answers you are looking for! :)

Now...I have to find a container for those coffee grounds....