Tag: purpose

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Speaking with purpose

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

A “through the Bible” devotion from Isaiah 55.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10,11)

Everything God says has a purpose.

That is so different than many people who make their voices heard. I believe many speak because they simply like to hear the sound of their voice.

As toddlers, we learn to communicate what we want. We cry, scream, complain, or plead for what we need.

When God speaks, however, it is to create. Sometimes to warn. Often to instruct and lead. Definitely to invite. Like the prophets who implore, “Repent!” Or Jesus who says, “Follow me.”

If God speaks with purpose, I should listen. I’ll bet most who devalue scripture simply don’t want to hear what God has to say.

I do. I want to hear his promises, assurances, and instructions. He gave me life. His instructions for life are worth listening to.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Just another amazing day

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 45.

You have to blame somebody, right? Your parents, noisy neighbors, politicians, the kids, lawyers, greedy CEOs, a spouse (current or ex), the liberals, the conservatives. Whoever.

Joseph says, “It was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:8).

After what his brothers did to him? They sold him to a passing caravan. He ended up as a slave, a prisoner, and finally got a decent job in Egypt working for Pharaoh.

But it wasn’t home. And it wasn’t his family. And it was out of his control.

But in hindsight, it was God. God was to blame. Or God gets the credit for working out a long range plan to save not just Joseph, but his whole family. In hindsight, it was only something God could do.

“Today” may seem to have little rhyme or reason. Purpose is often shrouded in everyday routines, chores, and appointments. What a blessing to stop and realize that God’s been working on “today” for a long time. It’s significant. It’s memorable. And it’s praiseworthy.

Posted in Life

I’m on a mission

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Daily writing prompt
What is your mission?
View all responses
Photo by Tara Winstead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mission-wooden-blocks-on-white-surface-7666429/

“Give me a mission!”

When we took our five-year old grandson and his two sisters to a playground, they climbed on the playscape, slid down the slides, and swung on the swings. Now what? “Give me a mission!”

The last time my son had brought his kids here, he challenged them with a scavenger hunt to keep them occupied for a while. Now they wanted a quest to accompany every outing.

As we discovered, it didn’t have to be complicated. There’s always trash around, so I said, “Go find six water bottle caps.” And off they ran. A few minutes later, they laid out a nice row of plastic caps on the picnic table.

“What’s the next mission?”

Life is filled with short and long term goals any of which could be classified as a mission. But I think this prompt intends to uncover an overarching purpose for one’s life. The mission shifts from graduating and getting a job to raising a new generation. Once they graduate and get jobs, another generation comes along to grandparent. But now my current mission is figuring out a meaningful retirement.

In his children’s novel Mathilda, Roald Dahl wrote, “I didn’t know where I was going until I got there.” I like this line. It fits my present mission as I explore relationships, improve skills, understand time, and ponder my mission on any given day.

When the mission is figuring out my mission, anything is possible.