“(God) who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)
Why it never dawned on me before is anyone’s guess. Maybe I was just too busy trying to fulfill the role and expectations of pastoring a church, as well as meeting the expectations and demands as a husband and father.
Oh, I had worked to discover a purpose statement for the body of fellowships that I was serving – a purpose statement that was short and easy to remember … a statement that spoke volumes in as few words as possible … but for me personally … not until now.
There it was ablaze on a T-shirt of someone on the television … Onward, Upward, Outward. I had never connected those words before in a single phrase, but had preached a series of sermons (many, many years ago on the concepts of Inward, Upward, Onward and Outward). The more I mulled them over I kind of liked it as a personal purpose statement.
Just to be safe I thought that it might be good to do a double checking on the phrase to make sure that I wasn’t connecting myself, unintentionally, to some radical group. A quick internet search proved that I had nothing to fear. So there you go …
My new personal purpose statement: Inward, Upward, Onward, Outward …
Inward – looking at my spiritual condition, taking the pulse of my spiritual walk, keeping the cobwebs from gathering in the corners of my heart, sorting out those areas in which I have become lazy, and keeping my faith fresh. Hint: that is why I like Rachel Evans Hold’s blog. I don’t have to agree with what she shares, but they do make me think and evaluate.
Upward – always looking to God for guidance and strength following the example of Jesus who was constantly taking time to stay connected with his heavenly father – even as the crowds pressed upon him, he withdrew for hours and days of prayer and meditation. Can any of us do less?
Onward – keeping my mind on “heading north” as an associate of mine is fond of saying. It is too easy to take up “housekeeping” in our comfort zones. There was some reason that God had the Israelites living in tents – tents are easy to pull up, fold up and pack up for moving to the next location in our journey. Spiritual journeys should be the same. Some favorite words from one of my spiritual mentors was the question: Is what you believe today the same as you believed last year, last month, yesterday? If so then your faith is stagnating!
Outward – the purpose of our relationship with God through Christ is not so we can go to heaven or feel good about ourselves or gain a political/social advantage in the community or to have our lives blessed. The purpose is to serve the needs of others, as in “As you have done it unto the least of these …” (Matthew 25) Or, as it states in Jeremiah (29), “Seek the welfare of the city …” Or, as John Wesley believed that our place in this world should make an impact on those who surround us – in a meaningful and lasting way. That is why John Wesley and the Wesleyan movement is accredited for saving England from a French-style revolution.
And so, there you have it – Inward, Upward, Onward, Upward – my new purpose statement. What do you think?
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Excellent!
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