Our life’s mission
Because he is righteous, the Lord has exalted his glorious law. But his own people have been robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for anyone and have no one to protect them, no one to take them back home. Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future? Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the Lord, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law.” Isaiah 42:21-24 NLT
Our life’s mission as followers of God is to live life obedient to God’s Word and make it glorious to the world around. This is done, by showing how wonderful and profitable it is to live for God following His word. From the text, Isaiah rebuked the Israelites because they have not living out their life’s mission. They gave in to the temptations brought upon them because of their idolatry and disregarded the teachings from God’s Word. When the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world, His whole life personified God’s Word. “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The people noticed and they flocked to Him. This is what the church, the body of Christ, has been called for; to be God’s representatives to this world. When we live our lives based on our life’s mission, we manifest the beauty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In our transformation, we reflect a life that is in Christ. We make others desire the life we have in Christ for they realize what they want. It is not to flatter oneself but to be true to God’s call. God’s discipline becomes a reminder that we sinned and are not walking in His path” (Isaiah 42:24). Because of His love, He does not want us to become wayward. “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:10-11). How miserable it is when God disciplines us and we do not understand what He is doing or take it to heart. God disciplined the Israelites by having them taken captives by the Babylonians but it did not create within them a desire to please God and glorify Him. Same thing could happen to us if we will ignore God’s ways of disciplining us thus missing out living our life’s mission.
Blessings,
