Are you living a purposeful life or are you wandering aimlessly? Are you circling or spiraling?
Life is a circular movement. We go around a 24 hour cycle. As of today, we have completed 5 weeks this year. The sun has risen and set 37 times this year. We have gone about our lives for 888 hours and made moment by moment decisions for 53,280 minutes this year. How do you think you are doing so far? Would you describe yourself as a purposeful Christian or an aimless one?
Circling or spiralling?
To circle is to follow the same path over and over again without actually going anywhere. The phrase “going around in circles” suggests we have been busy doing a lot but without actually achieving anything. It represents an aimless life.
To spiral is to rotate about a fixed point while continuously increasing in distance. Most of the time we tend to use the word to describe someone who is moving in a negative direction – eg. To spiral out of control or going on a downward spiral. I want to use the word today to describe one who is moving in a circular motion yet making progress in the right direction. Spiralling forward – it represents a purposeful life.
Life is a circular movement. Everyday we maintain routines that keep us functionally. These routines are important to maintain the momentum needed to move forward. The crucial thing is to develop healthy routines without getting stuck in a rut. Our aim is to avoid going around in circles but to ensure we are spiralling forward. To illustrate this point I want to use the first two generations of Israelites living in the wilderness. The first generation circled around a mountain for forty years, while the second generation began their journey walking around a wall.
The first generation circled around a mountain because of unbelief
Deuteronomy 1:32-36 (NLT) “But even after all he did, you refused to trust the Lord your God, who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. “when the Lord heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore, ‘not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed the Lord completely.
They “refused to trust the Lord”. This suggests that there was an intentional decision made not to trust the Lord. It didn’t happen overnight. The book of Exodus gives us details of a people who complained, murmured, rebelled and finally rejected God’s plan for their lives. Note the frustration in Moses’ words – “even after all God did”. He summarises God’s deeds:
– “looking for the best places to camp” – they were unfamiliar with the terrain, so they needed God to direct them. God didn’t just a safe place but the best places to camp. That’s His nature. He seeks to provide the best for His people.
– “guiding you” – pillar of fire at night (to keep them warm), pillar of cloud by day (to keep them cool).
But when circumstances changed – their response was to complain, rebel and reject. Eventually they decided in Kadesh Barnea they were not going to obey God and turned back. They opted to circle around Mount Sinai and the region of Mount Sier. The entire generation accept for Caleb and Joshua died in the wilderness. They never saw the promised land. Never experienced the fullness of the promises of God.
Living life in circular movements look like you’re moving. You grow older, you raise a family, you get promotions or your business grows, the digits in your bank balance increase, you stack up life experiences, but you end up in a box without experiencing the promise of life in abundance. You go through the motions, the routine but are stuck in a rut. That is aimless Christianity.
The second generation circled around a wall because of obedience
Joshua 6:1-5 (NKJV) Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
God promised the next generation the same thing He did with the first, a land flowing with milk and honey. As soon as they obey the hit a wall. How real that experience is for many of us. The moment we decide to obey God and move forward, some obstacle or challenge confronts us. We hit a wall.
The people of Israel had to make a choice. They could give up and turn back as their fathers did and go back to circling around a mountain; or they could obey God and do as he says. What they had to do was similar to the first generation, they had to walk in circles. But they weren’t walking around a mountian, they were walking around a wall. They weren’t circling a mountian aimlessly, they were walking around a wall intentionally. They were “spiralling” – adjusting their movement based on God’s word. They were moving purposefully towards the promise land. They had to get to God’s promise but a wall was in the way. So God said circle it till the wall comes down. They had specific tasks to do on a daily basis – same 24 hour cycle – but adjusting their lives based on the word of the Lord. Six days circle once a day in silence, seventh day circle 7 times and shout. Six days same routine. No room to deviate. Follow strictly to the set pattern of behaviour. Wake up, go do according to what the Lord has told to do. Walk around the wall once in silence. Routine but not a rut; purposeful not aimless – circling till the walls come down. Six days the same routine. Then on the seventh day – according to God’s word – cirlce seven times, and shout. If they had continued the seventh day circling once in silence they would not have seen the walls come down. The lesson here is that routine acts don’t create a rut. Routine acts outside God’s input is where the rut sets in.
The first generation settled for what they decided was best for them. The second generation settled for what was God’s best for them. One faced mountains all their lives, the other saw walls come tumbling down. That’s why I keep praying for the sick – I see sickness as a wall that must come tumbling down. That’s why I work with people who struggle with addictions – I see it as a wall that must come down. That’s why we pray for the lost – the walls that hinder them from experiencing the love of God must come down. That’s why we distribute food parcels once a month to those who are in need – we see poverty as a wall that must come down.
To accept sickness, addiction and poverty as my lot in life or karma will condemn me to a life of circling around the mountain and rob me of Christ’s promise of abundant life. So I will treat every obstacle that get’s in the way of God’s promises as a wall. I’ll walk around it – everyday – purposefully – hearing from God – pray differently, do things differently – not circling but spiralling forward until the walls come tumbling down.
How do you know if you are circling or spiralling? You are circling if you are living an aimless Christian life. You are spiralling if you are being the Christian you are purposed to be. You are circling if all you do is complain, murmur and fail to see the goodness of God in your life. You are spiralling forward if you are hearing Him daily and adjusting your prayers, adjusting your actions and believing that whatever is preventing God’s best for your life is like a wall God is going bring down.
What does it look like to be a purposeful Christian
In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus teaches us what is the purpose of a disciple of Christ. In verses 13 to 16, he calls us salt and light. We are agents of change. Our everyday life should transform the environment we are in with “God-flavours” and “God-colours”.
A purposeful Christian produces God-flavours
Matthew 5:13 (NLT) “you are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
The message translation brings the meaning out so beautifully.
Matthew 5:13 (msg) “let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the god-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
Do you bring out God-flavours around people or do you leave a bad taste in their mouths? You may ask what is this God-flavour? I call it the Trinitarian combo: The love of God the Father, the grace of God the Son and the comfort of God the Holy Spirit. Wherever we are, whomever we are with, our purpose us to fill the environment with the love of God, the grace of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
A purposeful Christian produces God-colours
Jesus goes on to give another description of a disciple.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT) “you are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father.
Again we lend ourselves to the Message translation.
Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG) “here’s another way to put it: you’re here to be light, bringing out the god-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If i make you light-bearers, you don’t think i’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that i’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with god, this generous father in heaven.
In a dark world, the disciple of Christ transforms an environment into light. Where there is light you see colour. God’s light will produce God-colours.
Don’t settle and wander around a mountain. Don’t live your Christian life aimlessly. Don’t circle, spiral forward. See every obstacle as a wall that must come down. While you circle around your walls – whatever is hindering God’s best for your life – don’t give up. You may have to pray differently but keep praying. You may have to do things differently but keep at it. Until the walls come down.
While you do that – remember: Keep giving out God-flavours and God-colours.
Don’t circle aimlessly; Spiral forward purposefully.