This past Sunday was "In the Beginning - Part 2: Our Purpose.” Usually while preaching I end up leaving out some of my notes and expounding on something else. Most of the time, it’s because the notes I left out just would not be helpful.

But with this past Sunday’s message, I feel it might be helpful to follow-up with a blog and include some of the things left out, mainly because those things were very practical.

To briefly sum up the sermon, we talked about how God created mankind and gave them purpose (Gen. 1:26-2:3). Being made in His image, their purpose was to reflect the glory of their Glorious God. How?

If God is Glorious, then our purpose is to glorify God by:

1. Simply Being His
The man and woman were created and therefore were image-bearers. They didn’t need to pass any tests, they didn’t need to achieve anything or accomplish anything for God. They were image-bearers simply by being.

2. Spreading His Image Together                                                                                                      God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). He wanted them to make more image-bearers who would reflect his image. 

3. Caring for His Good Creation
God gave them the job of ruling over creation and managing it for him (1:28). Work is a big part of our purpose. God did not make humans to sit around and get pedicures and twiddle their thumbs; they were designed to work. Work is good. 

4. Enjoying and Resting in His Goodness
After God made them, he declared his creation very good. Then he rested on the 7th day – stepping back to celebrate what he had made. He declared it a day of rest for humans, a day to forever rest in God’s goodness and to celebrate what God has accomplished (1:29 - 2:3).

But all that has gotten perverted because of sin.

We no longer seek to reflect God’s glory, but rather compete with each other for our own glory.

We no longer feel worthy and valuable to God by simply being; we feel a constant need to work, do, accomplish, perform.

We no longer care for God’s creation, but rather idolize it, and then abuse it when it doesn’t deliver the fulfillment we want it to.

We are no longer grateful for God’s goodness, but rather complain about not having enough and get jealous of what others have.

Enter Jesus.

He came to Redeem us – to buy us back from this brokenness and perversion, to reconcile us back to God and God’s good purposes for us.

Through faith in Jesus, we become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), being re-created in his image to once again reflect his glory simply by being His. We are given rest in Him (Matthew 11:28) – rest from trying to earn our worth and identity through religious performance. And we are given the mission of multiplying once again – this time through making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

That is where we ended the sermon. God gave us purpose, it got perverted, and Jesus came to restore it to us.

Awesome.

But since we so easily forget our purpose, what can we do to better align our hearts with our purpose?

I could talk about many things, but for me there is one main thing that makes all the difference.

In a word…..

PRAYER

Praying After Failure                                                                                                                       Where I really find my identity -- my worth -- is tested when someone is angry at me, when I fail at something, when I cannot get done all the things I set out to get done. But when I step away to pray, I remember that God doesn’t love me any less for those things. When I step away to pray, God actually uses those negatives to further deepen my identity in Christ.

In other words, through prayer failure becomes a tool to conform me more into Christ’s image (Rom. 8:28-29).

Prayer That is Fueled by Scripture
It’s important for me to pray according to the cosmic redemptive story of God. So I will read a passage or chapter of the bible, and then pray about it. By praying about what I just read, I can more fully feel the weight of God’s massive grace and sovereign goodness over my life. 

Praying Outdoors
Whether it is taking a prayer walk around my neighborhood or going to the beach, the outdoors reminds me of how massive God is. And remembering God's glory (weight, bigness) slows my soul down so that I can hear from Him and receive the soul rest he has for me.

Praying Extra On My Day Off
We said on Sunday that Jesus is our ultimate Sabbath rest, but that I think that is hard to experience spiritually without taking a physical day off.

My "job" as a pastor used to be a Monday thru Saturday deal, and I would take time off here and there. I tried to take Friday's off, but didn't take it seriously enough. In October of 2015 I began to take it seriously. Finally. I realized I needed space to celebrate God, what God has done. To truly stop accomplishing and working through tasks and dealing with operations of church ministry (this is not to say I stopped connecting with people relationally, since I am a member of the body of Christ more than a pastor). It used to be difficult to refrain from checking email or listening to voice mails; but now I look forward to it.

And I start my day off with prayer. Praying about the things that feel un-done and unresolved, casting those anxieties onto my Big God. Then I can truly rest in God’s goodness. 

Praying Through a Thank-You List Once Each Week
Once a week I make a big list of what God had done the past week, how he had been good. I make it as long as I can and give thanks as I write it out. It helps me to rest in His goodness about the things that I'm currently asking God to do. 

Praying For Excitement About Sharing the Gospel
Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations may seem like a lot of work. A lot of doing. If we view that command through a religious lens, it might give us anxiety and make us feel guilty for not doing enough. It might even seem to contradict the idea of “resting” in his grace.

Prayer changes that.

As we rest in our identity through prayer, as we pray over scriptures that remind us of all that Jesus purchased for us, we become more thankful for it all. And that gratitude motivates us to want to share it with others. To want to point others to the good news of Jesus.

Prayer Shows Me Who To Invest In
When Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, it implies going as far as an unreached people group in the furthest jungle and as near as the family members in our household. It implies that we sometimes make changes to our lifestyle in order to invest in people, and at other times we are to simply invest in people as we go about our current lifestyle.

How do we know which season we are in? 

Prayer.

I know, because of prayer, that my oldest daughter is someone for me to focus special attention on right now, and so is a friend at the gym. I know that my neighbor is not, anymore -- for this season, at least. 

Prayer tells me my next steps for each person                                                                         Through prayer I ask God, “What is next for little Kayla? What is my next step in representing your love to her, in pointing her to your love?” And he is faithful to show me. Coach her soccer...take her on a date….ask her about this bible story...

Prayer prepares the hearts of people we are called to
Through prayer, God goes befores us to prepare hearts to receive whatever he sends us to give them. 

God created humanity for a purpose. Even though sin has perverted it, through Jesus we get to live it out once again. 

Prayer helps us to stay aligned with that good purpose so we can live the fulfilling life Jesus purchased for us (John 10:10).