Utterly Consumed By God

What is your purpose?  The easy answer to that question is that we should all purpose our lives to do good things, to be people of character and integrity, and to not hurt others.  The much harder questions for our purpose arise when we add the ingredient of God's Word into the formula of discerning what our real purpose should be in the eyes of Almighty God, our Creator.  Our life is not a mistake.  We are purposed creations of a sovereign God, creations  with a definitive reason for existence.  

My hobbies and interest vary.  My attention span also varies.  One day I might have a great interest in something particular, and the next day, that interest suffers loss.  The things that fall into this category are obviously not my purpose in life.  They are, at best, only passing influences and interests that are quickly weighed against the reality of my true depth of passion to pursue them.  If my interest subsides, then it's safe to assume that these things do not drive me.  Our purpose in life should be our passion, and our passion for that purpose should drive and define everything that we do.   

If a candle had a soul and could speak, it would most assuredly confess that it was made to create light, and it would proudly declare a willingness to completely surrender its life in the pursuit of that purpose.  Creating light is not only the purpose of the candle, but it is the only place where the wax creation finds any relevance.  In the process of creating light, the candle will totally surrender itself to the call of its purpose.  In a surrender that will alter its temperature, structure and appearance, the candle will ultimately become completely consumed by living out its designed purpose.  Only in that consumption will its glory be revealed.

A candle does not produce light simply because it is called a candle.  A similar thought is that a  candle doesn't produce light simply because it was created to do so.  A candle only produces light when its wick is exposed to a passionate flame...a flame that will require much from the candle.  It will, in fact, require complete surrender. 

We are created by God for a definitive purpose, but simply being involved in the weekly practices of Christian religion will not accomplish those purposes in our life.  The memorization of theological doctrine, and the habitual practice of rehearsed Christian tradition, will do little to catalyze passion for our intended purpose if we are not fully surrendered to God's distinctive call.  

Our affiliation with 'Christianity' does not... 

• Make us passionate about God purposes in our life
• Make our lives relevant in building His kingdom 
• Make us a Disciple of Christ.

God's presence in our life is a consuming fire...   

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV)
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship (serve) God acceptably with reverence and awe, 
29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

The Greek word for 'worship' in the above verse is 'latreuó,' and it can also be translated 'serve.'  The word 'consuming' here in the Greek is the compound word 'katanaliskó' meaning to 'decisively, conclusively and utterly consume.'  

Here we see a clear definition that our service to God is purposed to be a service carried out with reverence and awe, because, if we are truly passionate about God, He will decisively, conclusively, and utterly consume us!  We were created to be surrendered and consumed by God, just as the candle is created to be surrendered and consumed by flame.  

God wants to consume every aspect of our life.  His consumption of us will destroy our old way of life.  It will alter our personality, it will melt our established structure, it will redefine our internal integrity, and His consumption of us will produce a light within ourselves that will transform our walk in this world into one of relevance to the purposes of His kingdom.  However, that process cannot take place unless we are sold out and surrendered unto the purposes for which we are created.  If we are not willing to be consumed, then we are choosing to be made worthless to God's intended purposes for our life.  We turn ourselves into something similar to a beautifully made candle abandoned on shelf...a magnificently created instrument of light that is warehoused, dusty and irrelevant in regard to its intended purpose.  Useless.  

The consumption of our lives by Almighty God is not displayed in... 

• The practice of religion...but in the pursuit of relationship.  
• Our knowledge of a God...but in our surrender to the God. 
• Habitually rehearsed Christian tradition...but in escaping the laws established by tradition and living in the freedom of the Spirit of God.

  
We are made to be utterly consumed by our God, and it's only in that consumption that the real glory of God will be revealed in us.  Determine that finding your Godly purpose in life will require Godly surrender.  And, it's only through that surrender that we will find the purpose, passion and relevance to live out a life designed to leave a definitive mark.