ONE PURPOSE

“Can I sing you a song?”  Sitting next to “Ye Ye,” my friend Jin’s grandfather, I held his hand as he rested on the couch.  Ye Ye nodded, looking pleased at my request.

I took a deep breath.  This was it.  The moment I’d been preparing for.  Countless hours of travel by plane and taxi and bus, navigating through multiple airports and cities, from my home in the eastern U.S. to this town in northeast Asia – all for this one man and this one conversation.

“Zhe yi sheng zui mei de zhu fu…”  As I sang, I prayed that the lyrics would penetrate his heart. “The most beautiful blessing in this life… is knowing Jesus.”

Confidence, Not Fear

When I finished singing, Ye Ye asked to see the lyrics.  Peering through his magnifying glass at the characters in my notebook, he listened as I shared about the joy Jesus has brought into my life.  I was surprised at how naturally the words flowed.  During the four years I lived in this restricted country, I had never been so bold in sharing my faith.  Fear held me back. Because of this, I worried that I wouldn’t know what to say, that it wouldn’t be the right time, that I would cause trouble for others, or that I would get deported from the country.

But the sole reason for my trip to Asia this time was to share with Jin’s grandfather about Jesus.  And this was the last day.  I knew that I had to talk with Ye Ye before I got on that plane back to the U.S.  Knowing my purpose gave me the confidence to speak.  The Lord had sent me, and it was His message of love that I was sharing. There was freedom and release in knowing that the results are not up to me.  I am only responsible to say what He tells me to say.

Purpose

Do you know your purpose?  Do you know why you are here? Jesus’ sole purpose on earth was to do the will of His Father.  He said, “I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.  And the One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to Him” (John 8:28-29).

I love the words of the old Westminster Catechism – “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.”  There is no greater purpose, and there is no greater joy.

Going vertical!

MJ