Day 339 - God Created Us to Love and Be Loved
Lindsey Whitney
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” - James 2:8 ESV
Yesterday, we discussed how the world emphasizes finding a singular purpose while God made us multi-purpose, and finding purpose does not come from focusing on ourselves. Instead, finding our purpose is rooted in God’s Word and can only be found by focusing on Him.
When you’re on a journey to discover your purpose, getting caught up in all the thinking and emotions is easy. It’s almost as if you feel a void, an incompleteness to your being, when you are left to wonder, feeling purposeless.
While you may be searching for the purpose God created you for, the Bible is clear on our ultimate purpose. When I set out on my journey to discover my purpose, it wasn’t until I was writing a Bible study lesson that my ultimate purpose smacked me right in the face. It was so simple, so clear that my whole life growing up in the church, I had overlooked it and misunderstood it. It was foundational to Christian living, yet I saw it as a rule or a law, not my purpose and reason for God’s creation.
Love God. Love people.
Who would have thought that the phrase that we hear Pastor Ken repeat week after week on stage would end up being our ultimate purpose as a follower of Christ? Still, it’s true! Here it is in Scripture:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-39).
There is an old saying, “Get back to the basics,” and it can be applied when you are in a season of searching for purpose. Everything God does is rooted in love, and He doesn’t just desire us to be the same way; He commands us to be. God felt so strongly about love that He made it ‘the first and greatest commandment.” Paul reiterates this point in Galatians 5:14: “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command, love your neighbor as yourself.” God is serious about love!
Discovering your purpose is like working out an algebra problem; there is an order of operation. God cannot lead us to our purpose if we cannot learn how to love our Creator and love the people He created. This foundation for finding purpose is crucial because it sets us apart as Christ’s followers. Sometimes, we are incapable of love because of our past. You may feel stuck searching for your purpose because you need time to heal from your past to move forward in love.
Several years ago, I asked God why I was stuck in a season discovering purpose. I remember praying, seeking His direction in moving forward, and as I sat there, He spoke to my broken heart. I had years of childhood trauma that had been left unresolved that created a barrier of bitterness and unforgiveness. He directed me to counseling to heal, and in that healing, I was able to re-learn how to love others and show them compassion. Being rooted in love allows the Holy Spirit to work in and through us in ways non-Christ followers can’t comprehend. It allows us to display God’s love to the world by living an attitude of love.
Is there more to purpose than love? Yes, and we will discuss it as we progress through this devotional. But today, remind yourself of your ultimate purpose: Love God and love people.
Next Steps
- Think about it: How can I use my purpose to love God and others?
- Action Step: Reflect on your actions and attitude from the past week. Did they reflect love? Write out the moments when you operated out of love, and write out the moments when you didn’t operate out of love.