Hi Ned,
I like that.  I for one get so tired of all these preachers saying, "God Has
a wonderful Plan for your life..  Sure he does, but I don't see that
statement or the equivelant thereof in the word.
As one great preacher said, "God doesn't want our ability, he wants our
availability.  It has taken me the last three years of sitting around and
doing very little to come to the conclusion that The Lord is not interested
in our glorying in a tittle--I'm a praise and worship leader, I'm a prophet,
I'm a preacher.  Basically, he wants us to say, I'm yours, Lord, and
whatever you want to make out of me, that's what I want to be.  Even if we
are all of these things.  The only thing we are supposed to glory in is the
Lord, and if he happens to give us a certain function in His hous, then so
be it.
Our function, as I see it is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, m
mind and strength, and to be obedient to him in whatever place he puts  us
in.
Vinny
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ned Benton" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 9:29 AM
Subject: Re: Purpose Of Life


> Kathy,
> I understand what you are saying.  Certainly, when we think of our purpose
> as depending on us and on our knowing what it is, we are baffled.  I
imagine
> that Moses, when he was called to lead the Israelites, felt much the same.
> Abraham, when God told him to leave all he knew and go to a land He would
> point out, I imagine that Abraham questioned himself about goin without a
> map  or any knowledge of this place.
> It seems to me that the biggest problem we have with our purpose in life
is
> to try to limit God to just a certain talent or area of our lives to say
> that that is our purpose.    In Ecclesiastes 12:14 a wise man summed it up
> this way,
>
> "here is the conclusion of the matter:
> Fear God and keep his commandments,
> for this is the whole duty of man."
>
> We could substitute the word "purpose" for duty.
>
> Maybe we shouldn't spend so much time trying to figure out what God's
> purpose of life is for us and just give Him our all in every area of our
> lives.
>
> Ned