Purpose & Perspective or Comfort & Convenience

Greet you in Jesus' name. It's a blessing to be gathered together to worship our Lord together.

A quote I came across recently that—well, it's been a while already, but it's something I keep reminding myself of. The heading was "Purpose," and it said, "A real sign of spiritual maturity is looking to God for purpose and perspective instead of comfort and convenience."

And I thought about that a lot, and I was thinking, "I don't want to forget that," so we printed it out, and I have it hanging above my desk there so I can see that. I just want to write those words on the board here.

Perspective.

Convenience.

Which of those defines my life? What do I seek the Lord for the most? Here in our Western culture, it's pretty easy to be comfortable, and when we become uncomfortable, we wonder—or I tend to anyway wonder—well, what did I do wrong, or am I not doing something right that I'm feeling uncomfortable?

We all like conveniences. We like when things are easy to get a hold of, when our work is easy to do.

When we run into difficulties, we don't like that so well.

And I think especially of mechanics or when we're fixing something, sometimes it doesn't take very long to get something fixed, and we get it going pretty quick. But a lot of times, there's more to it than what's obvious, and it takes a lot longer, and it's not very convenient.

And I have to think of—we have these stores that are called convenience stores, and things tend to be fairly expensive there, but their goal is to make it convenient for their customers. You can just grab a drink, a sandwich, anytime you want, anytime you feel like it. It's very convenient.

And people are willing to pay more for that convenience because it's convenient.

I looked at the mission statement of Amazon at one point, and I was just curious if they had one or what their statement would be. And I didn't write it down, but the way I remember it is their goal is to provide their customers with products, with a vast array of products, anything they could possibly think of almost, and make it as convenient as possible, which they do a pretty good job of that.

And I had to wonder, well, should their mission statement be more like, "We're trying to get something from you to—" they want money coming from our wallet to theirs as they build their company. Thinking of purpose and perspective and comfort and convenience.

I'm going to talk a little bit about comfort and convenience first, and I'd like to end up with what our purpose and our perspective should be. If we define these words a little bit, the word comfort in the dictionary has the idea of a condition of ease or well-being.

And convenience is the quality of being convenient, suitability or handiness, personal comfort, material advantage, something that increases comfort or makes work less difficult. And then purpose is the object toward which one strives for, which something exists, or for something that exists.

Having a goal or an aim, a result or effect that is intended or desired. Our purpose can also be an intention that we have.

A determination, a resolution. It's not something that happens by chance or unintentionally. When someone has a purpose, it's something that happens that they put effort into it. And then having a perspective is the relationship of aspects to each other and to a whole. A perspective, say we have a perspective of history, we can kind of see what history is about. Subjective evaluation or a point of view.

And I'd like to start out by looking at Esau a little bit in Genesis chapter 25, verses 29 to 34, and see a little bit what his perspectives were there and what his purpose was when thinking especially at the time when he sold his birthright for that pot of soup that Jacob had made.

If we look at Genesis chapter 25, verse 29, "And Jacob sought pottage, and Esau came from the field, and he was faint. And Esau said to Jacob, 'Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint.' Therefore was his name called Edom.

And Jacob said, 'Sell me this day thy birthright.' And Esau said, 'Behold, I am at the point to die. What profit shall this birthright do to me?' And Jacob said, 'Swear to me this day,' and he swear unto him, and he sold his birthright.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he did eat and drink and rose up, went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."

So he was living in the here and now. He came in. I'm just imagining a little bit. He probably went out hunting early in the morning. He might not have taken anything along to eat. Maybe he was coming back at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. He hadn't had lunch or breakfast, and he was very hungry and maybe feeling a little lightheaded or whatever. And he said he was at the point of death. And what good does a birthright do me?

And some of this was also Jacob's shrewdness and his cunningness that made this happen. But he just kind of like he just sold his birthright for some food here.

And I have to think his birthright didn't matter. Something with a lot more weight, a lot more value. He just wanted something right now to eat.

And I had to think of it also carried over into who he married later on. If we read I don't have the references here, but it says he took up the daughters of the land there that were a grief to Jacob and Rebecca there. They didn't appreciate the wives that he had taken, and they wanted something different for Jacob.

It's just kind of going by an impulse or just what was convenient or what he didn't have much purpose in that.

Another character I'd like to look at a little bit is Nebuchadnezzar's son. We know the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 5. We know how Nebuchadnezzar had been this I think he worked hard and managed well, and he got this kingdom together. And we know how the one time he was walking in the top of his palace and has not my power and my might gotten me all this. And then a voice came from heaven and said that you're going to be like an ox or like a cow or an animal for I guess you're thinking about seven years or so until you learn that the Most High reigns in the kingdoms of men.

And so he had a lot of riches, and through that experience, he humbled himself. And it says the Lord gave him back his kingdom. And if we look at chapter 4, verse 37, after this experience, Nebuchadnezzar said, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose ways are all whose works are truth and his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride, he is able to abase."

That was Nebuchadnezzar's testimony. And then if we go on down in chapter 5 here in Daniel, apparently Nebuchadnezzar passed away here. He had died, and his son Belshazzar was now the king. And he was just having a party. He was just kind of like living it up.

He didn't really have to work a lot for everything he had. His dad had gotten all that together, and now he was here he is just living it up. And I'd like to look at Daniel 5, verse 17, starting at verse 17.

We're just talking a little bit about what happened here at this party. He had brought in the vessels of the temple that his dad had gotten, and they were drinking wine in them, and he had everyone around there. And then this hand came and wrote on the wall some words, and it really scared them. If we look at

chapter 5, in verse 5, it says, "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall at the king's palace. And the king saw part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him so that his joints of his loins were loose and his knees smote one against another."

He was so scared that his knees just rattled against each other. This was really scared him. And we know how he called for all his magicians and his astrologers to come in and interpret this writing, and no one could really figure out what it meant. And then the queen, which I'm assuming was probably had been Nebuchadnezzar's wife. In verse 10, "The queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house, and the queen spake and said, 'O king, live forever. Let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods was found in him, whom the king, Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, the king, I say, thy father made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.

For as much as an excellent spirit and knowledge, understanding, interpreting of dreams, showing of heart sentences, and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.'" And then they brought Daniel in, and the king said that, "I heard that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and you have excellent wisdom and understanding.

And if you can interpret this, I'm going to make you the next ruler in this kingdom, and we're going to put a chain of gold around your neck. We're going to really" he had all kinds of riches that he could give him if he interpreted this dream.

Then verse 17 here in chapter 5, "Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 'Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, a kingdom and majesty and glory and honor. And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he slew, and whom he would, he kept alive. And whom he would, he set down, and whom he would, he" whom he would, he set up, and whom he would, he put down.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was disposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. And he was driven from the sons of men. His heart was made like the beast, and his dwelling was with the wild asses, and they fed him with grass like oxen. And his body was wet with the dew of heaven till he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he appointed over it whomsoever he will.

And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all these things." He probably saw his dad going through this experience. It said Daniel's telling him, "You knew all this." Verse 23, "But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee. And thou and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine in them. And thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know. And the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose all thy ways hast thou not glorified."

Then was the part of the hand sent from him, and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written. And it has these words here. We know how that ended then that that very night, this king was killed, and that's when Darius the Mede came and took over.

But I just kind of I want to notice how he was living in the present. He was just living in right now.

He was just he knew what his dad had gone through, but he didn't humble himself. Daniel reminded him that you knew all this, but he didn't pay attention to that. And I'd also like to notice here that Daniel had a lot of authority here. He told the king, basically pronounced judgment on him. But if we look in the beginning of the book of Daniel, we know that he was a man that purposed in his heart that he wouldn't defile himself with the king's meat.

And later on in Darius's reign here, there were men that wanted to accuse him of something and or find something that they could accuse him of. They didn't like him, the position he had, and they didn't like him. But they couldn't find any accusations against him because he did what was right.

And he had a purpose to serve his God and to worship him. And we know how three times a day he would open his window toward Jerusalem and pray, and he would worship the Lord that way. And he did that even when he wasn't the only person they were supposed to pray to was the king.

But he had a perspective and a purpose that went beyond the here and the now. He didn't really care what happened to him. He was going to worship his Lord. And we know how God protected him from the den of lions and how he was cast in there.

And God protected him from that.

Another example I'd like to think about is Abraham and Lot. We know how Abraham was God called him to leave his family and everyone and go into a land that he would show him. And he went out from his home place. And if we notice, if we read there in Genesis about him moving around, it says he would go to this place. And one of the first things he did, it says he would build an altar and call upon the name of the Lord. That was his priority, moving from one place to the other. He had a lot of cattle and flocks.

My tendency is, you know, I need to get my animals fed, and then if I have time, maybe I'll worship. But we all know how that goes. A lot of times it doesn't happen. But if we read in Genesis there how he moved around, and God would tell him to go here and go there, and everywhere he went, he says he built an altar.

And he didn't have God's word like we have it today.

But he worshiped and sacrificed to the Lord. That was a priority. And in contrast, I had to think of Lot, how he, when the land, they had too many animals to, there were too many cattle in one place. Abraham told him to, you know, look to the east and the west and go. We need to make a separation here. And Lot looked towards Sodom. It says the land there was well watered and very productive.

And that was what he was after, you know, production and he could do well there financially. And so that's where he went. And we know how that all ended up then. He left there with two of his daughters and hid in a mountain when Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed.

His purpose or his primary goal was comfort and convenience. And Abraham, on the other hand, was worshiping the Lord. And I had to think of the times that the Lord actually appeared to Abraham in a physical way.

One time was when he told him that he would have a son. And another time was when he was telling Abraham how Sodom is going to be destroyed and how he talked with the Lord there. And he had a very, very personal relationship with him.

But he made that a priority. It was his choice to make that a priority in his life, to worship the Lord, to build an altar wherever he went, and to call upon the name of the Lord.

Another individual I had thought about was Solomon.

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. And God majorly blessed him. And yet, it seems his prosperity, the many comforts that he gathered around himself, took him down. I'd like to look at First Kings chapter three, a couple of verses I want to read there.

This was Solomon's prayers soon after he became king.

First Kings chapter three.

First Kings chapter three, starting in verse

starting at verse three in First Kings chapter three. And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of David his father. Only he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for there was the great high place, a thousand burnt offerings that Solomon offered upon that altar. We think of a thousand that's a lot of animals. That's a lot of sacrificing.

He was worshiped. That's how he worshiped the Lord. And in Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and said, and God said, "Ask what I shall give thee." And Solomon said, "Thou hast showed unto thy servant David, my father, great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee. Thou hast kept for him this great kindness that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day.

And now, O Lord, my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David, my father, and I am but a little child. I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this, thy so great a people?" And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, "Because thou hast asked this thing and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked for riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgments. Behold, I have done according to thy words. Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart so that there was none like thee before thee.

Neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days."

And here's the conditions. "And if thou would walk in my ways to keep my statues and my commandments as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days." And then he woke from his dream there.

And you know we know how his wisdom was worked out there. We see him judging, making good judgments and judging righteously there. But you know his riches and his desires kind of took over and in the end took him down. You know a man that can that prayed a prayer like this and that God was pleased with to end up where he ended up. I'd like to look at ecclesiastes now. And I think this is some of the reasons that

this is some of the reasons that he went he wasn't faithful to the end.

Ecclesiastes chapter two, starting in verse one. You know he was thinking about life. He was thinking about what his purpose might be in life. What should be his perspective? Let's just see what he says here. I said in mine heart, "Go too now. I will prove thee with mirth. Therefore, enjoy pleasure. And behold, this is also vanity. I said of laughter, it is mad. And of mirth, what doeth it?

I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom and to lay hold on folly till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under heaven, under the heaven, all the days of their life."

Notice what all he did for himself. "I made me great works. I built me houses. I planted me vineyards. I made me gardens and orchards. I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits. I made me pools of water to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees. I got me servants and maidens, and I had and had servants born in my house.

Also, I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of the kings and of the provinces. I got me men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men as musical instruments and that of all sorts.

So I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me." I'd like to notice especially verse 10 here. It says, "And whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them.

I withheld not my heart from any joy. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion. This was the portion of all my labor." Especially noticing there where he says he withheld nothing from that he would enjoy. If he thought he would enjoy a certain thing, maybe a certain kind of tree, or didn't matter if it came from across India or somewhere, he could get it.

And he would plant. And he had pools of water to water all these things. And it says he withheld not his heart from any joy.

And then verse 11, "Then I looked on all the works of my hands that my hands had wrought and the labor that I had labored to do. And behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit. There was no profit under the sun.

And I turned myself to behold wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man that do that cometh after the king?" He's starting to think about what might happen to all these things he gathered after he's not here, even that which hath been already done.

And then verse 13 here he says, "Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness."

You know he was a good manager. He could manage people. He could make things happen.

But how much wisdom was in all this? Verse 13 says, "Wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness." That was and I think that's you know that's why he ended up the way he did is because he withheld not his heart from any joy. Anything that he desired, he pursued. He got it.

And in all of that, he forgot God. You know it says that his wives turned away his heart from following him.

You know how close how close is my life?

You know we can many of us, most of us, we can work and provide for our needs. And more than that, what do I do with my resources? Do I use it to make my life more comfortable and convenient? Or do I have a purpose and a perspective for my life?

And what should that purpose and perspective be? What should be the purpose of my life?

You know we are reading the book Committed. It's about this it's a life story of this of Vince Lewis. The title, it's From the Air Force to the Anabaptist. I recommend reading it. It's a very written in a very interesting way.

But you know as a young man, he enjoyed airplanes. He liked to watch airplanes. They lived by an airport. And he would just spend hours there just watching these planes come and go. And as a boy, he would build these model airplanes. And you know he would paint them. And he would you know he would build all these models. And as he became a teenager, he started training so he could fly, get his license and everything. And you know when I started reading that, I was thinking, you know it's good for a person to have a purpose in life. You know it wasn't necessarily he wasn't pursuing God or anything. But you know he had something that and that stood out to others as well.

You know he had a purpose. He was pursuing something. He wasn't just following his feelings. Or he had a mission.

And you know then as the book goes on, it talks about you know he worked his way on up till he was flying these big army planes. And you know but in the process of all that, he had gotten married. And then his marriage fell apart. And things just weren't working that way. But he was very particular, though. He flew these planes. He flew them well. And he did all that.

That was his purpose. And then as the story goes on, you know God got a hold of him and turned his life around and restored a lot of the relationships that were needed to be restored and everything. But you know it's possible for us to have a purpose and a passion for something and maybe be successful in it. But it's not the right but it's not the right we could be successful and not in the wrong thing.

So you know what should be what should be our perspective and our purpose in in 2025, where we live right now?

Matthew 6, verse 33 says, "We are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things will be added unto us." I think too many times we kind of get that around. We want to get everything added to us. And then we're going to seek the kingdom of God.

If that's if that is our perspective, we'll never seek the kingdom of God. But we need to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. That needs to be our purpose. In First Timothy, Paul writing to Timothy there, First Timothy chapter 6,

First Timothy chapter 6, starting at verse 5, he's warning him of some of the things that could turn him away from the truth. And he says, "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness from such withdraw thyself."

This needs to be some of our purpose. "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world. And it is certain we can carry nothing out. You know that's for sure. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things. Follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

A good description of our purpose here on this earth.

And then Matthew chapter 13, starting at verse 44, the it's like a pearl of great price. What are we willing to give? And also in Matthew talks about what is a man going to be profited if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?

You know there's many people that are bitter at life because they had the wrong purpose. And you know things aren't working out for them the way they had hoped it would. And so they become bitter at and start blaming others.

Matthew 13, verse 44 to 46, part of seeking first the kingdom of God. "And the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field, which when a man hath found, he hideth. And for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buieth that field."

This field has a treasure in it. And he knows it. And he's going to put all his energies and resources to buy that field so he can have that treasure. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

He finds a pearl. And do we realize the pearl that we have in Jesus Christ? Eternal life.

What am I willing to pay for that?

Another part of our purpose for our life is in Psalm Psalm 101, verse 3, where he talks about, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes." That needs to be our purpose, not to set wicked things before us.

Purpose of our work. Why do we work? Why do we we do need to provide for our needs? We need to earn a living. But why do we do that? Ephesians chapter 4, verse 28 says, "The purpose of our work is to we are to labor with working with our hands the thing which is good." So that why? To give ourselves many comforts and conveniences.

But says there that we can have to give to those in need. You know there's many that have a lot more needs, many more needs than we do.

Another purpose that I think the Christian needs to have is in First Corinthians Second Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5, talks about bringing our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Am I aware of what I think about? Now I've heard some people say, you know it doesn't really matter what we think about because you know as long as we keep our actions right, but our thoughts determine our actions.

It the things we allow into our mind, when we see wicked things, it affects our thoughts. Our thoughts need to be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. In Proverbs chapter 4, verse 23, it says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established."

What is my mind full of? What do I think about a lot? Is it my comforts and conveniences or is it God's purposes for our life? And to have the right perspective of it, God wants us to have a purpose. He doesn't want us to just float along and kind of see what happens.

Another verse in Proverbs 29, 18, where it says, "Where no vision is, the people perish. But he that keepeth the law, happy is he." If we don't have any vision or purpose, we will perish. I had to think of the way our world is geared and you know the many things out there that we can buy. And

it bothers me or I guess it could say it irritates me when I read or hear about all the science that gets put into how to set up a store. You know some of these big chain stores, they put a lot of money and research into how to set things up to get people to buy. You know the first things they see and what things to have at eye level and what things to have a little harder to get to.

It's to be convenient. And they've studied people enough. They kind of know what our weaknesses are and what we tend to buy on impulse. And so you know they try to set things up so that we get those things. A lot of times, it's things we don't need.

And you know if we follow our flesh, if we try to satisfy our flesh with the comforts and conveniences that it wants, our flesh is never satisfied. And we're going to ruin ourselves if we follow that.

You know there's a verse also in the Bible. I didn't look it up. But you know God gives us many things to enjoy.

And I think it's good to enjoy those things. But we need to realize that they are gifts from God and that he gave them to us and that they are his. And to thank him for the many blessings that we do have.

Paul had a purpose and a perspective on life. Look, I'd like to look at Philippians chapter 1. Before he was converted, he was out. He was after all the people that he thought were wrong, putting them in prison and trying to manhandle things that way.

But after his conversion, he wrote a lot of good instruction and encouraged a lot of people, started a lot of churches. In Philippians chapter 1, starting at verse 9, and this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. And this should be our purpose, that you may approve things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, purpose of our life, that we can approve the things that are excellent, not things that are just maybe good enough, barely getting by, but approve the things that are excellent, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God, proving the things that are excellent.

And I had to think of what Marvin brought out about Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2 there, where that talks about that too, that we can approve the things that are excellent, things that are true. And another purpose that I think we should have that Paul told Timothy he should have is to study, to show ourselves approved to God, a workman that doesn't need to be ashamed. We will never be ashamed if we study the word of God as we rightly divide the word of truth. That is not something to be ashamed of.

I'd like to look at Hebrews chapter 11 a little bit yet.

But before we leave Philippians, let's look at chapter 3, Paul talking about his purpose in life.

He, beginning of chapter 3 there, he talks about all his credentials. He was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, touching the law of Pharisee. Verse 6 in chapter 3 of Philippians, concerning Zeo, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

He had it all. Verse 8, this is what he thinks of all that now. "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ."

He says, "For Christ, I have suffered the loss of all things." And this is his desire, "And be found in him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

And this is his purpose and his pursuit, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. His desire was to know Christ, to follow him, to know God. Is that my passion and pursuit?

I'd like to end with the in Hebrews chapter 11, the faith chapter.

This is Old Testament people that had a purpose in their life. They had a perspective on life. I'd like to start at Hebrews chapter 11, verse 13. It says, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off." They didn't even receive the promises, but they had a vision. They had a purpose. They saw it afar off and they knew that was what was right. "And were persuaded of them and embraced it and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

But now they desire a better country that is in heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city."

Thinking about our purpose in life.

You know these heroes of faith that chapter 11 mentions here, you know they I like how you know they saw those promises and they believed that it was true. They didn't just, it might be true, yeah, maybe, but they were they saw it afar off and they were persuaded of them and embraced it and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth. You know we're seeking a country. This world is not our home. We're not here to stay.

But there's an eternity where we will live. And is that our purpose and our perspective in our life?

And it's not just for ourselves, but it's as others observe our life. The one song we sang earlier had a phrase in it that it says, "Then sinners shall be turned to thee when eye thy ways unfold." As we live for our Master, others will notice that and pay attention to that. And sinners can hopefully the way we live, not hopefully, but the way we live our lives should give others a hunger and a thirst for truth and righteousness so that they also desire that. And we have an opportunity to share what the Lord has done for us and invite them into that as well.

Are there any comments or corrections that need to be made?