What's Your Purpose

Of late I have developed an interest in indoor cycling and after much thought I’m now convinced that “nautilus” is far superior to “precor”, both in terms of riding experience and ergonomics. It’s good to do endurance workouts as they make your mind calm and discipline your body.

Couple of weeks back, I got on the bike for a 60 mins ride after my stretches and warm up. I had planned to build speed gradually. In the 15th minute of my ride (not too sure about the time) another person came to occupy the bike next to mine. And I could sense something prodding me to do it faster than him. And slowly I got restless and started to race involuntarily. I started peddling faster instead of my planned build up of pace. As a result, I was expending more energy than I needed to at the moment.

My fellow cyclist was just warming up and so he finished his work out in less than 10 mins.

And now, I had to do another 30+ mins. After he left I felt so stupid that I competed without a purpose or goal. In fact I forgot about my own goal while I acted impulsively.

And then it dawned on me, it’s the same thing that we do with our own lives. Often times we start out with one goal and then once we see a different trend in the society, we try to match up to it. In that process we fail to work on our own talents and in the end get exhausted.

Maybe, that guy was using the same bike as mine, but his agenda was entirely different to that of mine. I had planned for a long ride, but he, for a short spurt. I had to focus more on technique to ensure I don’t lose much energy. To him, technique is secondary as he just wanted to get warmed up before moving on to the treadmill. Same bike don’t mean same purpose.

This happens to most of us, in school, college and at work. Just because your in the same department as another colleague, it doesn’t make the two of your purposes to be the same. God has given each one of us unique gifts that needs to be used according His will. God’s call is always based on how your greatest gifts could be best utilized by the society in the most optimal way.

A student in school or college, should learn from God his/her gifts before opting for the right set of courses. An young professional, should seek God’s guidance in using his/her skills developed over the period of time, and not how s/he could do better than others in her department. A senior professional should connect the dots of important points in his/her life while making important decision and not just think of how is the market for his/her profile.

So, next time when someone occupies that bike next to mine, I’ll focus on my plan and try not to waver. And I will also ensure that I don’t treat him/her as a competition but a fellow companion who is just here to fulfill his/her own purpose.

Stay fit, think good, obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

- John

The choices we should make - Devotion from Psalm 9

Psalm 9:1-2

I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

We make decisions throughout our lives. Some are very important ones, while others, less significant. Here in this Psalm we see a continuous refrain of “I will” which tells me that there were choices that David decides to take no matter what. We see that David chooses to make certain decisions: Praise God with all his heart; Tell God’s wonders in his life; Be glad and rejoice in God; and sing to God’s Holy name.

Praise God with all your heart

Our days on this earth are filled with multiple priorities, worries and situations which leaves little room in our hearts to focus on God. In this psalm we read that David too had all of the above and was in danger (verse 13), yet he chose to praise God. Notice that, it is said to praise God with all of one’s heart – not partially but completely. We need to choose to praise God with all of our heart because the cares of this world would easily entangle us and we may lose our sense of the spiritual realm while we pray to the Father in heaven. And so, when you pray to God, pray with all your heart - - let nothing else fill your heart. Focus only on Him who is in Spirit.

Tell God’s wonder in your life

Never before did mankind have so many tools to share personal information - - and that too beyond borders. We share various types’ of information within seconds (via Facebook, Twitter and other emails services) with our friends and network. We live in shrinking world filled with large amount of knowledge that is shared constantly. Have you ever wondered how much we’ve used these new tools to share God’s wonders in our lives? David, in this psalm, wills to tell of all God’s wonders in his life. What a great way to express our gratitude to the King of Kings!

Be Glad and rejoice in God

Our lives are constantly filled with troubles, trials and struggles. We do not have control over the problems we face everyday, but we have the tremendous ability to perceive and act joyfully despite the situation. This is not a reaction but our general attitude and that’s the secret of being glad and rejoicing in the Lord. What we in essence proclaim is that no matter what happens to us, we know that our God is sovereign and He orchestrates every tiny move in our lives and that He works for the good of all those who love Him. The parable of the man who built his house on the rock comes to my mind here. Christ ends the parable by saying that “the flood waters came, but the house stood firm as it was built on the rock”. If our character is built on strong Christ-centered values, our attitude will be one that of joy and gladness.

Sing to God’s Holy name

Finally, singing! Singing is a wonderful experience as it unites our thoughts and makes us focus. There is so much power in music which when used to praise God’s holy name, only makes the experience complete. Quite honestly, songs in praise of the Holy God consummates the experience of Worship. We are His chosen instruments who need to sing His awesome holy name.

These verses had a wonderful impact on me and I hope it will touch anyone who reads it.

Have a wonderful day and may God’s amazing grace be with you all!

- John