GOALS AND PURPOSES

 I Was Just Thinking About – GOALS AND PURPOSES.

Abraham Maslow was a humanistic psychologist who framed his views in what he labelled, The Hierarchy of Needs. He believed people were motivated by survival and other needs. The needs he identified were physiological, security, needs of belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. In terms of esteem, he defined it as self-esteem; confidence; achievement; respect of others; and respect by others.

In the devotional with which I usually begin my day there was this convicting thought shared: “Through the course of life, we all have opportunities to take the credit for ourselves when we shouldn’t. In the spotlight of some success, it’s tempting to keep the applause focused on “me.” But when you think about it, we would have no success in our lives at all if God did not see fit to give us the opportunities to succeed, the brainpower, the education, the temperament and gifts to accomplish praiseworthy things. Even so, when people notice that we have something good going, an internal spiritual battle occurs: Do we keep the glory for ourselves, or do we turn the spotlight back to God where it belongs? The prophet Jeremiah stated it well when he said: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight (Jeremiah 9:3-24)."

Yesterday, I received a letter soliciting special greetings and a financial gift for a well-known minister who is reaching his seventy-fifth birthday. The verse used with the letter is I Timothy 1:12 (NLT), “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,” 

The crucial phrase is “to serve Him.” How does one go about “to serve Him” to Whom all glory, honor and praise belong? What is our Goal and Purpose in the ministry of serving Him.”

Working with God’s people can be done in one of two ways – (1) either as a shepherd who gently leads the sheep and lambs, or (2) like a cowboy who drives the herd? The picture we are given in Isaiah 40:11 (NASB) is: “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” 

Peter learned a valuable lesson from The Good Shepherd (John 21:15-19) who directed him to care for the sheep and to feed the lambs. Peter gives indication of a lesson-learned when he wrote about the goal and purpose regarding the scattered believers and the emerging leaders in I Peter 5:1-4, “Shepherd the flock of God…not under compulsion but willingly…not domineering over those in your charge, but by being an example to the flock.” A shepherd should never act like a cowboy with God’s people. He must gently lead the sheep and lambs being an example at all times.

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me!