At work, if we understand the purpose of our employer, it helps us to get in line with company goals and focus on what is important to our boss.  It is no different with Jesus and the kingdom of God. Our Lord told his disciples to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, not their own success or comfort. It was only after the resurrection that the first apostles began to truly understand what this means. Today followers of Christ can also be slow on the uptake when it comes to grasping God’s purpose for them and the church.

Many suppose that the gospel is primarily for us, but actually it is first and foremost for God. Are you surprised? If so, it’s because we live in a culture in which everything is promoted or sold in terms of what it offers the consumer.

Replacing society’s “me first” focus with prioritizing God and his desires is the biggest part of what it means to be transformed by the Spirit into a disciple.

Jesus died on the cross for us who believe, but that was not the main thing on his mind as he approached and endured that horrible agony. He was most concerned about pleasing his Father in heaven. His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane is the supreme example of embracing God’s will, no matter what the personal cost.

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:42 (NLT) 

For us to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, we, too, must surrender to God’s will for our lives. Only after that can we go on to experience God’s purpose for us through the gospel.

Love

I love Bible verses that capture the simple essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. One such is found in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)

Paul’s admonition to Timothy, and to all who would later be privileged to read his letter, was to allow God to develop in him a heart motivated by God’s love. God’s love is selfless and sacrificial, as evidenced by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is also focused on God’s glory. Jesus kept his focus on pleasing his Father, holding on to the promise of glory which awaited him on the other side of the cross.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)  

Jesus told us that love sums up all of God’s commands. Love is not a feeling. It is a motivation to faith and good works. Jesus healed and set people free because his compassion moved or propelled him to do so.

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. 41  Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”Mark 1:40-41 (NLT) 

God’s love can never be content to simply feel empathy. It must act. The aim of the gospel is to produce in followers of Christ the kind of love that acts as God would. It will reveal itself in love of God and our neighbor. It will be heartfelt and practical. It will be compassionate and selfless.

Purity of Heart

Where this love comes from is very important. Paul tells us that a pure heart is essential. In this he is in complete agreement with our Lord, who blessed the pure of heart.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NLT)  

Purity of heart comes when our motives are clean and our devotion to God is single. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we are selfish. The essence of sin is when we self-direct our lives without reference to God or dependence on his Spirit. It usually takes a prolonged work of God’s Spirit to change us on the inside, so that we begin to put God and others first. All of us followers of Christ are works in progress, but hopefully we are going forward. Really, only God knows the condition of our hearts, and we can be sure he is at work there continually.

Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians that all our works of faith and sacrifice are worthless in God’s sight unless they are motivated by love. (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

If we want to align with God’s purposes in the gospel, we will cooperate with God’s Spirit as he purifies our hearts to properly love God and people.

A Good Conscience

Secondly, our love should come from heart that is devoid of offense toward God and men. Jesus wants us to have clean consciences. This does not mean we are perfect, but it does require us to come into the light when we sin through confession and repentance toward God. It means that we are not covering our faults and sins with a thick layer of hypocrisy, pretending to be what we are not. It means we are working toward being more and more transparent and honest. This requires that we allow the Holy Spirit to work humility in our lives in an ever greater way, which is never easy.

A Sincere Faith

Thirdly, God wants our love to be motivated by a sincere faith. Such faith is free of hypocrisy and self-promotion. It does not pretend to be something it is not. Its motives are pure.

Many people understand the concept of faith, which combines loyalty to Jesus with taking God at his word and acting on it, trusting that he will come through as promised. The problem is that some use faith to obtain what they want instead of what God wants.

God is not primarily interested in making us wealthy and comfortable. He is much more concerned with developing our hearts to be like his, which normally requires us to endure suffering by faith from time to time, and, in some cases, extensively.

A sincere faith focuses on what God wants, which is the furtherance of his gospel and kingdom, not on what we may want for our personal comfort and ease.

When the gospel accomplishes its purpose in individuals, it brings glory to our Lord and furthers the advance of God’s kingdom. People are generally attracted to followers of Christ who exemplify love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. May God help us to be like that. May God’s glory and his kingdom be our foremost concern. Everything else will follow.