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Have you ever thought about the difference that it makes when the question “did you do that on purpose” is answered?  It’s almost as if to say; “well, if you didn’t do it on purpose, it didn’t matter”. 

I was at the High school football game between A&M Consolidated and Bryan a couple of weeks ago.  After that field goal was kicked that broke the tie, that won the game, people were pretty excited.  One little boy, about 6 years old, was really – really excited.  He took his plastic cup and kicked it; I’m pretty sure, as hard as he possibly could.  He didn’t score a field goal with that kick, but he did hit me in the eye with the cup.  I didn’t know what had happened, other than my eye hurt from having a plastic cup hurled into it.  Everyone around me was asking all sorts of questions. “Did someone throw that cup at you; are you hurt, did you see who did it?”  I was just thinking that if someone actually threw that cup, they needed to be a quarterback. . .somewhere!  Suddenly, from higher up in the bleachers, a Mom came rushing to where I was standing.  She was taking those bleachers at break neck speed and she was holding a terrified six-year boy out in front of her.  There were three of us involved in this situation and I can tell you, I preferred my role to his.  The mother asks me if the cup had hit me in the face.  I said that indeed it had.  Then she turned to the boy and said “tell the lady that you’re sorry!”  This poor boy was mortified.  He just stared at me like he was saying “please don’t hurt me, lady”.  I leaned over to the boy and I said; “it’s o.k. – I’m sure you didn’t kick that cup on purpose.”  He had these huge honest brown eyes and they were opened some kind of wide and he said; “I did kick the cup on purpose”.  So, I took a big chance here, and I said; “but I’m sure you didn’t mean to hit me in the eye with the cup.”  He did agree that wasn’t done on purpose. 

When I was driving home, I started thinking about how different our response is when we understand that the person didn’t mean to hurt us.  How many times have you asked or been asked; “did you do that on purpose?”  And then the answer determines our response.  But is that always true?  It isn’t.  You and I both know that it isn’t.

When a husband or a wife is unfaithful and that break in trust leads to divorce, it serves little in the way of consolation to hear; “I never really meant to hurt you.”  The hurt is not lessened by “I didn’t do it on purpose”.

We are going to look at scripture today and talk about living our lives on purpose.  Do we just happen along and stumble upon an occasional good deed or are we intentional about carrying out what God has intended for us?  We should be doing things because we mean to do it that way! 

1 Peter 4:8-11

8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.  If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides. So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen 

Peter is talking here about living life on purpose.  He states that “above all” we should love each other deeply.  Christ set the example for loving deeply in everything he said and everything he did.  His greatest desire was to bring people to this understanding of how much God loves them and how gifted they are by God.  Love each deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.  Christ’s love covers our sins.  Christ loved so deeply that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.  Death on a cross – love that would and does cover a multitude of sins – yours and mine. 

I was reading a book this week that talked about the four stages that most people encounter in order to experiences transformational change in their lives.  I know that “transformational change” may sound redundant; however I believe there are some changes that we make in our lives that leave us somewhat unaffected, while there are other changes that leave us truly transformed. 

This author suggested that the four stages are: 

1.  You don’t know that you don’t know.  Haven’t you been there before?  You didn’t even realize that you didn’t know.  This is what many of us would refer to as totally clueless.  A person is rendered completely ineffective when they, in fact, do not even know that they don’t know.  How different would life be is someone was always right there beside us to say; “so, here’s what you don’t know about that.”

 2.  You realize that you do not know.  We have a girl in our senior high girl’s Bible study who wants to make sure that she gets the information right.  When that light bulb does come on for her, she will typically back track.  Every back track begins with:  wait, wait, wait, what?  We find ourselves in that situation sometimes, don’t we?  Wait, wait, wait, what?  I know I just heard what you said, but it’s completely new to me.

 3.  You want to get as much information as you possibly can. When good news is shared, when we hear something that we know could change our lives forever, we don’t mind spending some time learning all that we can.  I have, more than once, seen a big difference between the teenager who has grown up in the church, been given all the information all of their life and the teenager who has never heard about how much God loves them.  It’s as if they just can’t hear about it enough.

 4.  You put the information to use in your own life.  Here is the most crucial step of all.  You realize what you didn’t know, you find out all you can, and you put it to use.

Many people spend their entire lives not realizing how God, in his grace and wisdom, has gifted them for service.  This scripture tells us that above all we should love each other deeply and we should offer hospitality without griping about it.  Verse 10 says and whatever gift a person has received.  It does not say if a person has received a gift or only those people who have received gifts; it says whatever gift has been given.  This can only mean that every single person has been given gifts for service to God.  EVERY person!

Why?  So that glory and praise may be given to God.  We need to put this information to use in our own lives.  It doesn’t even make sense to KNOW that we have been given gifts by God and not use them.  What would possibly be our reason?   

Left to my own devices, I can be a pretty selfish person.  I’ve spent some time in my life looking out for numero uno!  And every time I did and every time I do, I am left feeling unfulfilled.  It offers no consolation to anyone for me to say; “I never showed you love, but it wasn’t really on purpose.  I never meant to hurt you.”  Left to God’s devices, I think more of others than of myself.  When I use the gifts that he has given me, the gifts of compassion and teaching, I know I’m living life on purpose.  I know that it is not by accident that I am loving others deeply, I know that it is not by chance that I offer hospitality (usually without grumbling), and I know that it is not by coincidence that I am using whatever gifts God has given me.  Not by my strength, not by my power, but by the power and strength that God provides.  Not for my glory and praise, but for the glory and praise of God.  I have to ask myself; “when people see how I live my life, do they applaud God?”

 Those to whom God has given gifts must use them, not as their own, but as God's.

             I am telling you, today, that I know how it feels to seek purpose and fulfillment outside of God’s love.  I know the rat race that life becomes when we only seek to stack one accomplishment on top of another in order to make ourselves look successful and worthy.  It is depressing and life lacks true meaning when we live that way.

              God knows how meaningful our lives are when we love deeply and when we use whatever gifts we have received from Him.

Several months ago, the church staff began talking about fulfilling the divine purpose of every member in ministry.  The more we talked, the more intense this dream became until, at times, I felt completely overwhelmed by it all.  More and more, the people of this church became involved in this dream of every member in ministry.  God’s plan for His church brought to fulfillment by His people.  It has been amazing.  While God is using people, all these things are happening because of His power and His strength.

This is the time; this is the opportunity of a lifetime - the time to discover your spiritual gifts and then seek out how you can best use those gifts.  Love – on purpose!  Offer hospitality – on purpose! Faithfully administer God’s grace – on purpose!  Live your life on purpose.  And in doing these things you will live out God’s purpose for your life.

To God be the glory and power forever and ever.  Amen.