You: Hope Joy, what are you doing? Me: Oops. Update for this Blog!
Hey guys! I know I have not done much with this blog. I completely intended to repost my Arizona newsletters to this page, but I have not gotten around to that. I still fully intend on doing that... along with some new ideas!
One of the things I plan to start doing (beginning with this blog post!) is recording what the Lord is teaching me and doing in my life! This will really be an extension of my posts from Instagram.
To be frank, I was afraid of posting on the internet because I kept hearing about the security that some mission trips required. That threat still remains for certain international missionaries going to closed countries. However, I have since heard of several stories and opportunities of missions going to the unreached and unengaged (UUPGs), and I no longer believe that threat is relevant to me specifically and the gifts the Lord has given me. I am ready to share on the internet as boldly as possible!
December to January Vlog
Update (3/21) - Podcast
What is our PURPOSE?
The biggest theme in my testimony (and my whole life) has been purpose. Questions as a 5-year-old asking "why" ultimately led to my salvation. I had wondered endlessly why God has moved me from my hopeless position as one in millions of orphans in China to a loving family in America who would spoil me beyond what I deserved.
It's crazy because, although I accepted God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ 15 years ago, I am learning more about that foundational question.
It is not like I am just figuring out now the true answer to my purpose years later and should revaluate my entire life. Instead, I am growing in my understanding of my purpose, and it is impacting my life more and more.
The answer is that the purpose of man or the "chief end of man" is to give glory to God. There are many stories in the Bible that clearly define God's glory as the reason for characters in the Bible. Below, I will refer to a story about Moses interceding on behalf of the Israelites. You can read it below!
Reference Scripture: Numbers 14
1 Then all the congregation [a]lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept [b]that night. 2 All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. 6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our [c]prey. Their [d]protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
Moses Pleads for the People
11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? 12 I will smite them with [e]pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”
13 But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people, for You, O Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will [f]say, 16 ‘Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have [g]declared, 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children [h]to the third and the fourth generations.’ 19 Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
Numbers 14 NASB1995 - Bible Gateway
Note that this event happened after a bad report of the Promised Land (Numbers 13), and the disobedience of the Israelites was that they were unwilling to trust and obey the Lord.
See how the people were prepared to stone Moses and those that stood with the Lord confidently (v10) instead of trusting that the Lord would fulfill His promises? (Sounds like another devotional right there haha.) Then, the Lord is ready to destroy the people, but Moses intercedes for them! This guy defends the very people who wanted to stone him.
Also, check out why. Why does Moses intercede for this people who have constantly complained and want to hurt him? The same people even disrespected His Almighty God (on several occasions). This is very important to pay attention to.
13 But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people, for You, O Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will [f]say, 16 ‘Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
Fame? Moses goes to all this trouble because of God's fame or glory at stake. His entire purpose for interceding for this obstinate people aligns with his ultimate purpose: glorifying God.
So how do we do this? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines glory as follows:
a.: praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent: renown.
b.: worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving. giving glory to God.
Our ultimate purpose is to give glory to God or to praise, honor, or thank Him. In the same way Taylor Swift receiving a reward at the Grammy's gives her glory, and people are obliged to talk about it and give her credit for her music, we are to give credit to God for who He is and what He has done.
Who is God? One of His roles involving our lives is that He is our Creator. Just like a music artist has legal rights where their music is played and get credit for their creation, God has the right to determine what His creation is used for. Another example is graphic art. If I create a design, then I have the rights to determine where it is displayed, if I want to sell it, who can distribute it, and who can use it. As the Creator of the Man, God has the authority to determine what the purpose of Man is, and He has determined that the ultimate reason for the existence of humans is to give Him glory.
As contradictory as this might sound, to say that to love God or Matthew 28:18-20 is our purpose on earth would be an understatement. It's all intertwined and derived from the purpose of giving God glory. Loving God and loving people are commandments from God. Evangelism and discipleship are also commandments from God. Anytime we obey His commandments, we are worshiping or giving glory to God.
Personally, I have been changing my mindset to something like this. To me, my purpose is simple. Here are some of the ways solidifying God's glory as the foundation and reason for my existence has resulted in:
It has given me more confidence to live life. The only way I fail my purpose is by not giving God glory. It's never been about trying to fight this battle on my own. That is not what the Gospel is about. Jesus died on the cross not so that we could be perfect, but to give glory to God by paying the price for our sins that we could never do on our own.
I am more confident in my identity. One huge misconception by Christian women is that they believe the ideal Biblical woman or wife is quiet and kind. Personally, if someone asked me this, I would say, "No," but the way I approached life and how I was to behave would sometimes say the other. God created us all differently, and He did that on purpose. There are multiple ways to glorify God as there are many parts to the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Therefore, my goal is to not achieve some ideal persona in order that God would be pleased with me, but to do things that would please God (Colossians 3:17), and not man (Colossians 3:23).
I have a better foundation for my happiness and joy. Both of the points above can explain why I feel lighter. It is a crazy feeling. My strength shall come from the Lord and only from Him. How do I fight my battles? On my knees (possibly the topic of my next blog unless the Lord impresses something else on my heart).
May you give God the glory today.
May all that you do be a pleasing aroma to Him. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
May you have a resulting happiness and confidence.
May understand the purpose of Man.
May you live out what you were created for.
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