MESSAGE 5
"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou" WHAT GOD PURPOSED YOU TO BE. -- (PART 1)
Nehemiah 8:4 "Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose.."
Amos 2:11-12 "I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites...But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not."
Romans 9:17 "Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth."
Each of us has been made by our Creator: "It is He that made us, and not we ourselves." Ps. 100:3 There are no self-made men. Furthermore, God made each of us for a purpose. Through the prophet Amos, God said that He had raised up their sons for the purpose of making prophets out of them, and He had raised up of their young men those whom He purposed to make Nazarites. But, tragically they were influenced away from the fulfillment of God's purpose for them by their own parents! Young Nazarites polluted their purity and young prophets did not answer God's call through the corrupt influence of their own families. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with King Nebuchadnezzar's wine, but these young Nazarites, perhaps thinking that surely their own parents would not lead them astray, violated their vows and missed God's purpose for their lives.
Some trees had been felled and the logs were shoved down the side of the mountain to hit a stream below so as to be carried to the mill where they would be cut and planed for the purpose of building. One log, unfortunately, had reached the stream too near a back-eddy, and instead of being pulled on down stream toward the fulfillment of the purpose for which it had been cut it was completing circles over and again under the influence of this revolving current aside from the main stream. A man beheld this unfortunate log as it repeatedly circled and shot toward the main stream. It would break into the current of the main stream a little, then be pulled back into the eddy, next time to complete a wider arc and shoot toward the main stream with greater force. Up to a certain point, it would increasingly enlarge its arc and propulsion toward the main current, and at times it would be enough influenced thereby that it looked like it might escape the eddy, but it never did. Curious, the man returned in the evenin g to see if the log had broken out of its useless circles, but the man wrote: "The poor log was still there, busy as ever in not going onwards: and I went upon my journey, feeling very melancholy for this tree, and thinking there was very little hope for it." (Dict. Ill. #4539)
Young person, don't let anyone, devil or human, influence you out of the mainstream of God's purpose for your life. You can spend a lifetime going in useless, vain circles and doing nothing of eternal value. What is more, once you are caught in that back-eddy, you may never escape!
Be thou what God purposed you to be in [THE PATTERN OF HIS IMAGE]. God made us after His likeness in order to reflect His noble image. The King of Prussia once visited a school, and holding up an orange he asked: "To what kingdom does this belong?" The Vegetable kingdom," answered a little girl. Then, holding up a gold coin, he asked: "To what kingdom does this belong?" The little girl answered: "The Mineral Kingdom". Then, the king asked her, "And to what kingdom do I belong?" The little girl blushed, not wanting to identify her king as belonging to the Animal kingdom. Then, suddenly she remembered the scripture which says that God created man in his image, and she replied: "To God's Kingdom, sire!" A tear stood in the king's eye, and placing his hand upon her head, he said, "God grant that I may be counted worthy of that kingdom." Oh, young people, may God help us fulfill the noble purpose of reflecting His image and belonging to His kingdom for time and eternity.
In Greek mythology it is, perhaps, that the story is told of Grillus, a man who had been turned into a hog. Eulysses wanted to change him back into a man, but Grillus would have none of that. When asked if he took no account of the finer things such as poetry, music, and eloquence, Grillus let it be known that he would rather "oink" than be eloquent. Referring to the filthy pig-sty in which he who had once been a man was now wallowing, Eulysses asked Grillus: "How can you endure this nastiness and stench?" "It all depends on the taste," oinked Grillus, "The odor is sweeter than amber to me, and the filth than the nectar of the gods!"
Young person, "God hath made man upright," Ecc. 7:29, but a world of individuals are so degenerated from that purpose that they actually enjoy the nastiness of sin more than the nectar of salvation. Don't join that crowd, or you may end up lower than an animal.
Be thou what God purposed you to be through [THE PERCEPTION OF HIS CALL]: "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not...Then He openeth the ears of men...That He may withdraw man from his purpose.." Morally and spiritually speaking, most men and women today are purposing to be pigs rather than to be pure. God speaks but man's ears are plugged with the mud of sin. God has to open dirty ears before they can hear the message of God's pure purpose. Then, when fallen, filthy man's ears are opened through the convicting power of the Holy Ghost, He says: "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost...therefore glorify God in your body and spirit which are God's!... Come out from among them -- (the pig's and husks of sin) -- and I will receive you.." Young person, have you perceived the purity of God's purpose for you life? Then come out from among those whose filthy influence defiles all who touch them, and be washed in the blood of Christ and separated unto the gospel.
Be thou what God purposed you to be in [THE POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT]: "For this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew My power in thee.." Whether it be negatively, as in the case of Pharoah, or positively, as in the case of Moses, God always raises us up for the purpose of manifesting His power in us. The man who wrote the story of the circling log caught in the back-eddy entitled it: "Want of Purpose". I have a better name: "Want of Power".
There was no lack of purpose for that log it would appear, simply a lack of power. That log needed to be hooked on to some external power to pull it out of the influence of the back-eddy and into the mainstream of its purpose. Hallelujah! When I too was caught in the back-eddy of sin, some looking on at my useless circling may have turned away with the melancholy feeling that there was very little hope for me. And, "You're doomed now for aye," I heard satan shout, then Jesus reached down, and lifted me out! Young person, in yourself, or in others, you wil l never find the power to escape the meaningless spin of a useless life in the grip of satan, but don't give up all hope. You can be free. Turn to Jesus. Cry to Him. Yield your all to Him. "His power can make you what you ought to be." He will reach down and pull you, even you, out of satan's grasp.
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