Title
PURPOSE 2025 目的 2025
Date
01/12/2025
Description
Col 1:12-14: Your hearts can soar with joyful gratitude when you think of how God made you worthy to receive the glorious inheritance freely given to us by living in the light. He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood.
歌 羅 西 書 1:12-14: 并且充满欢乐，向父感恩吧，他让你们有资格去分享那属于生活在光明之中的上帝子民的遗产。 他把我们从黑暗势力中解救出来，带到他爱子的王国里。 通过他的爱子，我们得到自由，罪过得到饶恕 (page 1908)
Prov 29:18 - where there is no vision, the people perish.
箴言 29:18 - 百姓无神谕便任意妄为，但遵守律法的人必蒙福。
Col 1:16 - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
歌罗西书 1:16: 因为万物都是借着祂创造的，天上的、地上的、有形的、无形的、做王的、统治的、执政的、掌权的，一切都是借着祂也是为了祂而创造的。(page 1909)
Prov 12:14: A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words
箴言 12:14 - 口出良言，饱尝美福；双手勤劳，终得回报。
Mark 4:14: The sower sows the word.
马可福音 4:14 -农夫撒的是上帝的道。(page 1623)
Psalm 1:3 - They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.
诗篇 1:3 -他就像溪水旁的树木—— 按时结果子，
叶子也不凋零。他必凡事亨通。 (page 881)
歌 羅 西 書 1:12-14: 并且充满欢乐，向父感恩吧，他让你们有资格去分享那属于生活在光明之中的上帝子民的遗产。 他把我们从黑暗势力中解救出来，带到他爱子的王国里。 通过他的爱子，我们得到自由，罪过得到饶恕 (page 1908)
Prov 29:18 - where there is no vision, the people perish.
箴言 29:18 - 百姓无神谕便任意妄为，但遵守律法的人必蒙福。
Col 1:16 - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
歌罗西书 1:16: 因为万物都是借着祂创造的，天上的、地上的、有形的、无形的、做王的、统治的、执政的、掌权的，一切都是借着祂也是为了祂而创造的。(page 1909)
Prov 12:14: A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words
箴言 12:14 - 口出良言，饱尝美福；双手勤劳，终得回报。
Mark 4:14: The sower sows the word.
马可福音 4:14 -农夫撒的是上帝的道。(page 1623)
Psalm 1:3 - They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.
诗篇 1:3 -他就像溪水旁的树木—— 按时结果子，
叶子也不凋零。他必凡事亨通。 (page 881)
Creator
Pastor: Mike J Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3739 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3739 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
The Power of Purpose 2025
Col 1:12-14
Last week I heard this great quote:
“Purpose isn't just about knowing what to do. It's about knowing why you do it.”
I sent it to my self as an email so I could reference it later.
When I went back to search my emails , I used the word “purpose” and found I had to already wade through 2 pages of emails in order to find it.
What I am saying is, people talk a LOT about “purpose.”
Back during World War II, enemies torpedoed a Navy cruiser carrying more than 1,100 crewmembers. As the ship sank into the frigid water, the crew floundered in the sea for five days. They were starving, drowning, and being attacked by sharks.
The ocean current pulled nine of the guys away, splintering off from the rest of the ranks.
Seeing these men were beginning to lose their will, a young officer started asking them about their families and lives back home.
He asked them to describe what they were going to do when they got back. He asked them what they wanted to accomplish and what difference they wanted to make.
He had them envision how scared their spouses and children were; how their parents must feel not knowing if they were alive. He asked them to fight to stay alive, not just for themselves but for their loved ones back home.
Finally a passing plane spotted the men in the water.
Two-thirds of the 1,100 crew members perished. However, all nine inspired by that young officer lived.
This story helps illustrate the importance of purpose & vision.
Prov 29:18 - where there is no vision, the people perish.
What is the vision for your life?
It needs to be bigger than yourself.
What are you willing to fight for; who are you willing to fight for;
…or rather… live for?
Our Vision should rise from our Purpose.
Purpose is what we are here to focus on today – right at the early start of 2025.
purpose: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
have as one's intention or objective.
Our Vision should rise from our Purpose.
Our purpose should guide our choices in life.
Where we go in 2025 will depend largely upon where we are looking.
Robert Schuller (recovery story)
“How beautiful it is to stand on the edge of tomorrow.”
Let’s thank God for His Grace this morning.
Your hearts can soar with joyful gratitude when you think of how God made you worthy to receive the glorious inheritance freely given to us by living in the light. He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood.
Isn’t wonderful to know that no matter what your past was – you can have a spotless future?
Fact: GOD has a bigger vision and purpose for your life than you can comprehend right now.
Eph 3:20 – GOD “is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Col 1:16 - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
So you – as a created being – were created for Him – and you therefore have a purpose for being here.
What is your purpose? What is my purpose?
I know we all struggle with that question at times.
Some people struggle for a lifetime.
Many people live a life based on a selfish, self-serving purpose.
If that is the case, and we are pursuing our own stuff –
we are working on our own.
If you are pursuing your Divine Purpose – GOD is your partner.
- and HE will add HIS “Super” to your “Natural”
What’s something that irritates you? What do you see that needs to be changed or improved? Maybe that is your purpose rising up in your soul.
Your questions just may be revealing your calling – your purpose
? What if YOU were the one called to address these needs?
The health clubs may be full this week – filled with people who made that their New Year’s resolution.
…but we all know all too well that most won’t make it to February
Will 2025 be an amazing year of breakthrough for you?
“According to your faith it is done unto you.”
There are a lot of ways to make a true SHIFT in the upcoming year.
One of those ways is in how we speak about our lives. Our words.
Your true core beliefs will manifest in the words you speak over your life.
Prov 12:14 - A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words
“The sower sows the word.” (Mark 4:14)
What are you sowing in your life?
We can waste our days or we can invest them.
Get beyond the petty and go for Purpose.
You may think you have missed out by being in the wrong place and the wrong time.
In the carnal landscape it may be “Location. Location. Location.” but in the spiritual realm, God’s Plans and Purposes will still prevail.
His Favor upon your life goes wherever you go.
Psalm 30:5: His favor is for a lifetime
Psalm 1:3 - They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.
Your Purpose will override the distractions and you will move forward like a laser-guided missile.
Here’s a story to help illustrate this:
In the Andes Mountains, there were two warring tribes that not-so-peacefully co-existed—one that lived in the lowlands and the other, high in the mountains.
One day, the mountain people invaded the lowlanders plundering and kidnapping a baby from the village. They vanished with the child and took her back up into the mountains.
The lowlanders—pushed to action at the disappearance of one of their own—didn’t know how to climb the mountain.
They didn’t know any of the trails that the mountain people used, and they didn’t know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain.
Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby home.
The men first tried one method of climbing and then another.
They tried one trail and then another.
After several days of effort, however, they had climbed only a few hundred feet.
Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below.
As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby’s mother walking toward them.
They realized that she was coming down the mountain that they hadn’t figured out how to climb.
They saw that she had the baby strapped to her back.
How could that be?
One man greeted her and said, “We couldn’t climb this mountain.
How did you do this when we, the strongest and most able men in the village, couldn’t do it?”
She looked intently at them and said, “It wasn’t your baby.”
Your purpose and your passion is YOUR Baby.
I can tell the difference between a difficult task that is on purpose and that if “off purpose”
When you are on-purpose – when you are in the zone – time disappears and the effort becomes “effortless” – or at least a labor of love.
Commit 2025 to Living Your Divine Purpose.
Ultimately your true Divine Mission in Life is something you will discover along the path – as you continue to seek and serve the Lord with an open heart.
Col 1:12-14
Last week I heard this great quote:
“Purpose isn't just about knowing what to do. It's about knowing why you do it.”
I sent it to my self as an email so I could reference it later.
When I went back to search my emails , I used the word “purpose” and found I had to already wade through 2 pages of emails in order to find it.
What I am saying is, people talk a LOT about “purpose.”
Back during World War II, enemies torpedoed a Navy cruiser carrying more than 1,100 crewmembers. As the ship sank into the frigid water, the crew floundered in the sea for five days. They were starving, drowning, and being attacked by sharks.
The ocean current pulled nine of the guys away, splintering off from the rest of the ranks.
Seeing these men were beginning to lose their will, a young officer started asking them about their families and lives back home.
He asked them to describe what they were going to do when they got back. He asked them what they wanted to accomplish and what difference they wanted to make.
He had them envision how scared their spouses and children were; how their parents must feel not knowing if they were alive. He asked them to fight to stay alive, not just for themselves but for their loved ones back home.
Finally a passing plane spotted the men in the water.
Two-thirds of the 1,100 crew members perished. However, all nine inspired by that young officer lived.
This story helps illustrate the importance of purpose & vision.
Prov 29:18 - where there is no vision, the people perish.
What is the vision for your life?
It needs to be bigger than yourself.
What are you willing to fight for; who are you willing to fight for;
…or rather… live for?
Our Vision should rise from our Purpose.
Purpose is what we are here to focus on today – right at the early start of 2025.
purpose: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
have as one's intention or objective.
Our Vision should rise from our Purpose.
Our purpose should guide our choices in life.
Where we go in 2025 will depend largely upon where we are looking.
Robert Schuller (recovery story)
“How beautiful it is to stand on the edge of tomorrow.”
Let’s thank God for His Grace this morning.
Your hearts can soar with joyful gratitude when you think of how God made you worthy to receive the glorious inheritance freely given to us by living in the light. He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood.
Isn’t wonderful to know that no matter what your past was – you can have a spotless future?
Fact: GOD has a bigger vision and purpose for your life than you can comprehend right now.
Eph 3:20 – GOD “is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Col 1:16 - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
So you – as a created being – were created for Him – and you therefore have a purpose for being here.
What is your purpose? What is my purpose?
I know we all struggle with that question at times.
Some people struggle for a lifetime.
Many people live a life based on a selfish, self-serving purpose.
If that is the case, and we are pursuing our own stuff –
we are working on our own.
If you are pursuing your Divine Purpose – GOD is your partner.
- and HE will add HIS “Super” to your “Natural”
What’s something that irritates you? What do you see that needs to be changed or improved? Maybe that is your purpose rising up in your soul.
Your questions just may be revealing your calling – your purpose
? What if YOU were the one called to address these needs?
The health clubs may be full this week – filled with people who made that their New Year’s resolution.
…but we all know all too well that most won’t make it to February
Will 2025 be an amazing year of breakthrough for you?
“According to your faith it is done unto you.”
There are a lot of ways to make a true SHIFT in the upcoming year.
One of those ways is in how we speak about our lives. Our words.
Your true core beliefs will manifest in the words you speak over your life.
Prov 12:14 - A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words
“The sower sows the word.” (Mark 4:14)
What are you sowing in your life?
We can waste our days or we can invest them.
Get beyond the petty and go for Purpose.
You may think you have missed out by being in the wrong place and the wrong time.
In the carnal landscape it may be “Location. Location. Location.” but in the spiritual realm, God’s Plans and Purposes will still prevail.
His Favor upon your life goes wherever you go.
Psalm 30:5: His favor is for a lifetime
Psalm 1:3 - They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.
Your Purpose will override the distractions and you will move forward like a laser-guided missile.
Here’s a story to help illustrate this:
In the Andes Mountains, there were two warring tribes that not-so-peacefully co-existed—one that lived in the lowlands and the other, high in the mountains.
One day, the mountain people invaded the lowlanders plundering and kidnapping a baby from the village. They vanished with the child and took her back up into the mountains.
The lowlanders—pushed to action at the disappearance of one of their own—didn’t know how to climb the mountain.
They didn’t know any of the trails that the mountain people used, and they didn’t know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain.
Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby home.
The men first tried one method of climbing and then another.
They tried one trail and then another.
After several days of effort, however, they had climbed only a few hundred feet.
Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below.
As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby’s mother walking toward them.
They realized that she was coming down the mountain that they hadn’t figured out how to climb.
They saw that she had the baby strapped to her back.
How could that be?
One man greeted her and said, “We couldn’t climb this mountain.
How did you do this when we, the strongest and most able men in the village, couldn’t do it?”
She looked intently at them and said, “It wasn’t your baby.”
Your purpose and your passion is YOUR Baby.
I can tell the difference between a difficult task that is on purpose and that if “off purpose”
When you are on-purpose – when you are in the zone – time disappears and the effort becomes “effortless” – or at least a labor of love.
Commit 2025 to Living Your Divine Purpose.
Ultimately your true Divine Mission in Life is something you will discover along the path – as you continue to seek and serve the Lord with an open heart.