Purpose

Ever look at the plants during a drought? Have you ever noticed how for quite some time many of these plants survive? You would think they should have withered by now.

Compare that to a plant you just uprooted. It withers VERY quickly. You wonder if there was really that much water in the ground to begin with.

That's the difference between those connected to God and those who aren't. Jesus describes Himself as the vine, while we are its branches. Apart from Him we can do nothing. Apart from Him, we are basically dead. We're withering. Unless we're planted again, we'll quickly die.

Yet even when times are tough and there's no rain, those connected to Christ are sustained.

But there's more to being connected to Christ than just saying "I'm saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost." Being connected means you have a new way of life. And it's not just going to church. It's not just preaching. There's so much more to life, and God isn't trying to take that away from you. If you like to rap, God isn't taking that away from you. All He wants is that you don't glorify evil. If you're a funny person, God doesn't want to make you super-serious and unrelatable. Keep your comedy. Keep your hobbies. Keep your personality.

Rather, God wants you to live your life with Him on your mind. So if you're in business, you're thinking of how you do business in ways that honor God (even if the company isn't religious). Take the ideas you have and ask "How would God do this?" Make no mistake about it: You're not prohibited from doing secular business as a Christian. Remember, God's not trying to take that from you. However, don't be surprised if you begin to purposefully serve God specifically for His Kingdom.

There is a myth in the Black church that if you feel called to serve God, that this automatically means you're destined to be a minister/preacher/pastor. It evokes feelings of entrapment. It makes you recall unpleasant memories from church experience, like long, drawn out services filled with old people musing about a God that's hard to relate to and only gives out rules.

This extends to our image of Heaven, which we've heard described as endless church. Picture the scene. "Sit still." "No running in church." "Wake up." "Be quiet." "Go give him the money." And this is supposed to be an INCENTIVE to go to Heaven?! Eternal church?! Well, hey, at least it's better than Hell.

That's how many people think. That's the culture we've shaped in the Black church. We're not comprehensive in our theology. We're full of clichés, so what we say has little meaning. So as Christians, we struggle a lot to articulate what we mean about our beliefs. If you the reader have experienced this, I apologize, because it's hurt you.

There is yet another myth in the Western church. Not just the Black church. It's the myth that if you give God complete control of your life, you'll be handing over the wheel to a madman who will swiftly drive the car off a bridge. It's a belief that we can't trust God to run our lives. It's the belief that God is opposed to our happiness, as if He gets a sick sense of pleasure from our torment in life. What's the first thing new believers ask? "Does this mean I have to go be a missionary in Africa?" They honestly question if their life really became God's, would their life's ambition will go up in smoke. You believe this too, don't you? Even if you won't admit this with your mouth, your lifestyle admits it. I shouldn't need to convince you to serve God if you already think it's good. You'd already be doing it.

I won't tell you that life is going to go swimmingly for you if you live for God. That's something preachers say when they want your money. (They promise you this and prophesy that. And the mark of your faith: Your "seed" money. Gotcha.) Nor will I tell you life will outright suck. Because we're not persecuted in America like the saints of old in Rome (or even around the world today), we take any inconvenience as a test; we get a sense of validation from that. So we become masochists, looking for trouble. We're always waiting for the next punch. But I can't tell you life will be like that, either. We simply don't know. All I can give you is a commitment to walk with you, come what may.

Life with God is a walk of faith. It's not a faith that takes dumb risks or a faith that refuses to acknowledge reality. It's a faith that says no matter what happens, I'm sticking with God. I'm going to honor Him with my actions. If I'm blessed for it, I'll be thankful. If life doesn't go so well, I'll press through. But I'm going to do what God has created me to do, and let Him handle the rest.