Memorial Day – Will You Accept Your Assignment?
As we pause today and celebrate Memorial Day, I want to ask you for what will you be remembered? A memorial is defined as something intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event. My thoughts go directly to one of my good friends, Genice Nelson. Genice lost her sweet son, Corporal James Tyler Lindsey, in Iraq on April 12 of 2007. Jamie accepted his assignment and performed his duties bravely in a foreign country. The city of Florence has memorialized this brave soldier by renaming a portion of Cox Creek Parkway after him. His family has established a small prayer garden at church with a bench and a marker of his bravery. It is beautiful place for his family to be able to sit and reflect on Jamie’s memory. Even though Jamie is gone, his memory is living on because he stood for something. He stood for the United States of America and he fought for our rights to freedom. His life had purpose because he accepted his assignment!
What is your life’s assignment? God-given purpose – that is the missing ingredient in so many people’s lives. When people have no purpose and are not living their lives out toward a goal, life seems meaningless. If you are not living your life with some greater, God-initiated assignment, then you are letting your life live you instead of living your life. There is SO MUCH MORE to Christianity than just avoiding hell! There is a life of fulfillment, joy, and peace. Knowing your God-given purpose gives direction to your life and a sense of meaning. This very idea is why Rick Warren’s book, Purpose Driven Life, has been so incredibly successful.
So how do you get to your God-given purpose? You have to detect your strengths and personality traits that make you tick. What are you passionate about? What is it that you love to do? What are you doing when people notice you are doing a great job? All of these questions will help you to detect your areas of gifting which will ultimately be used for your Kingdom assignment. It is not often that we stop to ponder these very life-changing questions, but if you will take a few moments and prayerfully answer them, it can change the course of your life.
You were saved to serve God and others. The manner in which you do this is a totally unique packaging of gifts with which God has equipped you. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul discusses all kinds of spiritual gifts. In verse 6 he says, “God works in different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves His purposes through them all.” That is all God is really asking of you – He wants to use your gifts and skills to achieve His purpose.
Once Corporal Lindsey enlisted in the Army, there was no looking back. He used every bit of equipping the Army had given him and fought a good fight. This will always be a memorial to him and his family. Will you accept your God-given assignment as willingly as this young soldier? God has equipped you for some kind of mission. What is the legacy you will leave behind? Be purposeful about it. Ask God to reveal His bigger assignment for your life as you study His Word and seek His face. Our country called upon Jamie to go for us, and he did. “Jesus calls us not only to come to him, but to go for him.” (Purpose Driven Life, p. 283).
Please visit Jamie Lindsey’s Memorial FB page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=2366025939&ref=ts
