Day 39 - Surely this man was the Son of God!

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”  – Mark 15:37-39 (NIV)

How could an act of weakness, such as a man dying on a cross, cause this kind of response in an elite Roman soldier? In the Jewish temple there was a place called the Holy of holies. A heavy curtain covered the entrance; separated unholy man from a holy God. When that curtain was ripped in two the separation between God and man was gone. Suddenly the centurion saw what he couldn’t see before: Jesus was not an ordinary man, but God’s very act of reconciliation. Can you see that? Or do you still see just a man on a cross?
 (Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor Grace Church NY)

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The Purpose Driven Life - Finding Your Purpose


CHAPTER 39 - BALANCING YOUR LIFE


Blessed are the balanced; they shall outlast everyone.

Your life is a pentathlon of five purposes, which you must keep in balance. These purposes were practiced by the first Christians in Acts 2, explained by Paul in Ephesians 4, and modeled by Jesus in John 17, but they are summarized in the Great Commandment  and the Great Commission of Jesus. These two statements sum up what this book is all about -- God's five purposes for your life:

1. "Love God with all your heart": You were planned for God's pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship


2. "Love your neighbor as yourself": You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry


3. "Go and make disciples": You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God's message through evangelism.

4. "baptize them into...": You were formed for God's family, so your purpose is to identify with his church through fellowship.

5. "teach them to do all things...": You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship

Point to Ponder: Blessed are the balanced


Verse to Remember: "Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not now the meaning of life but as those who do." Ephesians 5:15 (Ph)


Question to Consider: Which of the four activities will I begin in order to stay on track and balance God's five purpose for my life?