The Pursuit of Divine Purpose
Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we seek to understand the pursuit of divine purpose.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Pursuit of Divine Purpose
"And he said unto them, how is it that ye sought me? Know you not that I must be about my
Father’’s business." Luke, Chapter 2, Verse 49.
With weary feet, we march and we march,
With bleary eyes we search and we search,
But it still remains out of sight and reach.
It has yet to be found.
Brothers and sisters, in today’’s broadcast, we shall examine the pursuit of divine purpose. We know
that we all have lives to live in accordance with the Father’’s will. The supreme discovery of our life
is to discover the divine purpose for it. The Father’’s spirit brings the plan for our lives when He
comes to dwell in our minds and souls. This plan is based upon our potentials, our projected talents.
It is the purpose of life to actualize this plan. When we ourselves find and act accordingly, we are
filled with the triumph of satisfaction, for we shall have found the result of our struggles.
But why can’’t this plan be revealed to us at the beginning? Why must we wait, straining to see? We
must consider several factors in answering these questions. But in answering these questions, let us
assume that there is good and sufficient reason for not revealing this plan beforehand. Consider these
facts of human nature. It is the nature of natural man to avoid struggle. He seeks ease. Therefore it
also follows that if he knew what was coming in the future, if he thought it was good, he would
anticipate it, and act prematurely; on the other hand, if he thought that it was a difficult experience
ahead, he might drag his feet and do everything in his power to avoid it. Natural man might crave
an increase in status, but by himself natural man would not do anything to earn that increased status.
It follows from these natural facts of humanity that to ensure growth and development, mortal man
should not have advanced details of his earthly sojourn.
Now there is also another factor that prevents man from knowing the plan beforehand. Man is an
experiential creature and must gain his knowledge from experience. Knowledge without experience
does nothing for the status of man. Man must enter the realm of faith, whereby it becomes a light that
beckons him onward toward his supreme destiny. But even so, there are still many mortals who do
not follow this light of faith that urges them on to become all that they can be, that encourages them
to meet the challenges of life head-on. It is only by meeting these challenges head on that man
changes his character and becomes more than he was. Unlike magic, grappling with the experience
of life changes the individual.
But as we move into these challenges of life, always acting on the highest level of wisdom and
understanding that we possess, we move into the divine plan and promote ourselves to the next phase
of the divine plan. There are many circumstances that bar the way to walking in step with the divine
plan, but the plan is of such a nature that these very barriers become part of the divine plan for the
ultimate victory of the self. Thus the divine plan is all-inclusive--in all of our affairs. In essence, all
things work together for good for those who cooperate. And how do we cooperate? We cooperate
by declaring in every crossroad, "not my will, but your will be done." This declaration is the selection
of the better way when there are two ways to pursue, and the better way is always the way of
progress, always reaching higher and higher for the ultimate achievement--divine perfection. This
is also the way of love, patience, mercy and forgiveness as we make our way through the thickets
of new potentials, actualizing them in the process of moving from the inertia of self satisfaction to
the dynamics of spiritual change. There is no greater satisfaction of submitting to the Father’’s will
during a given experience.
As we move through the circumstances of life, making the best decision that we can in any given
situation, we soon come to realize that we are in step with, in fact one with, the divine plan. We
realize that our enthusiasms have reached peak level, our purpose has become fixed, our spiritual
energy level supreme, and our satisfaction to deep for words. Such a one, when asked why he
pursues this course of action, will simply reply, "I love it, I love every blessed moment of it. And I
love it so much, I would do it for free, just for the love and thrill of it." Such a one sees truth in all
of these activities; sees goodness in all of these endeavors, beauty in the effects of his efforts. In fact
such a one has become a disseminator of truth, beauty, and goodness. Such a one is like a ship
making its way through the ocean, modifying the water in its path. As he moves through its
activities, he imparts perfection to the process, modifying those with whom he interacts forever--and
in the process modifying himself. Such a one in the pursuit of divine purpose not only comprehends
the divine purpose but has become a part of the divine purpose. Such a one is summed up in this
parable:
A young women enjoyed listening to classical music. She was enthralled and inspired by the music,
and when she listened she was held in its harmonic embrace. She listened and listened; the more she
listed, her desire to be a member of the orchestra that produced such beautiful music increased.
Finally she was so inspired that one day she decided that she would learn to play one of the
instruments. She chose her instrument and practiced often. It took time but she did not mind, as she
was determined to learn to play that instrument and become a part of the orchestra. Time continued
to pass, and she finally learned to play the instrument to such a degree that she was able to join the
orchestra.
She loved being a part of an orchestra that played such beautiful music. In time she became more
coordinated with the other musicians, learning to anticipate what they would do next, even the
harmonies they would create. She became extremely skilled in harmonizing with her fellow
musicians. She enjoyed playing more and more and became so skillful that the skill was sublime.
She became so skilled that she no longer thought about what she was playing; it all happened without
conscious effort. She would just lose herself in the beautiful music. One day while playing, she
realized that she was the instrument, and that the music was being played through her. When she
discovered this, her joy was boundless.
This concludes today's message on understanding the pursuit of divine purpose. We hope you find
something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Pursuit of Divine Purpose
