By Reverend J. Loren Russell
Colossians 4:17 NKJV
“And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
There is an old saying that “there is a purpose for everything and everything has a purpose.” This idiom points to everything as having a use and a reason for being. It may not be for the reasons you think, but everything has a cause for being.
How would you react if you suddenly discovered that your cognitive abilities were suddenly limitless, that your perception, memory, judgement, and reasoning were suddenly and remarkably precise? If you instantaneously had the ability to calculate any mathematical equation accurately and effortlessly? If you could remember anything you heard or saw word-for-word and in exact detail? If suddenly you realized that you knew the cure to every form of cancer, the cure for AIDS, COVID 19, the solution to violence, and the formula for world peace? How would you react if you discovered that you could play any song on any instrument after hearing it only once, or could speak and understand any language without ever taking a course? Would you agree that you were a person with purpose?
I am exaggerating to make a point; some of us have talents, skills, abilities, and gifts that rival or even surpass those that I’ve mentioned. The problem is that we often do not discover them and end up taking those talents, skills, abilities, and gifts to our graves. We never discover their purpose, or we take their purpose for granted and never use them at their full potential.
Everything that we are engaged in, every work, every relationship, every endeavor has a purpose that can potentially and hopefully positively affect the lives of everyone who we encounter.
In the text, Paul is writing to Archippus to encourage him to be steadfast and to fulfill or complete his ministry. We do not know what his ministry was, but we do know it was God-given. Archippus could be any of us. The ministry could have been given to any of us. Paul’s encouragement could have been directed to any of us because each of us were called and given a ministry or a work for a particular purpose. Our greatest challenge is to discover that purpose so that we don’t take our ministry with us to our graves.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church and is the spiritual leader of both LaGree Baptist Church and the Evangelical Church of God, all in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096), and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on Facebook Live. Be sure to Friend “Matters of Faith” on YouTube and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smash words.com/books/view/993177.
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