40 Days of Purpose

By DR. KNOX HERNDON
Religion Columnist

Throughout the South Metro churches of Atlanta you will see banners and church signs with the words “40 Days of Purpose.” Before I discovered what this was, I thought to myself, “Ho hum, another church program.” It is interesting how wrong we can be at times. Please disregard the last sentence as if I had never said it!

As you may know, Pastor Rick Warren from Saddleback Church in California has written a marvelous book entitled “The Purpose Driven Life.” In this book he has put together a very complete spiritual enriching program which challenges you to commit for 40 days to specific scripture readings followed by small group discussion groups and sermons on the same topics.

If you remember, there was a popular television series entitled "The A Team." Somewhere throughout every program the commander of the A Team would say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” In typical Hollywood fashion, it was usually after they had blown up the entire town. I do, however, love it when a plan in the church does comes together, especially God's plan. I seriously feel in my soul and spirit that this program is loved by God himself.

Rick Warren has taken approximately 7-25 scriptures per subject section and organized them into group sessions and sermons where the whole church is focusing on these specific subjects at the same time. The results are wonderful.

Just read some of these wonderful daily study titles:

Day 1. It All starts with God

Day 2. You Are Not an Accident

Day 3. What Drives your Life?

Day 4. Made to Last Forever

Day 5. Seeing Life from God’s View

I especially love the Day 1 title, “It All Starts with God.” In this section it made it perfectly clear that most of us start all of our thinking and activity with ourselves in mind. We think of the whole world, and everything we say and do, in relation to ourselves. In this excellent teaching, it shows how it is not us and our particular circumstances that should be driving our processes but they should all start with God. This to me was revolutionary thinking. Since the creator created us, it does all start with Him and not with us. If one believes this, then he or she will think and act in a completely different perspective than if “self” is driving the train.

To begin the program, we all signed the covenant which read: “With God’s help, I commit the next 40 days of my life to discovering God’s purpose for my life.” A scripture was printed at the bottom of the covenant. It read: “Two are better off than one because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). At the end of the 40 days we can all look back and see if the "commitment" of our time was worth it.

If you don't have the opportunity to attend one of these programs in a local church, come join us in this quest and discover God's purpose for your life. May God richly bless you in your quest.

(Dr. Knox Herndon is the pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). Rev. Greg Mausz is Sr. Assoc. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church is on Ga. Highway 85 South near Senoia, a mile south of Ga. Highway 16, on the right just past the fire station. Visitors welcome. Church office and prayer line 770-719-2365. E-mail address is KHERN23654@aol.com. Web address is www.hishousecommunitychurch.com. Also visit www.ddaytravelingmuseum.com.)