What is your purpose here?

I had to face one of my biggest fears yesterday. It consists of venturing into a new Church. I consider it a pretty big transition for myself to move from being involved in a campus ministry, where most of the people falls within my age range or considered themselves as students, into a new church where those things don't really matter. I find that I always try to avoid being the awkward one especially in a new setting yet, more often than not, that is not the case. 

To be honest, its really refreshing when God reminds you what your real purpose is in this life. Whether its in a familiar environment or in a new church, He asked me the following question: What is your purpose here? Does it consists of gaining some kind of self-relief from people's acceptance or tolerance? Or is this just another "church-shopping" phase/experience/whatever-you-call-it-thing? I thank Him for that. As Christians, we are called to be living in a body of believers but let's remember to prioritize where our focus should be at. Are we living in a Christ-centered lifestyle (that draws both Christians and non-Christians alike to the nature of Jesus Christ) or are we too preoccupied with our concerns of what other people think of us? God has taught me so many things in these past five years at UBC that I can definitely share and encourage new people in my life. But more importantly, I constantly hunger for Him and as I seek to know and understand God, I do realize that I cannot do this alone. 

With these gifts and experiences that God has granted me, I want to be able to glorify Him as I serve Him alongside with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Even though I feel awkward at times, I am willing to be awkward in order to do just that. I know God has placed me in this church for a reason and I intend to serve Him to the fullest (Jer 29:7).