Bible In A Year | Read: Ephesians 2
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Eph. 3:8-11)
Less Guilt, More Love
I’m continually amazed by Paul and his confidence in his ministry mission. We know he was a humble man by reading what he wrote and the stories told about him. He always credited God’s grace as the source of his success.
I often wish I was as self-assured and steadfast in my service to God, but sometimes I get wishy-washy about how I measure up. Yes, I know full well that comparing myself to others doesn’t benefit anyone and actually hinders my work for the Kingdom. But admittedly, my zeal can get clouded by confusion and comments of others. Maybe you’ve experienced this, too.
As a child, one of my favorite school activities was doing dot-to-dots. The teacher would hand out papers with nothing on them but a series of numbered dots. We’d take our pencils and carefully connect the dots according to the numbers. Eventually, a picture would emerge. If correctly connected, an image of an animal or person would appear.
The hidden picture idea is a lot like our spiritual lives. We all have different circumstances, life events and people who come and go, seemingly at random. Sometimes, we ask God, Why did I have to experience something so awful? or What’s the point of this person being in my life? The answers may be hidden for us then (sometimes forever), but they’re no mystery to the one who created us.
Life is messy, but your experiences aren’t like haphazard dots on a page (though they may often feel like it). Instead, they’re carefully designed by a divine artist. Paul was God’s perfect choice for His mission. His life before Jesus was preparation for his life with Jesus. The same holds true for us. God’s wisdom is manifold, which means multi-sided and diverse. And His wisdom gets activated through the Church (that’s us) to bring light and make the mystery and message of Christ known to the world.
The completed picture, plan and purpose have always existed even if we can’t quite see it. However, discovering our personal, unique calling requires us to get down to business and connect the dots. General calling and personal calling are different. In general, we’re called to belief in and obedience to Jesus; to be disciples who make disciples. Personal calling is the unique way He has created us to achieve His purpose of bringing Christ to the world.
As he explains in his book, More, author Todd Wilson, says, “God’s work in us isn’t just rescuing us from the abyss . . . it’s about being called to our destiny. He calls us to Himself to rediscover who we were created to be.”
Thought For Today
God has created a personal plan for your life and a calling uniquely designed by Him. Are you ready to connect the dots?
Action Steps
Bible: What is God showing me? What am I going to do about it?
Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.
Join us each morning as some C3ers discuss the daily readings from Made For More. – Wednesday Guilt Trip & Who Drank My Mountain Dew?
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