Tag: the gospel

  • The Calling

    Image of a wayerfall with the text "THE CALLING"

    Every human being has a purpose. Above and beyond that, every Christian believer has a divine calling from God. We are literally on a mission from God. There are specific callings to certain ministries, but every believer has a calling on their life.

    In Ephesians, Paul speaks of our calling. Ephesians 1:3-12 is a blessing that traces salvation from God’s eternal plan to its realization in Christ.

    In the balance of chapter one, Paul prays that we will understand the depth of our calling. In chapter two, Paul speaks of our calling into one nation, Jews and Gentiles alike, saved by grace and faith in what Christ has done.

    In chapter three he asks that believers be strengthened inwardly, rooted in love, and able to comprehend the vast dimensions of Christ’s love that surpass knowledge. The section closes with a doxology, affirming that God’s power is able to accomplish far more than human expectation.

    It is God’s power that enables us to deal with the practicalities of the calling.

    Starting in verse 4, Paul reminds us how to live out our calling as children of God, called to serve Him and bring Him glory.

    Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond Ephesians 4:1-3

    In a short list, reminiscent of the Fruit of the Spirit, Paul reminds us of how we are to live. It’s Spirit-powered and impossible under our flesh to do.

    It’s a more powerful list than any checklist of dos and don’ts. It cuts right to the heart of the matter, our changed nature. Walking in a way worthy of our calling causes us to evaluate every situation through the lens of Jesus and live appropriately.

    It runs counter culturally to everything the world declares. It’s radical, upside-down thinking. It stands out in a crowd, pointing people to the God who changes us.

    None of us has yet reached the point of living this way every moment, but it is a process that’s being worked in us. God promises to finish it.

    Are you living a life worthy of your great calling from God?

    Be blessed
    Kevin

    A related post: Our quest, a holy calling

     

    Key Takeaways

    • Every Christian has a divine calling from God, as outlined in Ephesians.
    • Paul emphasizes understanding our calling and living it out in unity and love.
    • The calling requires humility, gentleness, and patience while reflecting Christ’s love.
    • Living worthy of our calling is a transformative process that God will complete.
    • Evaluate your life: Are you living in a manner consistent with your calling?

    Learn more: the gospel is the best news you will ever hear.

  • Star Light Prayers

    Star Filled Sky

    I had a hard time falling asleep last night, so I moved to the living room. I sat in my recliner and watched the stars. There are many nights when they can’t be seen because we live in a coastal rainforest and the clouds cover them.

    As my mind wandered, I imagined the little pinpricks of light given by the stars were prayers. Maybe a silly image, but our prayers go up nonstop to the Lord, day and night, around the globe.

    Our world today is covered with much darkness. Evil abounds. Our moral foundation is eroding more quickly than a sand castle succumbs to a rising tide. Violence is regarded as entertainment. Corruption is apparent at all levels of business, education, government and even at times in the church.

    People claim to be looking out for number one but have sold themselves into bondage for more “stuff” that they neither truly want or need. Parents work extreme hours for the children they don’t even know. 

    If we were quiet long enough, I’m certain we could almost hear the laughter of Satan as he watches us chase illusion. He doesn’t care what we pursue as long as its not the thin gs of God.

    Satan loves the darkness. It is his realm. Since he could not rule the world of light, he hides in the dark and tries to destroy those who love the light. He hides in the dark of night, but he prefers the dark of our minds. He knows very well how to manipulate our dark, sin filled nature to his advantage.

    The dark won’t last forever though. I’m convinced the pinpricks are the prayers of the saints going up to God. I know the time will come when He will answer with a tearing away the very fabric of darkness.

    His Word promises a time of no more night.

    Then he showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will serve Him; and they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night, and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will reign forever and ever.
    Revelation 22:1-5 

    In the meantime, keep those prayers headed upwards to tear the very fabric of evil. Our Lord has already overcome. The contest was never in doubt.

    Be blessed
    Kevin

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