In the Kingdom of God, you have a purpose. God wants to use you to make a difference in this world. He doesn’t want to just work in you; he wants to work through you.
Thomas Merton, an American writer and theologian, said this:
If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the things I want to live for.
God created us for a purpose. We were created in God’s image, by his purpose, and for his purpose. We were created for more than just our happiness and personal fulfillment. We were created to make a difference in this world. We read in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In the Kingdom of God, you have a purpose. God wants to use you to make a difference in this world. He doesn’t want to just work in you; he wants to work through you.
We are all going to give our life for something. The question is what? Is it your career? Is it money? Is it fame? Is it power? There is nothing quite like discovering how God wants to use your unique personality, gifts, and talents to make a difference in this world.
The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service. Just start serving, experimenting with different ministries, and then you’ll discover your gifts. Until you’re actually involved in serving, you’re not going to know what you’re good at. You have dozens of hidden abilities and gifts you don’t know you’ve got because you have never tried them out. So I encourage you to try doing some things you have never done before.
I love what pastor Rick Warren said:
For Christians, service is not optional, something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came “to serve” and “to give” — and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too.
Let me leave you with these three questions to ask yourself today:
1. What do you want to live and die for?
2. What’s keeping you from fully living out your purpose right now?
3. How might God want to use you at Vineyard Columbus Grandview?
