Ephesians 2:1-10
Have
you ever felt like God was calling you to do something?
There
are numerous stories of people in the Bible who were called by God to action.
Abram was called to go into a land he had never seen. Moses was called to lead
the Israelites out of Egypt even though he was an escaped criminal. Gideon, while
hiding in a wine press, was called a Mighty Warrior to lead the Israelites
against the Midianites.
One
of my favorite stories is Isaiah being called by God in the temple. It was
filled with smoke and the foundations shook from the voice of the seraphim as
they called out, “Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” When Isaiah sees the
holiness of God he also sees his own sin and repents. It was only then that he responded,
“Here am I Lord. Send me.”
Paul
wrote to the Ephesians, “All of us also
lived among them (the disobedient) at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and
thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with
Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been
saved.”
Like
Isaiah, Paul recognized his sinfulness and that only God’s mercy and grace could
save him. But to what end? Paul wrote, “For
we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.” Like Isaiah, Paul responded to God’s
saving grace by saying, “Here am I. Send me.”
As
believers, we are called to ministry. “You are God’s handiwork, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you
to do.” He has brought people and experiences into your life that make you
uniquely gifted to share his love and the Good News of Jesus Christ with
others.
Like
the stories in the Bible, we have been called to step outside of our comfort
zone and go into a land we have never seen. We have been called to do things
that we may not feel qualified to do. We have been called as a Mighty Warrior
to battle even when we feel powerless and afraid.
God
has gifted you, prepared you and brought you to where you are today. Now it is time
for you to take the next step. What will it be?
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Eph.2.1-Eph.2.10
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