Scripture:
“This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.” Ephesians 3:7-8
Perspective:
When we set out to accomplish something, it is easy to become distracted. Unless we have a clearly defined goal, mission, or plan, we can detour from our original purpose. When you try to get work done, everyone decides to call you. When you try to set aside time for rest, a stack of unfinished laundry demands your attention. Yet, when you have deadlines, detours can be detrimental.
Paul had a clear view of his life work. He understood God’s calling on his life. His calling was not limited to a podium; it wasn’t limited to a Sunday sermon. His life work was to “help people understand and respond to the Message” of hope in Jesus. He saw every jail cell as an opportunity to preach. Every trial was just another moment to reach out to people who had yet to experience God’s love. So the question becomes: do you have a clear sense of your life work? Are you waiting on a divine revelation about reaching people in the far corners of the world? Or have you taken a detour? If you understand that every moment is an opportunity to fulfill your life work and that your ultimate goal is to bring people to Jesus, then you never have to wait for a loud voice out of the sky telling you do something. When your life work becomes about reaching people with the love of Jesus, you can break free from the walls of compartmentalization in your life. Every day is an opportunity to fulfill your life work. Don’t let a detour define your destiny. Stay the course.
