Author: mary

What does it mean to lead a life worthy of the calling that you have been given? God has a plan for your life as it states in Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” The minute you came to know his saving grace, at the moment of salvation, He knew what he wanted you to do to glorify Him with your life. That was your calling.

Paul had a specific calling as well. His Christian life did not stop at the moment of his conversion. But instead, it grew him into who he would become as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. The life. Paul led and served the Lord after he came to know Christ and was worthy of the calling that God had placed on his life at the moment of conversion. What you do with your life after your calling, shows what your calling really means to you.

Spend some time today, thanking God for the calling over your life, and pray and ask Him what He would have you do with the rest of your life, how can you better serve Him.

Ephesians 3:16 says, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” Do we as Christians have an inner strength living inside of us? This is something that you may have pondered. Many people think that we all have an inner strength. The truth is that our own strength can sometimes give us anxiety. Will we be strong enough? Will our strength carry others? Will we be able to battle everything the enemy throws at us with our own strength? We were never made to carry our own burdens. When given the weight of the world, there is no way we would ever be able to carry it all.

God does not expect us to rely on ourselves. So when the world talks about an inner strength, it is discussing something that it knows nothing about. The only inner strength you can have as a believer, is the Holy Spirit inside of you. So it is not your strength, but God’s alone that helps you get through the hard times. If we only relied on our own strength, then wouldn’t we feel let down when we couldn’t do something on our own? This is why we have to lean on God the Father with His strength. We can overcome the world with his strength. We can live a godly life, not by our own strings, but by His alone. As Christians we must focus on His strength and not ours. We have to learn to turn our eyes upon Jesus in our darkest hours. When we do, we will discover just how strong He really is. He was meant to carry our burdens, not us.

Spend some time in prayer today, asking God to take your burdens from you. Ask him to carry them on his shoulders, so they won’t overwhelm you anymore. Trust that he will lift those burdens from you.

Ephesians 3:8 says, “Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.” Who am I that God entrusted the Gospel of Jesus to me? Why would He, the God of the Universe, choose me? The answer is in this verse.

God’s grace is what sets us apart from everyone else. According to Merriam Webster, the word grace means, “: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.” He gives His grace freely and without any conditions. His only request is that the sinner understands his need for a Savior and accept His forgiveness. He wants us to accept His gift of salvation! So He will give the gift of salvation to the undeserving when they admit their sin. His grace is what helps us grow in the Word and in our walk with Christ. It should make us want to share about the “endless treasures available through Christ as this verse states.

Spend some time today thanking God for the grace He has given you to be able to grow in Him and spread the Gospel of Christ.

What is your prayer life like? Do you pray daily, weekly, only as needed? Prayer was such an integral part of Paul’s life as he described in Romans 1:9-10, “God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” God had changed Paul’s life, and that was shown in the way he talked and prayed for others.

He begins by acknowledging the God He served in preaching the message of Christ. This was important because for so long he had crucified those who preached this message. Now he wanted it to be known that the gospel was for him and everyone. He then tells them about how he always remembers them in his prayers. It was not enough to just tell them that he was praying for them. He wanted them to earnestly know that what he said was true. He remembered them in his prayers DAILY. Lastly, he tells them of the specific prayer he was now praying for them, that he would be able to visit them and continue to encourage them. Paul prayed for them because he loved them. He truly cared for their salvation and spiritual growth.

This is a perfect picture of what the body of Christ should look like. We should remember one another in prayer. When someone tells you something, you should intentionally pray for them and let them know you are praying for them daily. Be active in prayer!

The wrath of God is not something people like to talk about, but it is very real and necessary. Many people like to think that God is this all-loving God who is only good, does not turn his eyes away from evil, and allows everyone into heaven. The only problem with this view is that it is based on every man’s interpretation of who they think God is and their own concept of good and evil. There must be a measure of good and evil and accountability for one’s actions. Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

God is the measure of good and evil. He was here before the world began. He created us, so why shouldn’t He be the one to decide good and evil? If you believe in God, then you must believe that He is the authority and judge for such matters. Otherwise, you choose to believe that man is his/her own judge for good and evil. That would just be chaos. There is comfort in choosing to believe God as authority. First, if God is authority, then the compass we use (the Bible) to judge good and evil is the same for every man. It becomes a level playing field. No one is judged any differently. Sin separates us from God, so therefore we know that no matter the sin, if we choose to reject God, we will be separated from His mercy. There is good news in this too, however. If it is a level playing field, then that means that grace is for all, too. Grace covers sin and allows us to be with God. SIn separates us, grace draws us near. If good were based on man’s definitions, then it would change all the time. Instead, it remains free for the believer. It cost us nothing, but Him everything.

We could not have the grace of God without the wrath of God. If sin did not anger Him, then there would be no reason for Him to impart His grace. It is what the Christian life is based on, and I choose to accept it wholeheartedly!