You Are Called: Discover Your God-Given Gifts To Fulfill Your Purpose by John Bevere
Friday Oct 17 Day Five
Let’s now bring this over into our spiritual life. If we don’t do the will of Jesus who sends us, we become weak. That makes us more vulnerable to temptation. In more than 40 years of walking with Jesus, I’ve noticed that one of the primary causes of people slipping away from the faith, is a lack of doing. They become lazy and idle regarding their calling and before they know it, they find themselves in complacent addictions, immorality, or given to varied interests, many, though perhaps good, are just not God’s first choosing, so that the complacent are pulled then back into the world’s way of living. They lose their spiritual appetite, thus their strength. Here’s the bottom line; What we do for God strengthens us!
Bottom Line # 1
How would you honestly describe the overall present condition of your spiritual strength? And, in what specific ways do you sense the need for greater spiritual strength?
Allow me to restate the truth of these three verses. You were born again by the free gift of grace to be a child of God. And, you were equally empowered by that same grace to do something. Scripture declares that God planned each of our works beforehand. Addressing the Lord David writes, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139: 16. God designed things for you to do before you were born. He actually recorded these works in a book. We can only imagine how huge this book is because every moment of our lives is recorded in it.
These assignments He planned for us, revolve around building His kingdom. His deepest desire is that we fulfill His plans for our life, but it’s not guaranteed that we will. Notice in Ephesians 2:10 the word “should.” It doesn’t say that we “would” walk in them, it says that we “should” walk in them.
PLEASE CONSIDER THIS:
Here’s where our free will enters the game. He prearranged our works but it’s up to us to walk in what He planned. I’m firmly convinced that when we stand before Jesus at the believers judgment seat, where we will be rewarded for our labor as Christians, OR will suffer loss, for our neglect, He will open His book and say, “Let’s compare how you actually lived to the original plan my Father and I had in mind for you.” In regard to the judgment, it’s written in two different places in scripture that the books were opened. See Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 20:12.
I believe these books were written by God about our life before we were born. Regarding our specific calling, we won’t be judged on what we did, but rather on what we were called to do. That’s both sobering and invigorating! Envision yourself standing before the Lord after your present earthly life is past, and your eternal rewards have been granted, having been determined by your faithfulness to God’s original plan for your life and for your unique calling and purpose. What do you think you’ll want to praise and thank Him for the most? What do you think you’ll want most to hear from Him?
BOTTOM LINE #2
Keep thinking further about the truth that God has a unique original plan and calling for each of us! What does this say about our Heavenly Father’s character? Especially about His wisdom, His compassion, His grace, and His mercy? As you reflect on this, feel free in this very moment to give Him your worship, adoration, and praise.
Good Morning Readers!
This is where we’ll conclude our introduction to John’s You Are Called: Discover Your God-Given Gifts To Fulfill Your Purpose . I echo John’s words in his special message prior Chapter One, Connecting The Dots, when he states, “Throughout this book you’ll find biblical insights and strategies that will empower you to discover your purpose, ignite your passion, and realize your God given potential within each chapter. You’ll also see questions and prompt’s to help you think about and personalize what you’re learning as you go on this journey to discover and step into your calling.
I want to make sure you know about the Called Course which serves as an excellent companion resource to this book In the Messenger X app. We’ve made this full-length course available to you at no cost. Inside the free Messenger X app, you’ll also have access to dozens of full-length courses, audio books, sermons, and other discipleship resources to help you grow in your faith every single day. We’ve made this app available for free in over 130 languages because we believe everyone should have access to life transforming biblical teaching regardless of their location, their language, or their financial position. The story behind this outreach is something you’ll learn more about in this book. Download the free Messenger X app today in the Apple App Store or on Google Play and begin taking advantage of this powerful tool to get you even more help as you journey through this book. I’m cheering you on myself.”
Chapter Titles:
Ch. 1 Connecting The Dots
Ch 2. Imparted Abilities
Ch 3. Assess Yourself Honestly
Ch 4. Stewards
Ch 5. Faithful
Ch 6. Diligence & Multiplication
Ch 7. Great Multiplications
Ch 8. Strategic Ideas
Ch 9. Investing
Ch 10. The Catalyst
Ch 11. Imitate Me
Ch 12. Hindrances To Multiplication Part One
Ch 13. Hindrances To Multiplication Part Two
Ch. 14. Discover & Develop Your Gift
Ch. 15.Anointed
Next Up: Surprise.