God's Special Forces

Do you have a greater purpose in life than trying to survive and have a little fun along the way?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus save us from the constricting visions of what our lives are about that are given to us from the world!  You have called us to be more then consumers of goods and services, more adventurous than safety conscious, more useful to Your Kingdom than comfortable.  We are made in Your glorious image and nothing less!  Give us the grace to see ourselves in light of You!  Amen

Ephesians 1

Comments

I got bored with the daily reading plan I was using, so we're all going to Ephesians for a little while to see what God says to us there!  Boredom is not really a part of the spiritual life, because God is always being creative, always moving toward the salvation of his broken creation, and always enlisting us on the mission.  If you find yourself bored when you're following Jesus, it is a signal that it is time to pray and ask for the direction of the Holy Spirit!  Trust me, you won't be disappointed!  I did that this morning and was directed to Ephesians.  And what did I find?  Amazing stuff!

As followers of Jesus Christ, God reminds us through Paul that we are set apart (saints) for special use, destined for God's glory (the fullness of salvation), adopted into God's family, forgiven, and redeemed from the eternal consequences of our sins by grace!  If your self-esteem needs a shot in the arm, this is it!  Look what Jesus has done for us!  We, like the Israelites before us, have been chosen by God, in spite of our sinfulness, to be God's special forces, used by him to be a blessing to the world, to point the sin-sick world back to God, to be living examples of the life-changing, grace-filled love of Jesus Christ!  That's our job today and every day. 

I saw a tv show about the Navy Seals Special Operations training requirements.  Absolute dedication is required.  Prospective Seals push themselves to absolute extremes of physical endurance going without sleep, exposing their bodies to freezing temperatures, running past the point of vomiting for weeks at a time.  God invites us to nothing less than the absolute dedication of our lives and resources to loving God and others through acts of worship and service.  

Life Question:

1.  How can we dedicate our every moment to loving God and serving others at our work, in our 
     homes, at the grocery store, in our neighborhoods today?
2.  Are we honoring any other powers and authorities in our lives above Jesus Christ, the King of
     Kings?

Closing Prayer:

Lead on great King Eternal!  We await your command to spread Your Kingdom in the hearts and lives of people today.  Give us eyes to see their needs, energy to respond in compassion, and Your Spirit to draw our lives more fully into Your Kingdom!  Amen.

Daily Prayer

Sermons

Connect To Christian Community