Called Together
This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 6 “I am Called” (WATCH HERE)
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10
God has called you personally, but he has never called you privately.
From the beginning, God’s plan has been bigger than any one person. Throughout Ephesians, Paul has reminded us that God is creating a people who belong to Christ. We are chosen together. We are brought near together. We are built together. We are the Church together.
That means your calling is connected to the calling of others.
Peter says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” Notice that word received. The gifts you have are not ultimately something you created for yourself. They are gifts from God. And God gives those gifts with a purpose.
To serve others.
You may have abilities that seem ordinary to you. Perhaps you are good at organizing, listening, teaching, fixing things, encouraging people, welcoming others, working with children, preparing food, leading, creating, giving, or simply showing up when someone needs help. Because those abilities come naturally to you, you may not even think of them as gifts.
But God can use ordinary gifts in extraordinary ways.
Think about a body. Your hands, feet, eyes, ears, and heart all have different functions, yet none exists for itself. Each part contributes to the health of the whole. In the same way, God has placed each of us in the body of Christ with something to contribute.
You don’t have to do everything.
In fact, you can’t.
And you were never meant to.
Someone else has gifts you don’t have. Someone else may be able to reach a person you cannot reach. Someone else may have the words you don’t know how to say. Someone else may notice a need you would have missed.
And you have gifts that someone else needs too.
This is why Christian calling is personal, but not private. God doesn’t simply call us to accomplish our own individual purposes. He calls us into a family where our lives and gifts become blessings to one another.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
There is great freedom in that truth. You don’t have to compare yourself with someone else. You don’t have to wish you had their gifts. You don’t have to prove that your contribution is important.
Simply ask, “How can God use what he has given me to serve someone else?”
That question can change the way you see your church, your family, your workplace, and your community.
Christ has called you.
He has given you gifts.
And he has placed you among people who need what you have been given.
As we live our calling together, Christ builds his Church through ordinary people faithfully serving one another.
Your calling matters. Their calling matters. And together, we belong to Christ.
Reflect: What gifts or abilities has God given me that I could use more intentionally to serve others? Who is someone God has placed in my life who might need the gift I have been given?
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for calling me to belong to Christ and for giving me gifts to use in service to others. Forgive me when I compare myself with others or believe that what I have to offer is unimportant. Help me recognize the ways you have equipped me and give me a willing heart to serve. Connect my calling with the calling of others so that together we may encourage one another, strengthen your Church, and make your grace known. Amen.
Called Wherever I Am
This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 6 “I am Called” (WATCH HERE)
“I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.”
Philippians 1:12
Paul wrote those words from prison. His circumstances were not what he would have chosen, yet he could see that God was still at work. His calling had not been canceled by his circumstances. In fact, God was using the very situation that seemed to limit Paul to advance the Gospel.
We often think our calling begins when life gets settled. We imagine we will serve God better when we have more time, fewer responsibilities, better health, a different job, more money, or fewer problems. We can begin to see our circumstances as obstacles between us and the life God wants us to live.
Paul saw them differently.
He understood that his calling was not dependent upon having ideal circumstances. He belonged to Christ, and therefore wherever he was, he could live as Christ’s person.
That is an important lesson for us. God does not call us only when life is going according to plan. He calls us in the middle of real life.
You are called in your workplace, even when your job is frustrating. You are called in your family, even when relationships are difficult. You are called in your neighborhood, even when you feel unnoticed. You are called in seasons of uncertainty, disappointment, and change. You are called in the ordinary routines that sometimes seem insignificant.
Paul’s words remind us that God is able to use circumstances we would never choose to accomplish purposes we cannot yet see.
“What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.”
That doesn’t mean every difficult circumstance is good. Scripture never asks us to pretend that suffering doesn’t hurt. But it does remind us that suffering does not put us outside God’s care or beyond his ability to work through us.
Perhaps today you find yourself somewhere you never expected to be. Maybe your plans have changed. Maybe you are carrying responsibilities you didn’t ask for. Maybe you are waiting for something to change before you feel useful again.
Remember your calling.
You belong to Christ.
Your life is his.
And wherever he has placed you today, you have an opportunity to live as his person.
Sometimes calling looks like something dramatic. More often, it looks like faithfulness in a place no one else sees. A kind word. An honest decision. A patient response. A prayer. An act of service. A quiet witness.
You don’t have to wait for the perfect circumstances to live faithfully.
Wherever you are, Christ is with you. And wherever Christ has placed you, you are called.
Reflect: What circumstance in my life makes it difficult to see that God can use me where I am? What is one simple way I can live faithfully for Christ in my circumstances today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that my calling does not depend upon perfect circumstances. Help me trust that you are present and at work wherever you have placed me. Give me eyes to see the opportunities around me and a willing heart to serve the people you have placed in my life. Use even the ordinary and difficult parts of my life to point others toward your grace. Amen.
Called to Live
This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 6 “I am Called” (WATCH HERE)
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:1–2
Knowing who you are changes the way you live.
Think about how differently you behave when you know you belong somewhere. When you walk into your own home, you don’t wonder whether you are welcome. When you sit down at your family’s table, you don’t wonder whether you have earned your place. You belong, and your actions flow naturally from that belonging.
Paul begins Colossians 3 in much the same way. He doesn’t start with a list of things Christians need to do. He starts with what God has already done.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ.”
There is the identity. You have been raised with Christ. You belong to him. Your old life no longer defines you. Christ does.
Then Paul says, “Set your hearts…and minds on things above.” In other words, let the reality of your new identity begin to shape the way you think, speak, and live.
This is what it means to live from your calling.
It is more than putting a Christian label on the life you already live. It means allowing Christ to reshape the ordinary parts of your life because you know they now belong to him.
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Notice those words: Christ, who is your life.
That changes your morning.
If Christ is your life, then your work is more than a paycheck. It becomes an opportunity to serve faithfully and honestly.
If Christ is your life, then your home is more than a place where you eat and sleep. It becomes a place where patience, forgiveness, kindness, and love can be practiced.
If Christ is your life, then your relationships are more than opportunities to get what you want. They become opportunities to encourage, listen, forgive, and serve.
If Christ is your life, then even difficult circumstances are not wasted. You can ask, “How can I remain faithful to Christ here?”
This is what living from your calling looks like. It is not always dramatic. Most of the time it is remarkably ordinary.
We sometimes want God to give us a great calling while overlooking the people he has already placed directly in front of us.
But you don’t have to wait for a more important assignment.
You are called today.
You are called to live with your heart set on Christ. You are called to let your identity shape your choices. You are called to love the people God has placed around you. You are called to be faithful in the responsibilities he has given you.
And when you fail, as you will, your calling does not disappear. You return to Christ. You return to his Word. You return to his promises. You remember that your life is hidden with Christ in God.
You are not living this way to convince God that you belong to him.
You live this way because you already do.
Reflect: What ordinary part of my life could look different if I consciously lived as Christ’s person today? Who has God placed around me that I can serve, encourage, forgive, or love in a practical way?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me new life in Christ. Help me set my heart and mind on him today. Show me the people and responsibilities you have placed before me, and help me see them as opportunities to live my calling. Keep my heart rooted in Christ so that my everyday life reflects the grace you have given me. Amen.
Called by Grace!
This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 6 “I am Called” (WATCH HERE)
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
Ephesians 4:1
Have you ever wondered what God is calling you to do? We often think of calling as a special assignment, a career, a ministry, or some great purpose God has planned for our lives. We ask questions like, “What does God want me to do?” or “What is my purpose?” Those are important questions, but Ephesians invites us to begin somewhere else. Before we think about what God has called us to do, we need to remember what God has called us to be.
Paul says that we have received a calling. We did not earn it. We did not achieve it. We did not become worthy enough for God to give it to us. We received it.
That is the pattern we have seen throughout Ephesians. We are chosen. We are redeemed. We are made alive in Christ. We are brought near. We are connected to God’s people. None of these things happened because we were good enough. They happened because God is gracious.
Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:9, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” God’s calling begins with grace.
That matters because we are often tempted to turn even God’s gifts into something we have to earn. We can begin to think that God will be more pleased with us if we serve more, accomplish more, give more, or do more. We can measure our spiritual lives by our performance. When we do well, we feel worthy. When we fail, we wonder whether God could still use us.
But the Gospel tells us something different.
Your calling begins with what Christ has already done for you.
Jesus did not wait for you to become worthy before he gave himself for you. He came for sinners. He lived the perfect life you could not live. He died the death your sins deserved. He rose again and gives you forgiveness and life. In Baptism, he placed his name upon you and made you his own.
You are not working your way toward an identity. In Christ, God has already given you one.
That means your calling does not point first to how great you are. It points back to how great God’s grace is.
You are called by grace to belong to Christ. You are called to live as his person wherever he places you. You do not have to accomplish something extraordinary before your life has meaning. You do not have to prove yourself worthy of God’s love.
You belong to Jesus.
That is where your calling begins.
And because you belong to him, you can step into this day with confidence. Whatever today brings, you can live as someone who has already received the greatest gift of all. You are Christ’s.
Reflect: Where am I tempted to measure my worth by what I accomplish rather than by what Christ has done for me?How might remembering that I am called by grace change the way I approach today?
Prayer: Gracious Father, thank you for calling me to belong to Christ. I confess that I often try to earn what you have freely given. Remind me that my identity and my calling are gifts of your grace. Help me live today as your forgiven and dearly loved child. Wherever you place me, use my life to reflect the grace I have received through Jesus. In his name I pray. Amen.
Labor Day: Your labor for the Lord is not in vain!
(Today’s Labor Day devotion was originally published on February 1, 2022. Enjoy the break from your normal labor, but always keep in mind your labor for the Lord always has meaning and purpose and value!)
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Not in vain.
Some days it just doesn’t feel worth it.
The house you cleaned up is dirty again. The laundry you just put away is back in the hamper. The presentation prepared for work, not accepted. The practice you put in to make the team wasn’t enough. The volunteer effort you gave…no one said a word of appreciation.
Perhaps there are days where you feel like King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes: “Meaningless.”
One works hard, only to retire and see your job filled by a college graduate. A company you poured your life into closes. Your degree you spent hours earning, didn’t do any good to get a job.
And the list goes on.
Every earthly aspect of our life can very much feel meaningless because it is all temporary. We seek to make a difference, leave a legacy, or make a significant impact. But in the end, what will your obituary say?
Did your life have meaning and purpose or just fade into nothing?
Life lacks significant meaning and purpose if I am just living for myself or for earthly accolades. Where significant meaning and purpose come is when I live life for God’s purposes and to God’s glory. The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
The reason that Paul can give this encouragement falls on the heels of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus is dead, faith is dead. Life loses its meaning and purpose. Yet when we have the hope and reality of Christ’s resurrection, it gives us something to live for because we are living not just for this world, but for an eternity with the Lord.
What is done for the world is temporary. What is done for the Lord is eternal.
So if you really want to have purpose and meaning and significance, live and labor for the Lord.
Labor done for the Lord is not in vain.
Here’s what that looks like. You may not make the team, but your effort was a witness to your faith in the Lord. Your presentation may not be accepted by your boss, but your integrity is a testimony to who you really work for. If it seems like your tasks are purposeless, when your focus is to serve and glorify the Lord, everything you do has significance and nothing you do is in vain.
So enjoy your Wednesday…give yourself FULLY to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Apply: This whole week is God’s Spirit changing my focus on living for self or that which is temporary to that which is eternal. How is this giving deeper meaning to your day?
Prayer: Lord, help me each day to labor for you and remember that my labor for you is never in vain. AMEN.