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.
I am the Church: More than We Can Imagine!
This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 5 “I am the Church” (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
These words invite us to stop and consider what Paul is saying.
God is able to do more than we ask. We come to him with specific requests, hopes, and plans. We ask him to provide, heal, guide, and open doors. Yet God’s ability is never limited by the size of our prayers.
But Paul goes even further.
God is able to do more than we imagine.
Our imagination has limits. We see what is directly in front of us. We calculate based on our resources. We look at our weaknesses and assume they determine what is possible. We see the size of the problem and forget the greatness of our God.
But God sees more.
This does not mean God promises to give us everything we want or fulfill every dream exactly as we picture it. Rather, it reminds us that God’s purposes and power are greater than our understanding.
The greatest example is the Gospel itself.
Who would have imagined salvation coming through a cross?
The disciples saw defeat. God was accomplishing victory.
The tomb appeared final. God raised Jesus from the dead.
What looked like weakness became the display of God’s greatest power.
This is the God who is at work in his Church.
That matters when we look at the challenges in front of us. It matters when we wonder whether the Church can make a difference. It matters when we feel small, weak, or insufficient.
The future of God’s Church does not depend on the size of our imagination.
It depends on the power of God.
Paul concludes, “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).
The Church exists for God’s glory. Christ has called us, gathered us, and continues to work through us.
So today, bring your prayers to God. Ask boldly. Trust humbly. Remember that even when you cannot see what God is doing, his power is still at work.
You may not know what tomorrow holds.
But you know the God who can do more than you can imagine.
Reflect: Where have you limited what God can do because of what you can see? What can you place into God’s hands today with trust?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have measured your power by my own understanding. Help me trust that you are working even when I cannot see the outcome. Strengthen my faith to pray boldly and live confidently in your promises. Use me as part of your Church so that my life may bring glory to Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I am the Church: Strengthened inside!
This week’s devotions are based on Rooted – Week 5 “I am the Church” (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
There are many things we pray for when life feels difficult. We pray for healing, direction, provision, and relief. We ask God to change circumstances that feel overwhelming and to remove burdens that seem too heavy to carry.
Paul certainly knew about difficult circumstances. As he wrote to the Ephesians, he was a prisoner. Yet when he prayed for God’s people, he did not begin by asking God to make their lives easier. He prayed for something deeper.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:14–15).
Paul begins with family.
God is not a distant force we must somehow reach. Through Christ, we come to him as our Father. We belong to his family. Before Paul asks for strength, he reminds us of where that strength comes from. It comes from the One who knows us, loves us, and has claimed us as his own.
Then Paul prays, “That out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).
Notice where Paul wants God’s strength to work. Not merely in our circumstances, but in our inner being.
There are days when we may not have the strength to change what is happening around us. The problem may remain. The uncertainty may continue. The burden may not disappear. But God is able to strengthen us from within.
This is not simply positive thinking or trying harder. It is the work of God’s Spirit. Paul prays that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith and that we would be rooted and established in love.
A tree can stand through a storm because its roots go deeper than what we can see.
The same is true for faith.
When life is calm, it is easy to assume we are strong. But storms reveal where our roots are planted. Paul reminds us that the Christian life is sustained by something deeper than our own determination. We are rooted in the love of Christ.
And that love is beyond our ability to measure.
Paul prays that we might grasp how wide and long and high and deep is Christ’s love. We may never fully comprehend it, but we can spend a lifetime growing in it.
Perhaps that is exactly the strength you need today. Not the promise that everything will immediately become easier, but the assurance that you are not facing anything alone.
You have a Father who hears you.
You have a Spirit who strengthens you.
You have a Savior whose love surrounds you.
As Paul reminds us, we are rooted together with all God’s people in a love greater than we can fully understand. The Church is not sustained by the strength of its people. It is sustained by the presence and power of God.
Today, do not measure your strength by how strong you feel.
Measure it by the One who holds you.
Reflect: Where do you need God’s strength in your inner being today? How does knowing you are rooted in Christ’s love change the way you face your struggles?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for welcoming me into your family through Christ. Strengthen me through your Spirit when I feel weak, discouraged, or overwhelmed. Root me deeply in the love of Christ so that I may stand firm through every circumstance. Help me to trust not in my own strength, but in your glorious riches and unfailing love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.