Ephesians 3:1 – 3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.”
Have you ever wondered about your mission, your purpose in this life? Paul had a mission. A practicing Jew, he had been called by God to leave all that was familiar and comfortable. He had been called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the Gentiles. And his pursuit of that goal had landed him in prison.
The religious leaders in Jerusalem felt threatened by the message of Christ. They didn’t want to believe that God loved the Gentiles as much as he loved the Jews. They didn’t accept Christ as God’s Son, because they wanted the promised Messiah to show up as a great earthly leader – not a heavenly leader. And so, they tried to stop the spread of Christianity.
But Paul had experienced a life of empty, heartless religion. He himself had been responsible for the death of many Christians, before he met Christ. But when Christ came into his life, he was a changed man. He was forgiven for all the terrible things he had done. God loved him anyway. And he had been given a clear mission from God: Tell the Gentiles how much I love them.
So, in spite of the fact that he was imprisoned, Paul continued to teach, to write letters, to talk to anyone who would listen. He was a man on a mission, and he would let nothing deter him from his goals. People needed Jesus. They needed to know how much God loved them. And Paul had a desperate drive to fulfill that goal, that purpose which God had set before him.
What is your mission in this life? Is it to love your family extravagantly? Is it to share God’s love with your friends and neighbors? Are you letting insignificant things stand in the way of your life’s mission? We can each benefit from Paul’s example of passionate pursuit of his life’s purpose.
Dear Father, Please help me to know and remain true to the things You want me to accomplish in this life.
Amen
Finding one’s mission takes time and lots of prayer. The prayer you closed with is vital because daily distractions can get in the way and take over what we really need to be doing.
You are so right, Alyssa. If we aren’t careful, we will find that though we are always busy, we really aren’t making any progress toward our goals.
Great to “see” you!