The good news is that God has uniquely created you to do specific work for His Kingdom. The bad news is you probably aren’t doing it. It’s not that you intentionally rebel against Christ or His mission. You simply do not give it enough conscious thought. Have you ever taken the time to sit, think, and discover what role you play in the dance of eternity? Too many of us float though life, trying to be good and loving people, all the while never making an impact for the Kingdom. What’s your purpose in this life? What are you doing to live out that purpose in a way that glorifies God and furthers His mission?
As Keith Green was fond of saying, “Going to church on Sunday doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger!” Keith also said that, “Saying a prayer won’t make you a Christian. Lots of people in every religion pray.” Yet so many pray a prayer, go to church, and assume they are doing everything they should be doing as a Christian. They’ve never taken the time to determine the role God created them to play. Many don’t even know or understand their gifts and passions.
We have too many Ephesians 2:8 and 9 Christians and not enough Ephesians 2:10 Christians. It is only by the grace of God and the blood of His Son, Jesus, that we can be saved. We cannot earn our place in God’s Kingdom. Without God extending His grace to us, we would all be doomed to die in our sins. The purpose of our salvation and indeed of our very existence is to glorify God. We accomplish this by doing the things He commanded us to do. We express our faith through our actions. Faith without accompanying work is dead and worthless (James 2:14-26).
We don’t need any more formulaic Christians. The world has had its fill of people who profess Jesus with their lips but deny Him with their actions. For too many years we have locked ourselves away from the realities of the world, entombed within extravagant buildings carrying out self-indulgent programs in order to reassure the masses who fill the offering plates. Jesus didn’t die so that we might live lives of comfort and ease while the world around us lies bleeding. He died because He loved us enough to redeem our lost and deviant souls (John 3:16-17). He cared enough to suffer so we might live. Are we living out the example He set for us?
Faith alone isn’t enough. We must back up what we believe by our obedience to Christ. It is only through doing the work He has given us to do that we come to understand who He created us to be. We all have a role in His plan. We are all very necessary pieces in the puzzle of eternity. Don’t drift through life assuming your ticket to Heaven is punched. Work as if it isn’t; work as if you could earn your salvation. As you do the work He created you to do, you will be become ever closer to the person He created you to be.