Most of us wish we were doing more that mattered. As followers of Christ we know we should be walking in His footsteps, doing the things He did and told us to do. We even make plans and resolutions to do more, serve more, and be more. Even when we are determined and our motives are pure, we tend to stop there. We stop at a wish, a hope, or even a prayer. But there are no style points in God’s Kingdom for wishful thinking. It is only when we take action and boldly move forward that the mission of Christ is furthered.
Too many times we get stuck because we let fear infiltrate our resolve. We do what society expects us to do rather than what God tells us to do. Stepping outside of the norm seems counterintuitive and so we shy away before anyone notices us trying to break away from the pack. After all, it is dangerous to run alone, far away from the safety of the crowd; far away from the anonymity that protects us from what others will think about our actions. A life of safety and anonymity is not the life for which you were created.
God has lavished incredible gifts on each of us; we all possess a unique blend of talents and passions. He waits to see what we will do and become. But we hesitate. We retreat to the shadows convinced that our gifts will never be appreciated by those around us. The very gifts that God specifically gave to you in order to be used for His glory remain hidden because you are more concerned with fitting in than pleasing the One who created you.
Before you were born, God had plans for your life. He gave you exactly what you would need to fulfill those plans and stood ready to help you along the way. And then He gave us the greatest gift of all: freedom. He allowed us to choose whether or not to utilize the gifts He gave to become the person He created us to be. It’s our choice; there’s no force or coercion from Him. It’s all on us.
What have you done with all that God has given to you? How are you using your gifts to bring honor and glory to Him? These are questions that haunt me and that we must all ask ourselves. I’ll give you one more to ponder. How are we joining together to further magnify our gifts and His glory? God’s Kingdom on earth is not about an individual, it’s about a group of believers coming together to fulfill the mission of Christ.
Remember that getting inspired, becoming motivated or mapping out a great plan is all useless without one key: taking action. Without action you will be the same person tomorrow as you are today. Without action you can never fulfill God’s purpose for your life. We must stop living in a land of wishes and dreams. He deserves so much more than that. He deserves our best work. What can you do to take action today?