Purpose

Grateful to Be Used

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There often seems to be a disconnect between what people hoped to achieve and their actual accomplishments. This gap is the cause of many mid-life crisis, as well as a thousand other smaller examples of discontentment. Even when our aim is godly, when we hope to accomplish much for the sake of God’s Kingdom, dissatisfaction with what we were able to do compared to what we wanted to do can slowly and destructively creep in.

It may be that sometimes this uneasiness is caused by God stirring our souls to move beyond what is comfortable in to a new area of service or ministry. However, it seems that more often then not this restlessness occurs, not when our eyes are on God, but when they are firmly fixated on us. As much as we might couch our discord in biblical terms and with lofty aspirations, the truth is that the reason we feel ill at ease is because of what we expected for our lives, not God. We look at the gifts God has given us, and undoubtedly compare them to the talents and abilities of others, and assume that we can accomplish more than our humble achievements reveal. We want to be used in mighty ways and while we might say that this is for the sake of God’s Kingdom, more often than not, it is for the sake of ours.

When we are faced with this unsettling situation, it is important to remember that God did not have to use us at all to accomplish His purposes. Instead of being discontent with the fact that our reach may not be as far or our ministry as well-known as we would have liked, we should be grateful that God chose to use us at all for the purposes of eternity. He has the power and the ability to accomplish everything He wants to on this Earth, but instead of doing it without our involvement, He choose to prepare good works  for us to do (Eph. 2:10). We are only able to do anything of worth because of Him. Instead of complaining that our lofty aspirations were not achieved, we should be thankful that we are able to do anything that has eternal significance.

This call to gratefulness should not be seen as an excuse to be complacent. We should work with diligence and commitment for the sake of God’s Kingdom. But it does mean that if we are doing so, if we are pouring out our lives for Him as Christ poured out His life for us, than we need to leave the results up to God (see Phil. 2:5-18). Our renown may not be great on Earth, but what we are striving for is renown in Heaven. Hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant” will be greater than any commendation we could receive on Earth.

 

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Purpose

Entrusted to Share

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Childhoods are littered with pinky swears and “cross-my-hearts” as secrets are shared and promises are extracted to keep them confidential. As one child conveys their dreams and crushes to another, they are entrusting their friend with news that they want to keep private. In fact, most of the time when we think of an entrustment we think of something that is supposed to be protected. We deposit money in a bank because we trust that they will keep it until we need it. We obtain safes to guard our most valuable possessions. When we trust someone or some institution with something that is ours we are doing so in the hopes that it will not be given to another.

However, God has entrusted us with something for the expressed purpose of giving it away. He has given us the gospel of salvation, not to keep it to ourselves but to share it with others. Unlike other entrustments, our task is to broadcast this news far and wide. Our goal should be for as many people to hear it as possible.

Unfortunately, we often treat the Gospel more like schoolyard secrets. We are reluctant to broach the topic of eternity with another afraid that we might somehow offend them. We are reticent to discuss salvation because we fear the questions we may not be able to answer. Instead of freely sharing the gift that we have been given, we are content to keep it confidential, only partially admitting to ourselves that as we do so, we are complicit in the condemnation of others.

However, we would do well to remember what Paul wrote about what it means to be entrusted with the Gospel. According to I Thessalonians 2:4 the reason that they were given the message of salvation is because they were found to be “approved by God.” Knowing about repentance and faith isn’t simply a gift then, but a responsibility. We have been approved by God for the good work of sharing His message with others. It is an honor that we should not take lightly, it is a task we should not neglect.

So the next time someone asks you to keep something “just between us” let us remember the message that God has expressly commanded that we not keep to ourselves (Mt. 28:16-20). Let’s be diligent with sharing what He has entrusted us with that many more may come to know Him.

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