In Ephesians 2:10 I read, "It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives helping others." (TLB)
God calls me to a service far beyond anything I could ever imagine. I was put on Earth to make a contribution.
God designed me to make a difference with my life. I wasn’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. I was created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants me to give something back—to help other people.
The Bible says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB).
Whenever I serve others in any way, I am actually serving God. As Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know he will reward you” (CEV).
In one of his parables, Jesus said, “The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me’” (Matthew 25:40 CEV).
And the apostle Paul shared the same message: “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Ephesians 6:7 NLT).
God said it this way to the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament: “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work” (Jeremiah 1:5 NCV).
When most people think of this “special work,” they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy. But God says that he expects every member of his family to minister. In the Bible, the words “servant” and “minister” are synonyms; “service” and “ministry” are synonyms too. As a Christian, I am a minister. And when I’m serving, I’m ministering.
Why didn’t God just immediately take me to heaven the moment I accepted his grace? Why did he leave me, his children in a fallen world? He leaves me here to fulfill his purposes.
Once I am saved, God intends to use me for his goals. God has a ministry for me in his church and a mission for me in the world.
In summary, God calls me to a service far beyond anything I could ever imagine. I was put on Earth to make a contribution. God designed me to make a difference with my life. I wasn’t created just to consume resources. I was created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants me to give something back—to help others. Whenever I serve others in any way, I am actually serving God. God says that he expects every member of his family to minister. I am a minister. And when I’m serving, I’m ministering. He leaves me here to fulfill his purposes. God intends to use me for his goals. God has a ministry for me in his church and a mission for me in the world.
I became a Christian through God's unmerited grace, not as a result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on my part. Out of gratitude for this free gift, I should seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please myself. While there is no action or work I can do that can help me obtain salvation, God's intention is that my salvation results in acts of service. I am not merely saved for my own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church. I am God's work of art and workmanship. My salvation is something only God could do. It is his powerful, creative work within me. If God considers me his workmanship, then I dare not treat myself or others with disrespect or as inferior work.
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