Are we busy doing anything that matters?
26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
Have you ever thought about how the gospel message got out of the small geographic area that Jesus worked in to become know all across the globe? After his three years of ministry, Jesus hadn't traveled very far from home, the events of his life would have been on the local nightly news but the major networks would have never covered him.
The only reason that the gospel got away from Jerusalem and spread around the world is the result of men that could say that they were glad to work for Jesus and his church despite having to suffer a lot of hardships and physical abuse. The Apostle Paul was such a man, he went through a lot, yet he tells us that he is happy to serve and to participate in the suffering that has come his way.
We are busy people and we are probably seldom as thrilled to serve as Paul was. All of our work and our pursuits are usually focused on ourselves. Paul tells us that we have a job that is way more important, we have a responsibility to warn everyone so that they will have the opportunity to be ready for Christ return.
We are powerful people
Ephesians 1:19-20 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.We have a job to do and we have an incredible power source to help us, a source that goes virtually untapped by the average believer today. The early believers and the apostles used the power to get awesome results despite their persecution.
As a Christ follower in the United States with all of the freedoms and protection that goes along with it I must admit that I do not use the mighty power that God provides to do his work. I also must admit that I do not work as much or with the passion that the early believers did. If the early believers worked as hard as I do then the message of Jesus would have never gotten out of Jerusalem to reach the uttermost parts of the earth.
Lord, I want to be busy doing things that really matter, I am too comfortable and I need a passion to rise up in me to do your work.
