Painting God’s Picture

‘How many are there in the church today, who have been members for fifteen or twenty years, but have never done a solitary thing for Jesus Christ? . . . .  they cannot point today to one single person who has ever been lifted up (to heaven) by them.’

D L Moody

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As we once more stand at the Gate of the Year, the annual question that again confronts us is, what will we do with it? What will we paint on that blank canvas of time, that grace of 365 days God has gifted us?

Many Christians go through life regularly attending church but achieve very little in the way of Kingdom building work, which was the point made by the famous evangelist D. L. Moody to his congregation as quoted above. This is often not because of a lack of ability, but more often because of a sense of inadequacy.  Thoughts like ‘I’m nothing special’ or ‘I don’t have any special gifts for God to use’ limit their ministry.

One of the serious problems with this way of thinking is that we are calling God a liar.  He has in fact told us that He chose us to be achievers – to achieve ‘the good works for which we were created in advance’ (Ephesians 2:10).  In fact, God is a God of purpose (Isaiah 14:26,27), He calls Christians ‘according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28).  This purpose is not any old purpose however, it is an ‘eternal purpose’ (Ephesians 3:11), and the exciting news is that we are part of that purpose!  Let us not call God a liar by saying, even thinking, that we cannot achieve for God – by definition Christians are created to be achievers.

Other Christians, while understanding, and intellectually agreeing with, what the Bible says about being chosen to achieve God’s purpose, rationalise their limited or non-involvement in ministry (service) by claiming to not be gifted or able, or talented.  The Bible however shoots down that argument by listing a great long list of ‘Godly misfits’ who would not be on our short list of people to achieve for God.

For example, Moses seems to have had a speech impediment (as well as being a murderer), Rahab was a prostitute, Abraham tried twice to trade in his wife to save his own skin, Joseph was an obnoxious and spoiled brat, Jacob was a cheat and liar, David was guilty of adultery and put out a ‘contract’ to kill his lover’s husband, Gideon was an insignificant member of the least important of the tribes of Israel, Paul seems to have had a chronic health condition, was not we are told a great speaker, as well as being responsible for the persecution, and murder, of many Christians – the list goes on.

When God chooses people, it is for a purpose, and every (underline every!) Christian is chosen to achieve his/her part in God’s overall purpose.  So, the basic answer to the question ‘What On Earth Am I Here For?’ is ‘to achieve God’s purpose’.  This is the context in which we should prayerfully decide what we will paint on the blank canvas that is 2025– that we have a God-given purpose, all of us, and that we should seek to find it and with God’s willing help, achieve it.