Did you know that you have a place in God’s plans? Yes, God is calling you to enter deeper into his grace. God is calling you into a full partnership with him. How do I know this? The Bible tells me so. God is calling every follower of Christ – not just pastors – to make disciples and serve the body of Christ. What could it mean to you to live and work in partnership with God?

Malcolm Smith has said “We have one function in life: to be the manifestors of His life to the world. Only when we are living His life are we truly living our own! This is the reason for our creation.” It means that when we truly surrender to God, we finally find purpose and meaning for our lives.

Yet, God will never force us to partner with him. But when we lose our lives, we gain our lives; this is a life-giving paradox. Also, we will never regret plunging deeper into God’s grace. And we will never be short-changed. You see, God wants only good things for you. Because you matter to God and God has a specific plan just for you.

God invites you to partner with him in his work and in his miracles.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some from them and take it to the headwaiter,” and they did.(John 2: 7-8, CEB)

Jesus asked for help in performing his miracles. People filled the water pots or distributed the loaves and gathered the left-overs.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten. (John 6:8-13, CEB)

What could it mean to live and work in partnership with God?

Just as disciples were needed in God’s work 2000 years ago, we are called to do God’s work today.

How could your life be truly surrendered to God and fully in God’s use?
What would need to go/be added so you could be in full partnership with God?
And what could God’s specific plan for you be today, this month, next year?

I invite you to pray and reflect upon these questions. Also, ask God to show you your place in his divine plans. If you open your life more fully to Jesus, you can be sure to find yourself deeper in grace. God will equip and empower you. And don’t forget: God’s work is always God‘s work powered by the Holy Spirit. What a privilege it is to be in partnership with God!

What if this Christmas you dared to ask what is God’s plan for you? You took God up on this invitation? What if you lived your life fully in God’s grace and cleared room in your life for Jesus?

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for inviting us deeper into your grace
and having specific plans for each of us.
Show us how you want us to serve you.
Enable us to respond to your calling.
Take away things that distract us,
equip and empower us to fully be in your service.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: God invites you to work with him. How does that make you feel? What if you’d take up on God’s invitation?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you dare to embrace all that God has for you.

Image “The disciples distributed the loves and fish” courtesy of www.ochristian.com, design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. This post is refurbished from 2011. I am linking up with Unite the Bloggersphere and #tellhisstory.