There are many believers today who are earnestly striving for significance. They feel they are insignificant as people in the world. Others feel that the contribution they try to make to the world is insignificant. The problem is that when one begins to believe that one is of no value and that everything one does is of no value either, then it becomes very difficult to have any confidence in one’s value as a person or in the work one tries to do for God.
The truth is that every human being is significant in the eyes of the Lord. That’s why Jesus died for every person whilst knowing that many people would ignore or reject His death for them.
The question then is this. When did the believer become significant in the eyes of the Lord? Was it as baptism or confirmation? Was it when one received Christ as Saviour and Lord into one’s life? Was it when one yielded his or her life completely to the Lord?
The answer is quite amazing. Paul expressed it like this in Ephesians 1:4, ” even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
What an incredible truth revealed to us by the Lord Himself! He chose every individual believer to belong to Himself BEFORE THE WORLD WAS MADE! In other words we were, as believers, in the mind and purpose of God before the world even came into being! We are people of eternal significance! God says so!
His purpose in doing so? That we should live to praise Him as verse 6 states, “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” We are significant in His sight as His people even though others may consider us to be insignificant nobodies!
What about the work we try to do for the Lord as we live for Him? That is significant as well. Having realised our significance as people who have been chosen to belong to Him and who have been saved by His grace, we can live by faith trusting Him to guide us and to lead us into doing what He wants us to do. But what should we do?
God has already taken care of that as well! Paul expressed it in the next chapter, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10.
Instead of driving ourselves crazy wondering what we are mean to do for the Lord, we have the assurance He has re-created us to do what He has eternally planned for us to do! These works have always been in His mind for us. Now we are to walk in those good works He has already prepared for us to walk in.
People chosen by God and prepared and equipped by Him to do the significant work He has prepared for them to do
Significance indeed! Eternal significance!
Blog No 316 posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Wednesday 20th March 2019.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.
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315. Striving for significance? You don’t need to as a believer! The truth of Ephesians 1:4
There are many believers today who are earnestly striving for significance. They feel they are insignificant as people in the world. Others feel that the contribution they try to make to the world is insignificant. The problem is that when one begins to believe that one is of no value and that everything one does is of no value either, then it becomes very difficult to have any confidence in one’s value as a person or in the work one tries to do for God.
The truth is that every human being is significant in the eyes of the Lord. That’s why Jesus died for every person whilst knowing that many people would ignore or reject His death for them.
The question then is this. When did the believer become significant in the eyes of the Lord? Was it as baptism or confirmation? Was it when one received Christ as Saviour and Lord into one’s life? Was it when one yielded his or her life completely to the Lord?
The answer is quite amazing. Paul expressed it like this in Ephesians 1:4, ” even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
What an incredible truth revealed to us by the Lord Himself! He chose every individual believer to belong to Himself BEFORE THE WORLD WAS MADE! In other words we were, as believers, in the mind and purpose of God before the world even came into being! We are people of eternal significance! God says so!
His purpose in doing so? That we should live to praise Him as verse 6 states, “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” We are significant in His sight as His people even though others may consider us to be insignificant nobodies!
What about the work we try to do for the Lord as we live for Him? That is significant as well. Having realised our significance as people who have been chosen to belong to Him and who have been saved by His grace, we can live by faith trusting Him to guide us and to lead us into doing what He wants us to do. But what should we do?
God has already taken care of that as well! Paul expressed it in the next chapter, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10.
Instead of driving ourselves crazy wondering what we are mean to do for the Lord, we have the assurance He has re-created us to do what He has eternally planned for us to do! These works have always been in His mind for us. Now we are to walk in those good works He has already prepared for us to walk in.
People chosen by God and prepared and equipped by Him to do the significant work He has prepared for them to do
Significance indeed! Eternal significance!
Blog No 316 posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Wednesday 20th March 2019.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.