Feeling Ordinary?
It's easy to wonder at times what purpose God has for our life. When we compare what we're doing to other people who seem to have special gifts and a great purpose for living, we don't see the same in our life and just feel ordinary. We're so focused on our job, raising our family, and paying the bills that all we see and feel is ordinary. But just because we aren't seeing or feeling God's purpose doesn't mean it's not there.
So how do you discover your purpose? Perhaps it's as simple as what Peter did in Luke 5. Peter was a fisherman, and he and his crew were washing their nets when he looked up and saw Jesus step into one of his two boats. Jesus asked Peter to put out a little distance from shore so He could preach from the boat to the large crowd gathered on the beach. That boat represented Peter's career and livelihood. He could have said, "Sorry, but we're not finished working here." But Peter let Jesus use his boat that day for His purpose, and by the end of the day, Peter went from fishing for fish to becoming a fisher of men. It became his destiny and passion. Having Jesus in his boat and obeying His word changed Peter into an apostle.
Today I want you to look up and invite Jesus into every area of your life. Let Him into your boat, so to speak, and you'll never be the same. Realize that God has great purpose for your life. Your life holds meaning and the potential to make the world a better place. God has marked you to have an influence on the people around you. If you're being the best you can be, using your gifts and talents and mixing them with faith, you're enriching your world and making an eternal difference.
Too often we fail to recognize and appreciate the gifts and talents that God has given us. But the apostle Paul says that when Jesus ascended to heaven, "He gave gifts to men" (Ephesians 4:8). We don't all have the same gifts, but we all have gifts to be used for God's purpose through our lives. We have to recognize our gifts, learn how to use and walk in those gifts, appreciate our gifts and not compare them to others.
God wants to be in your boat. He wants to be in your workplace, in the middle of your changing diapers, in the middle of your family. If you set your life purpose on Him, you're going to look back some day and say, "God, You did more than I could ask, think, or imagine."
So how do you discover your purpose? Perhaps it's as simple as what Peter did in Luke 5. Peter was a fisherman, and he and his crew were washing their nets when he looked up and saw Jesus step into one of his two boats. Jesus asked Peter to put out a little distance from shore so He could preach from the boat to the large crowd gathered on the beach. That boat represented Peter's career and livelihood. He could have said, "Sorry, but we're not finished working here." But Peter let Jesus use his boat that day for His purpose, and by the end of the day, Peter went from fishing for fish to becoming a fisher of men. It became his destiny and passion. Having Jesus in his boat and obeying His word changed Peter into an apostle.
Today I want you to look up and invite Jesus into every area of your life. Let Him into your boat, so to speak, and you'll never be the same. Realize that God has great purpose for your life. Your life holds meaning and the potential to make the world a better place. God has marked you to have an influence on the people around you. If you're being the best you can be, using your gifts and talents and mixing them with faith, you're enriching your world and making an eternal difference.
Too often we fail to recognize and appreciate the gifts and talents that God has given us. But the apostle Paul says that when Jesus ascended to heaven, "He gave gifts to men" (Ephesians 4:8). We don't all have the same gifts, but we all have gifts to be used for God's purpose through our lives. We have to recognize our gifts, learn how to use and walk in those gifts, appreciate our gifts and not compare them to others.
God wants to be in your boat. He wants to be in your workplace, in the middle of your changing diapers, in the middle of your family. If you set your life purpose on Him, you're going to look back some day and say, "God, You did more than I could ask, think, or imagine."