Extraordinary Is Who You Are
Today I want to remind you that Jesus said, "I came that you may have life, and have it in abundance" (John 10:10). He was saying that He came so that we could live an abundant life, an extraordinary life, an exceptional life. But too often we take our God-given extraordinary life, and we reduce it down in our thinking to average, mediocre, mundane. That's why God wants you to be extraordinary in your thinking. Extraordinary begins with who you are. God says you are His masterpiece, an original creation. You have callings and gifts that are matchless. Only you can do what God has called you to do. Only you were created to be you. You were designed uniquely to be extraordinary and to live an extraordinary life.
When Joel's father, John, was in the latter years of his pastoring, I would drive to his house on Sunday mornings and take him to church, and for several years I styled his hair for the television productions. After I made the commitment to do that for him every Sunday, I found out that some people didn't think it was very important. They thought I should be doing more in the ministry. That discouraged me at first, but then I made a decision to let that go because deep down in my heart I heard the words, "Just be faithful in the small." What I didn't realize was that something extraordinary was being built into my life. It taught me commitment and gave me a behind-the-scenes understanding of the ministry life and vision. Through all those years, God was building something extraordinary in me so I can do what I do today.
"But," you say, "my life is so routine and mundane." Yes, all of our lives are filled with routine. We get up in the morning, go to work, come home, make dinner, take care of the kids, pay the bills, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. However, it is our job to not get stuck in that routine, because we were designed to produce extraordinary things in the routines of life. Within our routines, we face all kinds of challenges and difficulties, and those are meant to bring something out of us that is extraordinary. When we press through those challenges day after day, it produces extraordinary lessons and extraordinary character in our lives. When you are faithful with what God has placed in your hand and you give it your best, you're creating something extraordinary, something to be proud of. God is preparing you. You are passing the test. He wants to give you greater opportunities, a greater life and destiny. No matter what you face, remember that on the other side of that difficulty is something extraordinary.
When Joel's father, John, was in the latter years of his pastoring, I would drive to his house on Sunday mornings and take him to church, and for several years I styled his hair for the television productions. After I made the commitment to do that for him every Sunday, I found out that some people didn't think it was very important. They thought I should be doing more in the ministry. That discouraged me at first, but then I made a decision to let that go because deep down in my heart I heard the words, "Just be faithful in the small." What I didn't realize was that something extraordinary was being built into my life. It taught me commitment and gave me a behind-the-scenes understanding of the ministry life and vision. Through all those years, God was building something extraordinary in me so I can do what I do today.
"But," you say, "my life is so routine and mundane." Yes, all of our lives are filled with routine. We get up in the morning, go to work, come home, make dinner, take care of the kids, pay the bills, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. However, it is our job to not get stuck in that routine, because we were designed to produce extraordinary things in the routines of life. Within our routines, we face all kinds of challenges and difficulties, and those are meant to bring something out of us that is extraordinary. When we press through those challenges day after day, it produces extraordinary lessons and extraordinary character in our lives. When you are faithful with what God has placed in your hand and you give it your best, you're creating something extraordinary, something to be proud of. God is preparing you. You are passing the test. He wants to give you greater opportunities, a greater life and destiny. No matter what you face, remember that on the other side of that difficulty is something extraordinary.