Gifts and Calling of God

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20(KJV)

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, God has packed each and every born believer with so much, that we could live a million years and still not scratch the surface of our full potential in Christ. Colossians 2:10 (NLT) says that we are complete in Christ Jesus; we lack nothing in him. Many of us have heard this, but so few of us will believe it. God has given us a full spiritual package, and this package equipped us to be successful on earth. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, the example of Christ, and God’s Word, we have all that we need to navigate through live masterfully. So why do you suppose that so few of us are living at this level of power, faith, love, and ability? Why does it seem as though Christians are some of the saddest people on earth?

Well one thing is clear, and it is that God never intended us to be that way. 3John 1:2 informs us of God’s heart. It says that above all things, God wants us to be in good health and prosper, even as our souls prosper. This is pretty awesome! Heavenly Father wants us to do well in life. He wants us to have a solid spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical existence; and in order for our total being to operate at this level of performance, we have to make sure that our engine is consistently fueled with nourishment from above. God designed us in such a way that our every move should be powered by His love.

In simple terms, God is telling us in 3John 1:2 that He wants us to have our needs met. As a matter of fact, He’ll take care of our needs even before we recognize we have them. Many people don’t believe this, but it is very true. Ephesians 3:20(KJV) says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” God loves to meet our needs and to chase us down in blessings. We need look no further than His awesomely extraordinary son to see this. Jesus Christ was beyond a blessing. Words are too inadequate to convey what a gift he is, and he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins. In this one single act of astonishingly overwhelming love, he gave us a glimpse of the Father’s heart towards His children.

We didn’t deserve it. The sacrifice of God’s only begotten son was so far above and beyond what we deserved that no scale or device could measure it; and yet here we are, born again and able to stand before God with no sense of quilt, sin, or condemnation. It isn’t because of anything that we’ve done that we can stand before God clothed in righteousness; it’s because of what God has done for us through Christ. Righteousness is His gift extended to us through His grace. Yes sir, we have the Father’s unmerited favor. He’s unbelievably good to us.

The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2:7-8 (NLT), “So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Salvation is a tremendous gift, and it’s just the beginning. It doesn’t stop there. By continuing to do and live according to the Word of God, we become recipients of all the promises that He’s made available.  

God’s Word works with a precision and synchronicity that is absolutely perfect. All of His gifts work this same way. James 1:17 (NKJV) tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”  God doesn’t give us gifts that we can’t use. His gifts are magnificent in every way, and we’ll see this for ourselves if we don’t allow things like pride, doubt, and ego to get in the way; but a lot of times this is what happens. We become preoccupied with our own agendas and forget the reason why God created us. We forget that God has called us with a holy calling, and that our lives do not belong to us; they belong to Him.

You don’t have to second guess or wonder if your everyday routine has caused you to let your relationship with God slip to second or third place. The circumstances in your life will certainly bear this out if you’re not filling your days with a hefty dose of His nourishment. We’ll begin to experience turbulence in our relationships with the important people in our lives, sometimes our jobs are affected, and our overall sense of joy and peace begins to diminish. God’s love is the glue that holds everything together for us. This isn’t a stagnant, ineffective love. It’s a dynamic love that is active and productive. God’s love changes things for the better. God’s love creates abundance where there isn’t any, and it can make something beautiful out of what appears to be nothing to us. God’s love cannot fail.

His love is pretty potent stuff, and we can’t afford to be without it. We have to stay close to God, and the only way to do this is to walk in Christ every moment of every single day. God’s way of doing things ought to consume our thoughts. His Words ought to enrich our confessions and conversations, and His motives should drive our actions. 1 John 2:3-6(ESV) gives us a sure word regarding this. It says, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

Walking in the same way as Christ is not burdensome. It’s lovely and light. He said in Matthew 11:30 (ESV), “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus Christ will take our heavy emotional, physical, and mental burdens, and he’ll give his burden; it’ light and easy on us. It fits us to a tee, because it encompasses all the wonderful things that we were placed on this earth to be and do, but this promise comes with a requirement. In Matthew 11:29, Christ said, “Learn of me. Check out how I move and flow in God’s love. Look at my handy work and imitate the things that I’ve done. You talk about traveling light…this is it! I’m gentle, and I’ll show you how to take a real rest, one that is completely wrapped up in faith in the Father.”

If you sense that your life isn’t flowing in harmonies of God’s gifts and calling, it isn’t because He shortchanged you in any way. 2 Peter 3:9 ESV says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” You might have thought that you were waiting on Him to move, but actually He’s waiting on you to be confident in what He’s provided, and to move out upon what He’s called you to do. He doesn’t rush us. He’s very patient. He gives us more time than we deserve to get it together and to start investing and sowing into the lives of people, for the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few.

1Peter 4:10 makes it’s overwhelmingly clear that God has given us a great variety of spiritual gifts, and He has commanded us to use them well in our commitment to serve each other. Putting God’s love in operation by making a spiritual difference in people’s lives—sharing the gospel with them, encouraging and uplifting people through God’s Word—there’s nothing like it. Investing in the harvest of souls is what we’re wired to do, and our lives will continually soar to new heights as we use our spiritual gifts, and remain committed and steadfast to the call upon each of our lives.  ■     

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Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.