There are few things in life that are truly free. Few things that you don’t have to earn, that come without strings attached, that don’t require a performance or accomplishment of some kind.
In fact, there’s only one.
Grace.
Specifically, the grace found in Jesus’ saving work on the cross.
This is your friendly reminder that you can’t earn God’s love or win his favor.
He gives life in Jesus as—just that—a gift. An added bonus about this life-gift is this: You have a
specific, holy calling in Christ. You have been set apart!
“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” (2 Timothy 1:9) We receive salvation and calling when we place faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross.
What does this mean for your life? Your works didn’t give you a calling, HIS
grace did. Because of this, your new higher purpose will: 1) lead you to do God’s will, 2) compel your heart to love and obey him, and 3) give you specific direction that’s in line with your God-given gifts. Let’s dig in!
Part of becoming more like Christ is described in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
What does it mean to renew your mind? According to
Ephesians, it means: “to take off your former way of life… to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.”
God’s grace saved you from your pre-Jesus self. He gave you a new mind–a whole new self–so that you could step into the fullness of who you were created to be! Slowly but surely, as you engage in Christian community, read God’s Word, and understand more of God’s heart, you start to
look, sound, and think more and more like Jesus (and less like the old version of you)!
One of the marks of a follower of Jesus is obedience to what He says in His word—the Bible.
In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”
This looks like many things: embodying the
fruits of the Spirit,
defending and
giving to the poor, loving your neighbor as yourself, spending time with God, living with
compassion and
service for others, treating our bodies as
temples of the Holy Spirit, etc.!
So what’s next? For anyone who has said “Yes!” to Jesus, He gives direction and calling, in line with His purpose and your personality. The way God created you is no accident, and He has been crafting a plan for your life since before you were born.
The other bonus of your new life in the Spirit is that God deposits
specific spiritual gifts into each believer, and then gives ample opportunities to use those gifts. You are never without purpose or direction in Christ Jesus. You are called!
The best part about this calling is that, because you did nothing to achieve it (remember that free gift we talked about earlier?), you can do nothing to maintain it! You can also have peace that when you trust in what Jesus did for you, your salvation and calling can never be lost. The big question now is this: will you trust him and his plan for your life?
You get to rest in grace now, and enjoy an
abundant life. Come
join us at FCA, as we discover our gifts and calling together!
7405 SW Tech Center Dr. Suite 140 Portland, OR 97223 USA