Bridging the Gap

Picture this advertisement … you are walking into a train station. You see message board after message board saying the same thing: “You could spend your whole life trying to change the world.” As you take the escalator down to the trains, you see another banner that says “No, seriously. You could.” At this point in the ad, you are surrounded by a banded color scheme and you ask yourself, “How?” You then look at the floor and see a giant blue rectangle which anyone getting on the train must step on. The rectangle is a company logo. Do you know which one? The commercial ends with these words: “MICROSOFT. Where do you want to go today?” ¹

Where do you want to go today? Someone close to me told me about a problem they have had about “finding their place in life/finding God’s will.

My friend told me how they felt like they had climbed the mountain God had placed in their life. Yet when they got to the top, it suddenly became clear for the 1st time that this was not really the top. The mountain continued, but only after crossing this great gap which no one could humanly cross. Maybe some of you are like my close friend and you know that there is a purpose for your life, but you can’t continue on your own and you’re waiting for God. Or maybe you’re totally and completely lost and have absolutely now idea what God’s will for your life is. There might be those of you who have never really thought that God even had a purpose for your life and the very thought amazes you. Maybe there are those of you who feel that you know exactly what God’s will for yourlife is and you’re forging ahead. Whatever the case this part of Ephesians helps us with that.

The letter to the Ephesians is a very unique letter. We are not sure to whom it was written . Although it is believed to have been sent to Ephesus (because of the messenger), it is also believed to have been one of the letters written to multiple churches. Despite that it’s not clear to whom the letter was written the purpose of this letter is clear. It deals with the implication of Christ’s universality. ²

The universality of Christ.

In our lives, we all have to believe that God has a plan for our lives. Sadly, today, most people live life simply to ‘get by.’ They have no sense of purpose. All they do is go to work, pay bills, eat, sleep, and try to keep up with everyone else. The average Christian never fulfills the destiny of God because they no nothing about what that plan is. As Christian’s we must constantly renew our minds and see what plans and purposes God has for our lives. Believe me … God knows what He wants us to do. In Romans 8:29 it says “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” This does not mean that God has chosen each step we take. But it does mean that from before time, God did predetermine that we are to be like Christ (hence the term Christians or ‘little Christs’). He did not mandate who would be saved or when or how, but He did mandate that we are to have fulfilling, rewarding, and satisfying lives serving Him. (Pause)

We must LIVE FOR THE CAUSE. The same person who spoke to me about the mountain scene also told me why this troubled them. It was because this was a person who had ‘done everything.’ They had made it ‘their priority’ to serve God. It goes like this:

I read MY Bible.

I meditate and pray.

I look around and see what needs done, and I DO IT!

Don’t get me wrong, we are to read God’s word, we are to meditate and pray daily, and we are to serve others as Christ served us, but the one error with the above statements is one word … I. (Pause) Our greatest mission in life is not to establish our own dreams and work until they come to pass; but our mission is to seek God, and in seeking Him we will find His plan and purpose for our lives and the strength of Christ in us to fulfill that purpose.

Today, many people are unhappy going to work every day … they don’t feel any purpose or desire. Others, try to do things which they were not called to do. They simply emulate someone else. That is why employers, like Microsoft, have discovered that you need to do more than ‘give someone a job.’ You need to give them a vision and help them to realize that vision.

This morning, I come with this word for you. It does not matter if you are a teacher, a farmer, a nurse, a homemaker and mother, someone who builds airplane parts or car parts, or someone who is retired; what matters is that God has a great plan for your life. (Pause)

How do we cross that divide? There are eight steps to take in order to discover God’s purpose for your life.

Think about the real desire of your heart.

not about what others want of you or what pays the most, but what you desire.

Psalm 37:3-4 says that we are to “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Determine what stirs your passions. What gives you drive and zeal.

Know what your gifts and talents are. As Paul said to the Romans (12), we are all part of one body. Meditate on which part you are.

Seek counsel from mature Christian friends and leaders.

Listen to the witness of the Holy Spirit in your own life. Once again Romans (8:14), “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Understand your own body … understand what you can and can’t give 100% in. Concentrate on what you are able to accomplish.

Know what produces good fruit in your life. Take an honest look at yourself and see what needs to change and what needs to stay and be strengthen. As Christ told the disciples, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good” (Matthew 12:33a).

Finally, allow God’s peace inside of you. We will not always know where God wants us. Everything is in His time, not ours. We must accept that at times, we have to be patient, meditate, and wait. As Paul say to the church at Colossae (Colossians 3:15), “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

It is with those words that I leave you this morning. AND BE THANKFUL. We must always be thankful that God gave us a purpose and a plan. We must always be thankful that God gave us salvation thru Christ. We must be thankful that God gave us a way to trust and not worry about here and now. (Pause) We must be thankful and we must be ready. Ready not to say “I am going here today, but rather to simply say ‘God … Where Do You want me to go today?’ Ready to not just ask, but to listen and sometimes wait.

^{1 www.salon.com. 2 March 2000.}

2 Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament; It’s Literature and Theology, 377. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2001.