That I Might...

But … God! Are there anymore beautiful, impactful, and descriptive two words in the Bible? Isn’t that how it always is? It is God who created the heavens and earth from nothing; it is God who created man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him; it is God who moves in each of our lives; it is God who opens our eyes; it is God who saves us, preserves us, protects us, provides for us; it is God who guides and directs our steps; it is always God!

As Paul said in the verse above, He separated us from our mother’s womb; literally, called us forth for a purpose. Amazingly, He has had His eye on us from before we were even born. In calling us forth from our mother’s womb, He also extended to us an invitation to the marriage feast of the Lamb, not just to be a participant but to be a part of His bride, part of the body of Christ. We may have not been aware of that invitation for many years of our life but the reality is everyone is extended this same invitation. But, just as the invitations we receive today, this invitation comes with a “RSVP”, a “RSVP: God”, and, as such, has a requirement attached. That requirement is that the recipient must respond one way or the other, we must either accept or reject His invitation. When we accept, we are grafted in as part of His elect, the elect of God. His invitation (read “call”) is based on His grace, the grace of God, not on anything we have done or can do, nor upon or in the traditions of man. It is based solely on the unmerited favor of God; an undeserved, unattainable, and unwarranted gift that cannot be purchased or earned.

At a point in time and in His way, unique to each believer, God removes the scales from our eyes and we see clearly for the first time… we see Jesus! This only comes by and through revelation, ultimately all the things of God are received by revelation. How do we know this to be true? Quite simply, prior to becoming a believer the things of God, including His Word, the Bible, made no sense to us and had no impact in our lives. But once we accepted the invitation and received Jesus into our lives, the very same things of God that meant little or nothing now have great meaning to us, and we find His Word provides incredible insights on how we are to live our lives. Why is this the case? It is because God gives us revelation, understanding, via His Holy Spirit, who now resides in us.

But it does not stop there. In calling us to Himself, revealing Himself and His Word to us, He has an express purpose in mind for doing so; it is not just simply to save us. The words “that I might”, found in the verse above, apply not just to Paul but all of us. Here is a truth that this verse speaks to all who call Jesus their Lord and Savior: God, who knew us from the foundations of the world, has called us forth from our mother’s womb at an appointed time, selected and chosen us, poured out His grace upon us, and drew us to Himself, though we deserved nothing from Him besides judgment. In doing this, He has given us new life and revelation in and through His Son, and we now have the Holy Spirit living within us to reveal His great and precious truths to us that we might live for Him, that Jesus might be revealed in us and through us. Foreshadowed by Paul’s words “that I might”, we have come to know all this was done that we might know Him, that we might be saved, AND that we might serve Him as He desires, where He desires, and in the capacity He desires. God has called each of us for a purpose and, as Paul, we must set out to fulfill our purpose in God. This purpose cannot be added to or changed by man, it is given by the Lord and Him alone.

What is your purpose; what is it that God has called you to? What is your “that I might?”  For Paul, it was “preach Him (Jesus) among the Gentiles,” so what is it for you? Though for each of us we find that our “that I might” can be different, I find they are at the same time similar. We may all have our unique purpose and calling given by God and Him alone, yet in that unique purpose we are all called, similarly, to preach His gospel through that calling and make Jesus known among the nations (Acts 1:8).

Until next time… fulfill your “that I might!”