That I Might...

““But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” –  Galatians 1:15-17

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!”

Abiding in Christ 1:1

This past Sunday, the church we attend – Veneration Church – launched a 16-month journey on what it means to abide in Christ, and to abide in Him in such a way that we can experience the fullness of joy in the here and now. I was blessed when they asked me to be a part of producing the journals for the series. As I take this journey with the church, I will be posting a weekly blog off of one of the verses we will be focusing on during that week, hence the number in the title (Month 1 : Week 1). Okay, let’s dive in…

Full Surrender: Hebrews 12:1-3

Each of us are running a race on a unique “course” set for us, individually, by the Lord Himself. What can we learn from Hebrews 12 and other Bible passages that would lend us insight into how we can run our race victoriously all the way through the finish line tape? How can we run our race victoriously...

Look To The REAL Force

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is crushing in around you and you’re about to be overwhelmed, the the armies of fear, doubt, concern, and dismay are encamped around you? Maybe it was financial concerns or relationship issues or health...

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Five

I remember buying and setting up our first high-resolution television – one of the 4k flat-screen variety! Once setup, I tuned into a baseball game in progress – if you know me, you can guess it was an Angels game (no comments!) – and I immediately noticed...

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Four

Resolve is a word people tend to not use, let alone display, much anymore. Those who resolve to do something are usually devoted to a creed or belief, principle, or course of action - or in the case of some, following the teaching of a person - and display…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Three

“I didn’t know how sick I was until I got well.” This is often said, in retrospect, by people who have struggled with their health-wise upon their recovery. Many times, the focus on fighting against and simply coping with the symptoms of their illness…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Two

One of my favorite TV shows to watch in the mid-to-late 80’s was MacGyver. His ability to confront sticky situations and problems with creative solutions was amazing, even if he was a made for TV character. Each show followed basically the same pattern…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part One

It’s that time of the year where, having made our new years resolutions, we are able to take stock as to whether we are still on track with keeping them and, frankly, whether our resolutions had the greatest value in our lives for the upcoming year and beyond...

Believer or Disciple?

I remember a time when my son was much younger and he came to me asking if he could sign up to play little league baseball. As one who grew up playing the game it made me happy to hear those words. But in the next instant, knowing my son as only a dad could, I said to him...

Keep Running, Fulfill Your Calling, Press On!

There are days in our lives, and in history, that will ever be identified by what occurred on them. Some are on a national or global scale – July 4, 1776… December 7, 1941… September 11, 2001… dates that, when mentioned, remind us of some important event...

Abiding in Christ 1:1

This past Sunday, the church we attend – Veneration Church – launched a 16-month journey on what it means to abide in Christ, and to abide in Him in such a way that we can experience the fullness of joy in the here and now. I was blessed when they asked me to be a part of producing the journals for the series. As I take this journey with the church, I will be posting a weekly blog off of one of the verses we will be focusing on during that week, hence the number in the title (Month 1 : Week 1). Okay, let’s dive in…

Full Surrender: Hebrews 12:1-3

Each of us are running a race on a unique “course” set for us, individually, by the Lord Himself. What can we learn from Hebrews 12 and other Bible passages that would lend us insight into how we can run our race victoriously all the way through the finish line tape? How can we run our race victoriously…

Look To The REAL Force

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is crushing in around you and you’re about to be overwhelmed, the the armies of fear, doubt, concern, and dismay are encamped around you? Maybe it was financial concerns or relationship issues or health…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Five

I remember buying and setting up our first high-resolution television – one of the 4k flat-screen variety! Once setup, I tuned into a baseball game in progress – if you know me, you can guess it was an Angels game (no comments!) – and I immediately noticed…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Four

Resolve is a word people tend to not use, let alone display, much anymore. Those who resolve to do something are usually devoted to a creed or belief, principle, or course of action – or in the case of some, following the teaching of a person – and display…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Three

“I didn’t know how sick I was until I got well.” This is often said, in retrospect, by people who have struggled with their health-wise upon their recovery. Many times, the focus on fighting against and simply coping with the symptoms of their illness…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Two

One of my favorite TV shows to watch in the mid-to-late 80’s was MacGyver. His ability to confront sticky situations and problems with creative solutions was amazing, even if he was a made for TV character. Each show followed basically the same pattern…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part One

It’s that time of the year where, having made our new years resolutions, we are able to take stock as to whether we are still on track with keeping them and, frankly, whether our resolutions had the greatest value in our lives for the upcoming year and beyond…

Believer or Disciple?

I remember a time when my son was much younger and he came to me asking if he could sign up to play little league baseball. As one who grew up playing the game it made me happy to hear those words. But in the next instant, knowing my son as only a dad could, I said to him…

Keep Running, Fulfill Your Calling, Press On!

There are days in our lives, and in history, that will ever be identified by what occurred on them. Some are on a national or global scale – July 4, 1776… December 7, 1941… September 11, 2001… dates that, when mentioned, remind us of some important event…

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