By Rick Warren
— September 11, 2016
“God made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (Ephesians 2:10 NCV).
God shaped you to serve him.
The Bible says, “God made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (Ephesians 2:10 NCV).
Before you were born, God decided in advance what contribution he wanted you to make with your life. God didn’t put you on this planet just to take up space, to use resources, and to die. No! He put you here to serve him by serving others.
And nobody else can be you. If you don’t serve God the way he intended for you to serve him, then the world misses that part of the jigsaw puzzle.
Another name for “good works” is “ministry.” Any time you use your talents and abilities to help somebody else, you are actually ministering to them. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings” (TLB).
You know the talents that you’ve got? They’re not for your benefit. God gave you your talents for the benefit of other people. That’s why nobody’s got it all together. God wired the universe so that we would need each other.
When you get to Heaven, you’re going to love God, so he wants you to practice now. You’re going to love other people in Heaven, so he wants you to practice now. You’re going to grow spiritually in Heaven, so he wants you to practice now. And you’re going to serve God in Heaven, so he wants you to practice now.
You serve God by serving others. On Earth it’s impossible to serve God directly. The only way you can serve God on Earth is by serving other people. So any time you help somebody else, God says it’s like you’re doing it for him. You’re practicing on Earth what you’re going to do in eternity.
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Talk It Over
- In what unique ways has God shaped you so that you can serve others well?
- How are you using your talents and abilities to serve others?
- What should be your motivation when you serve?
