After deciding to submit
to God's plan for my life, I became increasingly aware of His love
for me. This awareness initially created a sense of gratitude, but
then I lost focus and became distracted. I forgot how addictive and
destructive sin was, and quickly fell into old patterns. I felt
depressed and ashamed, and although I knew the bible said that God
was willing to show love and forgiveness to sinners, I couldn't help but wonder how deep that love was. Could God be patient with
someone who kept getting distracted and falling into sin?
I now realize that my
misunderstanding of the Christian life was part of reason that I fell
back into sin. At the time, I thought Christians were supposed to act
a certain way, but I didn't act like any Christians I knew. I didn't
like the things they liked, I didn't talk the way they talked, and I
surely didn't act the way they acted. I tried to spend time with
other Christians, but it seemed as though we had nothing in common.
We didn't enjoy the same activities, so I quit trying to develop
relationships with them. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how much I
needed them. Christians support, motivate and encourage one another
to stay focused on God and away from sin. Without their help, I felt
overwhelmed and unable to succeed.
I learned during those
months that my relationship to God was directly related to my
relationship with other believers. The less time I spent with other
Christians, the less time I spent reading my bible and focusing on
God. The less time I spent focusing God, the less interested I was
in living in a way that honored Him. I made a lot of mistakes during
that time, but God loved me anyways. He died for me while I was His
enemy, and was willing to patiently and persistently show me grace as
I was learning to be His child. I needed to be around other
Christians who could help me focus on God's incredible love.
Read about Paul's special assignment
in Ephesians 3:1-7 (NLT):
When
I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the
benefit of you Gentiles. . . assuming, by the way, that you know God
gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you
Gentiles. As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his
mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will
understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not
reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has
revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
And
this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good
News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both
are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings
because they belong to Christ Jesus. By God’s grace and mighty
power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading
this Good News.
Answer the following questions:
- What responsibility was given to Paul? Has God given a special responsibility to you?
- Restate God’s plan in your own words.
- What does this passage reveal about becoming a child of God? Are you a child of God?
- Are you a child of God? If so, how does it feel to be one of His children?
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