After over 2 weeks of feeling lousy, I think I’m finally turning the corner. It’s a good thing too, because I’m really tired of laying around. Not doing anything is not something I do very well.
The one good thing that came out of all this, though, is I had lots of time to read and think. Extra time in God’s word is never a bad thing, even if it comes accompanied by a sinus headache.
One of the greatest challenges I have struggled with is understanding what God wanted me to do with my life. I have so many interests, it’s hard to know where He wants me to focus my efforts.
As I was thinking about this in the last week, I read John 10:10 again. I’ve read this text many times before, but this time I realized it held the answer to my question, “What does God want me to do?
The last half of John 10:10 says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV). This is what God wants for us. Jesus came, not just to give us life, but to give it to us “to the full.”
God wants us to have an amazing life, filled with abundance, “a rich and satisfying life”, as the New Living Translation puts it. He doesn’t want us to settle for a humdrum existence, meekly plodding through life, afraid to take a chance, to really live. No, Paul says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)
In the book “Education”, p. 267, the author says, “…each should aim just as high as the union of human with divine power makes it possible for him to reach.” God wants us to dream big, to stretch our limits and realize with Him there are no limits.
Believe me, we can’t outdream God, because He says, “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
Liberia’s first woman president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, wrote, ““The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” I think God would agree. I think this is why Jesus came to this earth, so we could live life to the full.
So, what does this mean, to live life to the full? Is it a constant quest for the next big thrill, the selfish pursuit of our own desires and wants at the expense of others? Of course not!
In this, as in all areas, we must follow the example of Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant…” (Philippians 2:6, 7).
A truly abundant, satisfying life is not found in selfish pursuit of fame, money, power, or any of the myriad other things we humans spend so much time chasing after. It is only in service to others we will find true meaning and fulfillment. As Albert Einstein said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
Which brings me back to the question I asked at the beginning, “What does God want me to do with my life?” If Jesus came that I might have life and have it to the full and if we are called to be imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), then His calling is our calling. God wants us to help others find life and help them have it to full.
For each of us the practical outworking of this calling will be different. “Education, p. 267, says, “The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our capabilities…”
For me personally, my calling is tri-fold. I am called to help people learn how to live healthy, satisfying lives, through proper nutrition, exercise, etc. I am also called to create beauty with art and design, and to use words, both written or spoken, to encourage others, fight injustice, and offer hope for a better tomorrow, not just now, but forever.
Others may be called to care for the sick, while some bring beauty into the world through art and music. Still another builds homes, providing shelter for those without, while others are called to share the Good News in distant lands. The possibilities are endless!
In whatever form our calling is individually manifested, for each of us the basic call remains the same – to help others not just live, but live to the full and to help them see the greatest fulfillment of this life is found in relationship with Jesus Christ.
This Sabbath God is calling you to not just live, but live to the full, enjoying every moment and spending yourself, your time, your energy, your funds, in loving service to others. How you will do this is between you and God. I can promise you this, however. If you will accept God’s call, you’re going to have an amazing life, a full life beyond your wildest dreams.
So, what’s holding you back? Give Jesus your heart and get ready to live, to really live a life worth living, a life lived to the full!