PART 7:
We all want to make a difference. I have found that most people really want to do
something of lasting value and impact. We want to be involved in doing something
that will make our lives count. And yes, we often want some kind of recognition and
other people's praise for what we do. But it's important to remember that our eternal
significance is not found in doing things that others see as important. God wants us to
experience real significance; and that significance only comes through his unconditional
love and total acceptance, and our fulfilling his plan for our lives. Psalm 139:13–16 tells
us:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Each one of us has been designed by God for a special purpose! God has fashioned each
one of us individually; he created us, formed us, and knows us by name. And he made us
to be in a relationship with him. You may be thinking, "Really, has God designed little
old me for something special in this world?" There are numerous places in the Bible that
confirm that the answer to that question is a definite "Yes!" In the Old Testament we
read, "From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; Hefashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works" (Psalm 33:14–15,
NKJV).
God is working in us to fulfill his purposes, "For it is God who works in you to will and
to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). The Word of God is
working in us, "Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks
the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29, ESV). God's Word is like a fire that begins to
consume us, burning away the dross of the temporary, refining us, and transforming us
into the Converterlators God wants us to be. The Word of God is truly like a hammer,
breaking the "rock of self" into pieces, so Christ can shine his life through us to continue
his ministry in this world.