Rude Awakening
Theme of the Week: A Man of Significance
James Emery White
Thursday, June 17, 2004
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Key Bible Verse: "To be my follower," he told them, "you must put aside your selfish ambition" (Mark 8:34). Bonus Reading:2 Corinthians 5:14—16a
As I approached 40, I knew I was entering a new season of life, and I set out to discover what I was to do with the rest of my life. But as I began to explore questions such as "What do I do best?" and "Where could I make the most impact?" I found the Holy Spirit whispering into my thoughts, "These are the wrong questions."
Puzzled and disconcerted, I prayed and reflected on what was wrong with my quest. It dawned on me that in all Scripture, not one person went on a journey of self-discovery to find and follow God's will.
I found that people in Scripture were invited to do something (as with Jeremiah and the disciples), selected to do something (David and Samuel, for example), or presented with the opportunity to do something (as were Esther and Deborah). I could not find a single case where someone said, "This would make me happy or allow me to be healthy and whole." They simply lived their lives, and when God brought something their way, they did it.
Our ultimate pursuit ought to be the relational dimension of the spiritual journey, and calling in its deepest sense.
—James Emery White in Embracing the Mysterious God
My Response: Something God has brought my way to invest myself in is …
Thought to Apply: God calls us to Himself so decisively that everything we are, do, and have is lived out as a response to his summons.
—Os Guinness (scholar & writer)
Adapted from Embracing the Mysterious God (InterVarsity, 2003) by permission.
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Help me grasp, Lord, that my identity and value go way deeper than what I do for a living. And thank You for making this so.
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