Ephesians 3:6-7 New Living Translation
“… 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.”
Romans 11:11-31 describes how some branches have been broken off so that the Gentile believers could be grafted into the one true vine. The broken branches are from the house of Israel. The one true vine is Jesus Christ. We, as Gentile believers in Christ, are spiritually linked to the Jews thruChrist’s blood. The above verses are speaking of this “grafting in”.We have been commissioned, as was Paul, to spread the Gospel message. While it is true that we are neither an Apostle, nor an evangelist, we have been given the ability by God to share our faith in a natural and loving, yet compelling way to those non-believers we encounter each day. Our first responsibility is to make ourselves available for God’s use. Then we can ask him for opportunities to share. We needn’t be afraid or apprehensive, for God goes before us to till the soil so it is ready for seed planting.
Paul admits in verse 8 that he is “the least deserving of all God’s people”because of his past denial of Christ and violent persecution of his followers. Yet it was “God’s grace(or undeserved favor) and mighty power”that allowed him the privilege of sharing the Gospel of Christ. Remember, scripture says the Lord takes the foolish things of this world to confound the wise and the weak to confound the strong.
(1 Corinthians 1:27)
Always remember that there is nothing we cannot do if God is in it. Follow God’s lead … listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to your spirit. Use discernment to recognize him. Do not let your own desires talk you into believing the Spirit is directing you in a certain direction. Be careful to remain humble and attentive. God does not fail, but we miss our cues. That’s on us. Immerse yourself in his spirit and tune into what he wants to use you for. It can be simple, but we make it harder than God intends it to be. Spend uninterrupted time listening. Praise God for who he is. Then don’t talk … block out external distractions and listen. What we may have to say pales in comparison to what the Lord wishes to say to us. This is what the Lord would have us do. Until next time, walk with the one true King and be a blessing!
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
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