The Lodestar

The impact of our lives is not determined by our role, status, or the nature of our work, but by the assurance that we do what God has entrusted to us.

A simple biological explanation for being born into this world does not fully understand God’s purpose for human life. Although we are born from our parents' union, it is God’s will that we are born at a specific time and place.

This passage takes this truth further by explaining our new birth in Christ. All of us redeemed through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross are re-created in him to serve divine purposes.

This new identity in Christ is fundamentally different from our former nature when we were propelled by the urges of this world to pursue worldly aims: “We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph 2:3).

The new persons in Christ live for God because they are thoughtfully crafted, like sculptors chiselling rock into the shape they envision. The rock is part of the created order, but the sculpture is the artist's handiwork.

The purpose of the Lord shaping us as His handiwork is to do good works, not based on our own choices, but the works He has already determined to be good. Just as a servant seeks to fulfil the desires of his master, the new persons in Christ must be committed to doing what God has willed and assigned them to do. In simple terms, this means discovering what the Lord wants them to fulfil through their lives or, in Paul’s words, what we must “walk in.”

This could be called vocation or something to which a person feels called and is dedicated. People attribute their success in businesses, careers, and activities to a sense of vocation and the dedication they put into their work. However, Christ-followers add another dimension to their vocation—the sense of serving God’s purpose that motivates their mission on earth. Nursery teachers, university lecturers, bus drivers, airline pilots, street cleaners, or Members of Parliament, the experience of Christ and the sense of being called to partner with God in what He is doing in this world makes a significant difference.

Embrace your new identity in Christ and seek to discover the unique purpose God has entrusted to you. Whatever your role or status, commit to walking faithfully in his will, serving his divine mission with dedication and joy. Let your life reflect God’s handiwork through good works prepared for you. Respond today to God’s calling, partnering with Him to impact the world around you.

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