Above

The promise of Ephesian 3:20 (“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”) is available to not just a selected few, but to you!

Listed below are six everyday things that you can do to play your part in God’s great missionary adventure.

1) Be the answer to your prayers!
Jesus wants to change the world and he wants to use you in the process. How do we find out our role? Well, we ask him! But we don’t just ask -with his guidance - we answer! Often as we pray we expect God to magically answer our prayers while we put our feet up on the couch. For every person you pray for, think of one action step you can take to accompany your prayers. (Matthew 9:33)

2) Say “Yes” More!
Opportunities abound, but so often our default is to say “no”. Boundaries and priorities are vitally important, but don’t use them as an excuse and be perhaps be prepared to expand them a little. The reality is we waste too much time on trivial things at the expense of things that really matter. What does your saying “yes” to saying “no” ratio look like? Say “yes” the right opportunities more often. (Matthew 6:33)

3) Make hope real!
Hebrews 6:19 says that “Hope is an anchor to our soul”. Yet so often we treat hope as a buoy. Our hope bounces around, moving, changing and getting splashed by the circumstances of life. Is the hope you have a buoy or an anchor? There is one way to find out – lean on it in real life. If Jesus who is all he says he is, we have nothing to fear and everything to ope for. How can you help make hope real for someone?

4) Change a habit!
Do you know what God could do if you gave him just 30 minutes of your TV time each day? No… me neither, but I bet it’d be more redemptive that watching some (un)reality show. What’s one habit in your daily routine that you can change? Spend that time writing a letter of encouragement, finding somewhere to serve, reading your bible, connecting with God or finding someone to love. How does 1 Timothy 4 translate itself into your life?

5) Find a way to give love away!
My grandpa had a sentimental poster on his bathroom wall. The poster had cute puppies on it but its text changed my life. It simply said, “The Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, love isn’t love until you give it away”. How are you giving Jesus love away today?

6) Take a risk!
Once in high school, in response to my invitation to go on a date, my request was responded to with a poem about risk. Quite why this girl felt it a risk to date me, I am not sure… BUT her poem concluded with the statement, “The greatest risk in life is to risk nothing”. Measured risk is vitally important when it comes to establishing the Kingdom of God. We are people of faith, and therefore by definition, people of risk. What risk can you take today for the sake of Christ?
A mission challenge: Choose one of these principals and apply it to your life this week. Choose another one the next week and so on. Journal what God does in and through you as you start to apply these principals!

God wants to do above and beyond through you and make a difference in changing this world that Jesus loves so much.