But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)
I believe that we are living in blessed times of great import. God wants to do something very special through and in this generation and I'm excited to see how His plan unfolds. I am convinced that this is a different season and that God is using different people.
For the sake of this post, I'll refer to the generation in which we live as "The Different Generation." I call us this for two reasons. The first reason is that I believe that God is using us just as we are; with all of our unique characteristics and idiosyncratic ways. God isn't asking us to be inconsistent with the way He's already made us. He wants us to come to Him just as we are and as He perfects His good work in us, we become who we were made to be: a good work in the eyes of God, unique, special....different. God has called each of us for a special purpose here on earth to bring glory to Him. No one was meant to take your place, just as you weren't meant to take another person's place. As we seek God daily and we grow and develop into vessels of gold, God perfects that good work which He started in us the day we accepted Him. God didn't create us to be clones of other people. Psalm 139:14 (NIV) says:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
The psalmist here is acknowledging that God made him fearfully and wonderfully. God took His time to make sure that we came out just right. Perfectly. This verse challenges me. I want to seek God more. I want to know Him more and in knowing Him, I want to find out more of what He's called me to be. This makes life so exciting because the possibilities are endless. (Who was it again that said that being a Christian is boring? Ummmm...I beg to differ!)
The second reason that I've dubbed us "The Different Generation" is simple. God has called us to be set apart. We are living in amazing times, but they are also very dark. God has called us to break through in the darkness and be a light so bright that the darkness must flee. John 15:19 (NIV) says:
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
We are called out of this world to go against the grain. To be different. I love the way that this is worded: but I have chosen you out of the world. God has hand picked you and I to be set apart for His glory. What an amazing and humbling privilege!
In Romans 12:2, the Word of God reiterates our call to be separate from the ways of this world.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Be transformed. We have to reset our minds and our hearts to go along with God's ways. We have to mutate from our very nature and become a remodeled version of ourselves. And this can only take place when we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives as our Lord. Then we have to diligently seek Him and follow His ways. When we fall, we must get right back up and follow Him all the more. We have to stay plugged in to His word and we must spend time with Him in worship. This is how we will be rewired to fit God's original plan. With the glorious guidance of our Friend, The Holy Spirit, we can continue to grow until we see Him face to face.
This my prayer: That this "Different Generation" will bring God utmost praise and glory with our unique gifts and personalities. I also pray that each one of us will fall in love with Jesus so much that we will be ruined for those worldly things that are apart from His heart.
I believe that we are living in blessed times of great import. God wants to do something very special through and in this generation and I'm excited to see how His plan unfolds. I am convinced that this is a different season and that God is using different people.
For the sake of this post, I'll refer to the generation in which we live as "The Different Generation." I call us this for two reasons. The first reason is that I believe that God is using us just as we are; with all of our unique characteristics and idiosyncratic ways. God isn't asking us to be inconsistent with the way He's already made us. He wants us to come to Him just as we are and as He perfects His good work in us, we become who we were made to be: a good work in the eyes of God, unique, special....different. God has called each of us for a special purpose here on earth to bring glory to Him. No one was meant to take your place, just as you weren't meant to take another person's place. As we seek God daily and we grow and develop into vessels of gold, God perfects that good work which He started in us the day we accepted Him. God didn't create us to be clones of other people. Psalm 139:14 (NIV) says:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
The psalmist here is acknowledging that God made him fearfully and wonderfully. God took His time to make sure that we came out just right. Perfectly. This verse challenges me. I want to seek God more. I want to know Him more and in knowing Him, I want to find out more of what He's called me to be. This makes life so exciting because the possibilities are endless. (Who was it again that said that being a Christian is boring? Ummmm...I beg to differ!)
The second reason that I've dubbed us "The Different Generation" is simple. God has called us to be set apart. We are living in amazing times, but they are also very dark. God has called us to break through in the darkness and be a light so bright that the darkness must flee. John 15:19 (NIV) says:
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
We are called out of this world to go against the grain. To be different. I love the way that this is worded: but I have chosen you out of the world. God has hand picked you and I to be set apart for His glory. What an amazing and humbling privilege!
In Romans 12:2, the Word of God reiterates our call to be separate from the ways of this world.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Be transformed. We have to reset our minds and our hearts to go along with God's ways. We have to mutate from our very nature and become a remodeled version of ourselves. And this can only take place when we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives as our Lord. Then we have to diligently seek Him and follow His ways. When we fall, we must get right back up and follow Him all the more. We have to stay plugged in to His word and we must spend time with Him in worship. This is how we will be rewired to fit God's original plan. With the glorious guidance of our Friend, The Holy Spirit, we can continue to grow until we see Him face to face.
This my prayer: That this "Different Generation" will bring God utmost praise and glory with our unique gifts and personalities. I also pray that each one of us will fall in love with Jesus so much that we will be ruined for those worldly things that are apart from His heart.
Great write B...it is indeed not an option to seek God more, and be separated unto HIm to truly make a difference in our dark world.--Toyin
ReplyDeleteI agree, sis...:)
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