“Remember those who are called to be models for you and to teach you the Word of God. Consider [imitate, reproduce] the issue [the fruit, the example, the result, the outcome] of their lives. Imitate their faith for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:7-8).
David Bush joins Gary Wilkerson on the podcast today to discuss the importance of stewarding our bodies well so that we can love God and others with all of our strength.
“It’s one thing to climb a nearly 500-foot high frozen waterfall in Canada or jump off a cliff in Moab – it’s something completely different to capture a beautiful picture of people doing these things,” wrote Jakob Schiller for Wired.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16).
I am convinced by Scripture there is only one core purpose for all believers. Our specific callings are gathered up in this single purpose, and every gift springs from it. If we miss this purpose, all our desires and pursuits will be in vain. This purpose is simply this: we are all called and chosen to bear fruit.
The apostle Paul says of God, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9).
God desires every believer to be involved in full-time ministry — but what is full-time ministry? It doesn’t simply mean pastoring a church, traveling as an evangelist or going to a foreign land as a missionary. Scripture says we are all called as priests unto the Lord; in the Lord’s eyes, full time ministry is ministry unto him.
You may have had a dream related to your calling but somewhere along the way an obstacle arose and you lost momentum. Soon you were off track altogether and you realized how easily it is to have your dreams derailed. You started out energized but things changed as hard reality set in.
Early in Jesus’ ministry, his reputation for healings and wonders attracted huge crowds. “Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples … Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him …” (John 6:3, 5, ESV).
Destiny, in simple terms, is God’s purpose for your life. It is your appointed or ordained future. We read of many godly men and women in Scripture whom God chose for a destined work or ministry but they ended up aborting his plan. They started out right, moving for a while in the power of their calling, but in the end, they died in shame and ruin, missing God’s destiny for their lives.
The apostle Paul tells us we've been called by God to run a race. Peter refers to this race also when he tells us to gird up the loins of our mind (see 1 Peter 1:13). He's saying we need to prepare ourselves for the contest by reinforcing our belief and trust in the Lord.
The deacon Philip was what we might consider a very, very “good” Christian. He preached in Samaria, exorcised evil spirits, then evangelized to the Ethiopian eunuch and was teleported off by the Holy Spirit.