Daily Devotionals

Believe It or Not Week 3 Friday

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Most successful companies and organizations understand the importance of having a purpose statement. Purpose statements tell employees and the clients why the company or organization exists. Purpose gives these companies and organizations a sense of direction and clarity as they strive to succeed and carry out their mission. Interestingly, we were all born with a sense of purpose as human beings. This sense of purpose points to God, who created us all to have a relationship with Him and honor Him with our lives. We all want to have purpose and meaning for our lives, and Scripture teaches that it can only be found by following Christ and making Him known to the people around us. 

The apostle Paul explained that Christ’s followers were created for a purpose in Ephesians 2. This is what He said: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (verse 10). This verse makes it clear: we were created for a purpose. We were created “to do the good things He planned for us long ago.” This means that God had a plan and purpose for us to do good from the beginning of our lives. He engrained this in us. This is why every person has a desire to find purpose. That comes from God.

 What are the good things God has planned for us? We get a hint of this when we see the last thing Jesus instructed His disciples to do before He returned to Heaven in Matthew 28 when He said to them, “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (verses 19-20). We are called first to know Christ, and after knowing Christ, we are called to make disciples, making Christ known to the people around us. When this happens, we lean into the purpose Christ has for us. 

We were all ingrained with a sense of purpose. That sense of purpose points to the God who instilled that sense of purpose in us. Based on the commands of Jesus, we know that our calling and purpose in life is to know Him and share Him with everyone around us. The question is, will we lean into that sense of purpose that He has given us? May you and I be people who know Christ and make Christ known.

Moving toward action

Is making Christ known a regular habit in your life? What can you do to make this calling from Christ a regular part of your routine? Maybe you can volunteer in Kids Planet, become a small group leader, or invite a friend to church with you this weekend. Whatever you decide, choose today to lean into the purpose God has given you.

Going Deeper

Ephesians 2:1-10 (NLT)

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.