We are alive and have a purpose.

As I was reading the book of Ephesians yesterday I found some things in chapter 2 verses 1-10 that I thought were kind of cool. We get to see a little about who God is. I like these verses because we get to see some of God's character traits. When you begin to learn peoples character, you get to know them more intimately. That's why I like these verses so much I guess.

One thing I have learned from this passage is that God really does love us and wants to spend forever with us. Did you know that you were once dead? Not like physically dead but spiritually dead. Maybe someone reading this right now is still dead...Crazy thought huh? Being dead though has one perk...this is amazing...God wants to bring us to life! Stop and think about that for a second. God literally wants to make you alive...forever...starting right now. If you have been around a church or other Christians you have heard the term "everlasting life." We throw those words around a lot but do we really let them sink into our mind and hearts? You can start right now enjoying eternal life. You will never has to experience death. Yes, your physical body will one day run out of juice and no longer work and your body will pass away. But we can start right now knowing and taking comfort in the fact hat we will never have to experience total separation from God. You will never have to set foot in hell because God wants to bring you to life!

God wants us so badly that He is willing to die for us. Girls you want to ultimate chick-flick?... the perfect love story?...here is your man! We see in verses 4-9 were God explains a little of his character to us. He is loving, merciful, accepting. The bible says that we were saved by His grace. We were saved because He wants us not because he had to or was obligated too! He knows that we were dead, born into a life of sin yet He still loves us enough that he has chosen to show grace and mercy on us.

This is crazy to think about but their are roughly 6 billion people on earth and "you" are the only "you". If God is the creator of everything (including people) then how can we say that we were an accident? Or that God doesn't love me? Or that God doesn't know me. God made you and no one else like you. If God wanted to have several of you He could have done that but He didn't. He made just one. It says in verse 10 that we are "God's workmanship". This is a cool to me...and it goes on in this passage to say that God has a job for us. God has prepared work for us to do in advance. Did you know that you were created to do a very specific job that only you can do? Their is no one else in the world that can do the work God has planned for you...after all their is only one of you right? When we accept Christ we are no longer dead but made alive! We are given a life, given a purpose, given reason. What is that purpose? What is that reason? What is that life for? Verse 10 says that it is to do "good works". If we are doing what God has called us to do with our lives...I would say that is a good thing. If you are not sure what that work is in your life, pray and ask Him. No one else in the world has your job, has your mission, has your work to do. Only you were perfectly made to do what God wants you to do. Maybe that's being a football player, being a teacher, being a truck driver, being a photographer...whatever. But God has a life planned for you to show a hurting world His love. I had someone tell me one time that "we are all called to ministry but not all are called to ministry as a vocation." Very true. You don't have to be a pastor or a worship leader or a small group leader to do ministry. Just pray and ask God what that means for you because like it or not, believe it or not...YOU HAVE A PURPOSE! yes you...the person reading this!!! YOU HAVE A PURPOSE! You have a life, a job, relationships, friendships, a mission, a purpose waiting for you. If you turn your back to that life that God has planned for you...that's a great way to have a very plain, hurt filled, unsatisfying life. You have been made ALIVE and have a PURPOSE! If we would be open to what the Lord has for us, our lives would be happy, fulfilling...we would have a life that we could have never dreamed of on our own.

Wake up, you're alive! Go do something amazing that can only be explained by God!