Your God-Given Potential
Are You Living in Your God-Given Potential?
There's a word that never actually appears in Scripture, yet the Bible has much to say about it. That word is potential—unrealized ability or capacity. It's something that exists inside of us but hasn't been fully developed yet.
We use this word frequently in everyday life. "That kid has potential." "That athlete has potential." What we mean is there's something inside them that could become something great. But here's a more challenging question: Are you living in your God-given potential? More specifically, since we're talking about matters of faith, are you living in your God-given potential for His kingdom?
The Foundation: Grace, Not Works
Before we can understand our potential, we must understand the foundation. Ephesians 2:8-10 provides this critical framework:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
These verses begin with something absolutely foundational: we are saved by grace through faith, not works, not effort, not morality, not family heritage, and not even church attendance. Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. You cannot earn it. You cannot inherit it from your parents or grandparents. You cannot deserve it. It is a gift.
This truth is essential because until we understand verses 8 and 9, we cannot properly understand verse 10. Many people stop at verses 8 and 9, understanding they've been saved by grace—and praise God for that! But salvation is not the end of the story. Salvation is the beginning.
You Are God's Masterpiece
Immediately after telling us how we are saved, Paul tells us why we are saved. Look at verse 10 again: "For we are His workmanship."
Take a moment to think about that. We are His workmanship. His masterpiece. His creation. His handiwork. You are God's masterpiece. Say it to yourself: "I am God's masterpiece."
You're not an accident. You're not random. You're not overlooked. God intentionally created you. And here's something even more amazing: we were created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Every child of God has been created in Christ Jesus for good works. This leaves out nobody. Notice something important here: good works do not save us, but saved people should do good works. Good works are not the root of salvation; they are the fruit of salvation.
According to Paul, God prepared those works beforehand. In other words, God already has a purpose for your life. God already has opportunities for ministry waiting for you. God already has kingdom work prepared for you. That is your potential.
The question becomes: Will you walk in it?
Three Obstacles to Fulfilling Your Potential
Obstacle #1: You Simply Don't Want To
Sometimes we refuse to do what God wants us to do. Consider Jonah, the Old Testament prophet. God told him to go to Nineveh to pronounce judgment, but Jonah went in the opposite direction. God could have found someone else, but that wasn't who He had chosen.
We know the story—the storm, being thrown overboard, three days in the belly of a great fish. Jonah had time to think, pray, and repent. After being vomited onto the seashore, he finally obeyed and went to Nineveh, resulting in perhaps the greatest revival the world has ever seen.
Jonah's problem wasn't ability. His problem wasn't opportunity. His problem was obedience. God has already made His will known: we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. Will you obey?
Obstacle #2: "Someone Else Will Do It"
If we don't refuse outright, we make this terrible assumption: someone else can teach, serve, give, witness, volunteer, or step up. We've all heard the excuses:
God didn't call somebody. He called you.
This brings us to Queen Esther. When faced with the possible extermination of her people, her uncle Mordecai challenged her: "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
Perhaps God has placed you exactly where you are because He wants you to fulfill the purpose He has for your life. For such a time as this.
Obstacle #3: It Costs Too Much
Living in your God-given potential will cost you something. It will cost you time, energy, resources, comfort, and sometimes even relationships.
Most of us don't mind serving God until it starts affecting our schedules, our wallets, or our convenience. But consider the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. He had followed all the commandments, yet when Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him, the young man went away sorrowful because he had great possessions.
This young man had enormous potential. He was moral, sincere, and searching. The Bible says Jesus loved him. But Jesus exposed the one thing standing between him and his potential: his possessions.
What's standing between you and your potential for the kingdom of God?
The tragedy isn't that the young man was wealthy. The tragedy is that he loved his possessions more than he loved God's purpose. Because of that, his potential remained unrealized.
Is It Worth It?
Peter once asked Jesus, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" In essence, Peter was asking, "Lord, is it worth it?"
Jesus' answer was clear: "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:29).
Jesus promises that those who sacrifice for His kingdom will be rewarded. Nobody who gives up something for Christ will ultimately lose. God always honors faithfulness. God always rewards obedience. And that reward far exceeds what we have to surrender.
The Challenge Before Us
Are you living in your God-given potential? Not what you could have done. Not what you used to do. Not what someone else should do. What has God called you to do?
According to Ephesians 2:10, you are God's workmanship. You were created in Christ Jesus for good works, and those were prepared beforehand. The only thing left is for you to walk in them.
It might cost you something. You might not want to do it. You might think others could do it better. But He called you.
The kingdom of God needs you. We have enough people sitting on their potential. Until we get this truth in our hearts, minds, and spirits, we'll never reach the potential God desires for His church and His kingdom.
Will you walk in the things He has called you to do? That's a question only you can answer.
There's a word that never actually appears in Scripture, yet the Bible has much to say about it. That word is potential—unrealized ability or capacity. It's something that exists inside of us but hasn't been fully developed yet.
We use this word frequently in everyday life. "That kid has potential." "That athlete has potential." What we mean is there's something inside them that could become something great. But here's a more challenging question: Are you living in your God-given potential? More specifically, since we're talking about matters of faith, are you living in your God-given potential for His kingdom?
The Foundation: Grace, Not Works
Before we can understand our potential, we must understand the foundation. Ephesians 2:8-10 provides this critical framework:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
These verses begin with something absolutely foundational: we are saved by grace through faith, not works, not effort, not morality, not family heritage, and not even church attendance. Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. You cannot earn it. You cannot inherit it from your parents or grandparents. You cannot deserve it. It is a gift.
This truth is essential because until we understand verses 8 and 9, we cannot properly understand verse 10. Many people stop at verses 8 and 9, understanding they've been saved by grace—and praise God for that! But salvation is not the end of the story. Salvation is the beginning.
You Are God's Masterpiece
Immediately after telling us how we are saved, Paul tells us why we are saved. Look at verse 10 again: "For we are His workmanship."
Take a moment to think about that. We are His workmanship. His masterpiece. His creation. His handiwork. You are God's masterpiece. Say it to yourself: "I am God's masterpiece."
You're not an accident. You're not random. You're not overlooked. God intentionally created you. And here's something even more amazing: we were created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Every child of God has been created in Christ Jesus for good works. This leaves out nobody. Notice something important here: good works do not save us, but saved people should do good works. Good works are not the root of salvation; they are the fruit of salvation.
According to Paul, God prepared those works beforehand. In other words, God already has a purpose for your life. God already has opportunities for ministry waiting for you. God already has kingdom work prepared for you. That is your potential.
The question becomes: Will you walk in it?
Three Obstacles to Fulfilling Your Potential
Obstacle #1: You Simply Don't Want To
Sometimes we refuse to do what God wants us to do. Consider Jonah, the Old Testament prophet. God told him to go to Nineveh to pronounce judgment, but Jonah went in the opposite direction. God could have found someone else, but that wasn't who He had chosen.
We know the story—the storm, being thrown overboard, three days in the belly of a great fish. Jonah had time to think, pray, and repent. After being vomited onto the seashore, he finally obeyed and went to Nineveh, resulting in perhaps the greatest revival the world has ever seen.
Jonah's problem wasn't ability. His problem wasn't opportunity. His problem was obedience. God has already made His will known: we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. Will you obey?
Obstacle #2: "Someone Else Will Do It"
If we don't refuse outright, we make this terrible assumption: someone else can teach, serve, give, witness, volunteer, or step up. We've all heard the excuses:
- "Someone else can do it better than I can."
- "I've been doing this for a long time; it's time for someone else to take a turn."
- "I'll do it if you can't find anybody else."
God didn't call somebody. He called you.
This brings us to Queen Esther. When faced with the possible extermination of her people, her uncle Mordecai challenged her: "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
Perhaps God has placed you exactly where you are because He wants you to fulfill the purpose He has for your life. For such a time as this.
Obstacle #3: It Costs Too Much
Living in your God-given potential will cost you something. It will cost you time, energy, resources, comfort, and sometimes even relationships.
Most of us don't mind serving God until it starts affecting our schedules, our wallets, or our convenience. But consider the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. He had followed all the commandments, yet when Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him, the young man went away sorrowful because he had great possessions.
This young man had enormous potential. He was moral, sincere, and searching. The Bible says Jesus loved him. But Jesus exposed the one thing standing between him and his potential: his possessions.
What's standing between you and your potential for the kingdom of God?
The tragedy isn't that the young man was wealthy. The tragedy is that he loved his possessions more than he loved God's purpose. Because of that, his potential remained unrealized.
Is It Worth It?
Peter once asked Jesus, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" In essence, Peter was asking, "Lord, is it worth it?"
Jesus' answer was clear: "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:29).
Jesus promises that those who sacrifice for His kingdom will be rewarded. Nobody who gives up something for Christ will ultimately lose. God always honors faithfulness. God always rewards obedience. And that reward far exceeds what we have to surrender.
The Challenge Before Us
Are you living in your God-given potential? Not what you could have done. Not what you used to do. Not what someone else should do. What has God called you to do?
According to Ephesians 2:10, you are God's workmanship. You were created in Christ Jesus for good works, and those were prepared beforehand. The only thing left is for you to walk in them.
It might cost you something. You might not want to do it. You might think others could do it better. But He called you.
The kingdom of God needs you. We have enough people sitting on their potential. Until we get this truth in our hearts, minds, and spirits, we'll never reach the potential God desires for His church and His kingdom.
Will you walk in the things He has called you to do? That's a question only you can answer.
Recent
Archive
Categories
no categories
No Comments