“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” ~ Isaiah 6: 8
As we raise our hand to show our presence, availability, and readiness to be the hands and feet of our Lord in this world; we signify our readiness to be used by God. We cannot live out our purpose without this moment. Yes, we have been saved by the free gift of grace and not by works that any should boast. Our salvation is taken care of. Now begins the journey to walk with God, to grow and be more like Him in our unique path as we point people to Jesus. As we evolve our life becomes a testimony of the power of the Most High. It’s a journey of transformation.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” ~ Ephesians 2: 8 - 9
The old has fallen away and the new must come into effect. We are brand new in Christ! Being used by God means that we have to be ready to let go of the old identity we created from the time we could fashion ourselves to now. It’s history! It may have looked good but it was broken and lost, it has nothing on the person we are becoming in Christ. Embrace it! Newness looks good on you.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5: 17
Be ready to say, “I am whatever God wants me to be.” That’s not an easy place to be. We have all invested so much time, mental, and emotional energy into creating whom we have become. Creativity is in our DNA. But the people we have become were based on limited ideas of what was possible. We imitated what we had seen, but the Creator made an original. God has a plan for us that is greater than anything that we could ever imagine. Believe that, and walk in that knowledge.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55: 8 - 9
When one enlists in the army, they know what it is they are signing up for - to defend their nation in battle at all costs. There is now a new priority that directs all aspects of their life. How they move, behave, and think. They’re stepping into a side of themselves they never knew existed. The act of cutting one’s hair when joining the military symbolises a new identity. An identity based on military values and service. The standard of their life has changed. They now carry the name of the military. As children of God, we now carry His name on us. Everything we do is a reflection of the God we serve, we are God’s ambassadors ( 2 Corinthians 5: 20). We hold ourselves to a higher standard. We are to level up to excellence in everything we do. How? Stop and rethink everything you do. Ask, can this be done better? I’m almost certain the answer will always be YES. Then, do it better. If we keep doing this consistently, before we know it, excellence will be our nature.
“But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” ~ 2 Corinthians 8: 7
Everyone loves the idea of levelling up, but very few are willing to pay the price to level up in their life. It’s not going to be easy! Mediocrity is comfort, but excellence is learning to fly. Let’s always choose to fly, no matter the cost.
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” ~ Booker T. Washington
As believers excellence is our mandate. It’s not a suggestion. As a new recruit, military boot camp is designed to break everything that you came in as, and build you up anew - make you stronger, faster, think quicker on your toes, be a team player, and adhere to the new standards. Sounds like a painful process, right? ‘No pain, no gain’ seems to be a natural theme that’s evident in all of life. A woman birthing a child goes through pain, but as soon as she holds her baby she soon forgets the pain (John 16: 21). Growing pains are a part of any journey. We can expect something beautiful for our pain (Isaiah 61: 1 - 3). We have been set apart to be different. Let’s embrace our difference wholeheartedly, and reject the norms of this world.
“No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” ~ 2 Timothy 2: 4
We were designed to dominate; to rule over all of creation (Genesis 1: 26). When we allow things to dominate us, we lose our position and our power. Things should never control us. Social media, what other people think of us, social standing, cultural norms and ideas have no say in our lives. We place the Word of God above all things. That doesn’t mean we don’t have experiences that leave us discouraged and weak. It means what is beyond our control is beneath the controlling hand of God. When we feel weak it’s easy to think let me just give up, and that’s exactly where the enemy would like us to be, hopeless. And yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth is, when we feel weak, God is our strength. His strength has no bounds, it’s too great to measure. Our weakness is a condition for God to show His strength. Call upon His name. Be expectant and confident that the God of all the earth has covered your weakness.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12 : 9 - 11
We carry the name of the Almighty. Our lives are a testimony of His goodness. As ambassadors of the faith, we must carry ourselves with the highest of standards. Whatever we do must have the stamp of excellence. Do everything with all your might as unto the Lord, time is running out (Ecclesiastes 9: 10). Your crown awaits you (James 1: 12).
Which areas of your life have you been luke-warm?
How will you bring the heat, as you level up to the name (Child of God) you have been called?
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