"You were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources...and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life.
It is God himself who has made us what we are...he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Ephesians 2:10
You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back.
"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were ever born, I set you apart for special work." You were placed on the planet for a special assignment."
You're not saved by service, but you are saved for service.
Loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.
God says every member of his family is a minister. In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonyms, as are service and ministry.
Once you are saved, God intends to use you for his goals. God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world.
Anytime you are using your God given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling. Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.
For Christians, service is not optional, something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart on the Christian life.
It is not enough to learn more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe.
To all excuses God will respond, "Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?.... It will mean a loss of eternal rewards.
God wants you to love and serve others unselfishly. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived." PDL Chapter 29
So, if you are keeping a tally, so far, your purpose is;
1, You were planned for God's pleasure,
2, You were formed for God's Family
3, You were created to become like Christ.
4, You were Shaped for Serving God.
This is a really tough one for me, because I see things in black and white. If I'm called to account for the gifts I've been given, I've failed miserably. To all excuses God will respond, "Sorry, wrong answer." Without a huge effort, I can give more time to the church, but what does the effort required matter...we were "commanded...to live a life of service." "Service is not optional". Beyond that, if I truly believed in service, I could quit my job, sell my house and devote my life to helping the poor, but I'm not going to do that. I have been blessed so far beyond what I deserve, that I can't relate to; "There is no small service to God; it all matters.". The way I serve, I feel like a millionaire tossing a quarter to a beggar. If the sum total of how I've used my life determines where I am in heaven ... "It will mean a loss of eternal rewards.", then I guess I'll end up in the ghetto of heaven. I got in because I was saved, but that's about it. I don't deserve a place at the table.
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