As a pastor, I have sat across from countless individuals – in my living or at Starbucks – and listened as they shared their longing to live for something more than what they were currently experiencing. The doldrums of life had sucked all the enthusiasm out of them. By coming to me, they were hoping I could wave a magic wand and suddenly fill them with inspiration and purpose.
If I were to ask those individuals to sum up their current existence in one word, I imagine they might have said …
– Boring
– Routine
– Dull
– Overwhelmed
– Drifting
– Meaningless
No one sets out in life to live like this. None of us ever had a morning where we woke up and our first thought was, “I hope today is a mediocre day.” Yet, somehow, somewhere, that is the direction our life swung in.
Ironically (or unfortunately), many of the individuals I’ve met with considered themselves Christians. They were people who claimed to have had a life-changing experience with Jesus. From Scripture, I believed these same people had been filled with the Holy Spirit, our counselor, teacher, and guide.
One of the reasons I love the book of Ephesians is because of how it calls us to live for more than the ordinary life we often settle for. This is true of our personal lives, in our families, and how we interact within the church. God has so much more in store for us – blessings, opportunities, growth, and a purpose so compelling that our brothers and sisters down through the ages have given up their lives for it.