Not of This WorldSample

Day 4: Called to a Greater Purpose

In the thrilling realm of superhero movies, the appeal of the 'superhero team-up' has captured our imaginations for over the past decade. While we enjoy the solo adventures of larger-than-life characters like Iron Man, we’re most excited by moments when they unite as the Avengers to face the world’s greatest threats.

At a deeper level, we are emotionally invested in the growth of our heroes, such as in Iron Man’s journey from a self-centred egotist to a self-sacrificing team player. This narrative is not so different from our own walk in faith, and the apostle Peter speaks to this idea about our role in God’s divine team.

Peter describes followers as living stones forming a spiritual house. By itself a stone might see limited use, but when joined with others it becomes part of a building and serves a larger purpose. Just as each Avenger brings their own superpower to the table, we too possess our distinct talents and callings to fulfill a greater mission - that is, to ‘declare the praises of Him’ (v9) as we share and live out the Gospel.

With our faith journey being like a long marathon, there might be times when we struggle with the notion of coming together as one body. Our hesitation could be due to experiencing past hurts by fellow believers, or facing personal struggles at work, home or in specific relationships. When these incidents happen, it feels natural to look inward and operate like a lone ranger, so as to avoid the ‘burden’ of being part of a group and to have to cater to the needs of others when we’re already running on an empty tank.

The beauty of being a living stone in God’s house, is that we are able to grow both individually and as a larger team. There is nothing wrong with taking time to pause, reflect and to seek God in solitude. In fact, these are essential disciplines for our own spiritual formation, as we find rest and respite in Christ. But we cannot afford to lose sight of the greater mission and the pivotal role we each play, with our different strengths and talents coming together. That is when the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and God’s house will bring about a great harvest.

Prayer points:

• What struggles do you face in belonging to your spiritual community? As you bring these to the Lord in prayer, ask for a fresh and godly perspective of the greater purpose of being rooted in one. Pray that you will experience unity and growth as a result of being connected to your spiritual family.
• Take time to pray for each member in your spiritual community to play their part in building God's house.

Listen:

Holy Forever – Chris Tomlin (feat. Jenn & Brian Johnson)