Vibrant: A Life of CallingSample
There are many things in life that are not accidents, nor are they certainties. Unity is one of those blessings in life that requires hard work and discipline. It doesn’t just happen in a home, in a marriage, in an office, or in the church. Someone must make unity a high priority in order to achieve its status.
Unity and peace will always take your family, your marriage, your office, and your church in an upward direction. Unity and peace will always ensure that your life is continually traveling along the high roads of faith. Unity and peace create an invisible structure that will allow you to live, even with difficult people, in a manner that honors Christ.
In the moments when you have diligently guarded peace and even fought for peace but it just seems impossible, the most important goal is for you to have peace in your own heart. It is of vital importance that you are walking in forgiveness and blessing even when the other person continues to be argumentative or antagonistic. You can walk away knowing that you tried your hardest to seek peace and still be kind to the other person involved in the challenging relationship.
If you truly long to live a vibrant life that is filled with joy and hope, then you must diligently fight for peace, but also realize that you need peace within your heart as well.
Peace is worth fighting for, it is worth forgiving for, and it is worth blessing the other person in spite of differences. What a wonderful way to approach difficult relationships! When peace is the goal and when the route is paved with forgiveness and blessing, the fulfillment will be unmatched. Peace is only truly experienced in human relationships when intimacy with Christ is valued and when we are surrendered to His ultimate and loving control.
The unalterable truth is that it is impossible to control everything that happens to you and it is futile to try to control the people in your life. The only thing that you can absolutely control is your response to painful situations and problematic people. Your power is found in your response; your peace is discovered when you respond the way that Jesus would.
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About this Plan
Paul, a liberated prisoner of the Lord, begged the church at Ephesus “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.” We are the Father’s representatives on earth and our calling is to represent Him well. As you strive to live a vibrant life or an abundant life, you become more certain of His calling and choosing of you.
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