“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21 (NIV)
This week at Awakening, Ryan spoke about discovering our calling amidst the unknown of our futures. Discovering our calling is a process where God trains and prepares us to live out what He has called us to. Even Jesus went through a process of discovering and training in order to fulfill His purpose. Ryan referred specifically to this passage because it is where Jesus announced His calling and what God wanted to do through His life: proclaim the good news! Jesus declared that “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” but this happened over thirty years after He came to Earth. During those years, God was preparing Him for what He was sent here to accomplish, and once fully trained, He began to live out His calling. In this same way, God is preparing our hearts and souls for what we are to carry out in His name. Through the discovery of our Godly calling, we also find God, grow stronger in our faith, and build a greater relationship with Him. Without God, our mission in life would be impossible to accomplish. But with God’s grace and our humility, we can accomplish the impossible in His name. How often do we as humans attempt to do things simply on our own?
It is such a humbling fact that God desires to use each and every one of us to complete His works! Live your life excited that God wants to use you! Rely on Him and seek His will for your life. Do not let fear or past mistakes keep you from seeking God and fully experiencing the life He has for you. A great way to determine if you are relying on God is to ask yourself this question: “Do I really need God or is He just a nice idea?”
Devotional Author: Laura Watkins