Bible Gateway Blog

Have you ever wondered where you fit in—in the church, in your community, in your family?

Almost everyone questions, at some point in their life, how and whether they belong. Some people possess obvious talents and strong confidence in how to best use them. But for most of us, finding our place and identifying how God wants us to serve is a humbling and difficult process.

To everyone doubting their value to the church, the apostle Paul has an encouraging message: you have value; you’ve been called to serve by God Himself; and you’ve been given exactly the grace you need to do it.

Ephesians 4:1-24

I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love. — Ephesians 4:1-24 (NET)

Questions to Consider

• Do you feel a specific “calling” to a particular job, ministry, community, or activity? How did you become aware of this calling?
• Even if you don’t identify a specific role for yourself, look back at the last few years in your church or community. Can you discern ways in which you’ve served, even if you didn’t realize it at the time?
• Have you ever felt that you were being called to serve in a way that didn’t take advantage of your natural talents and abilities? How did you understand or resolve this tension?
• Is there anyone in your church or community who seems to feel out of place or disconnected? What can you do to make them feel like they’re an important part of God’s family?

This week’s Monday Morning Scripture is taken from our new Thanksgiving devotional Give Thanks. Give Thanks is a twice-weekly devotional that features a Bible passage about gratitude in a style similar to our Monday Morning Scripture posts. You can sign up to have each Give Thanks devotional emailed to you—see this post for details.

It looked hopeless.

After a long spiritual struggle against their Egyptian masters, the Israelites had finally won their freedom from slavery. But just as freedom was within reach, just as Moses was leading them out of captivity… “Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds.” An entire army swept out of Egypt in pursuit of the Israelites.

You’re probably familiar with what happened next: God staged one of the most spectacular rescues in the Bible. Today, to begin our series of reflections about gratitude, let’s look at the way Moses and the Israelites responded to God’s miraculous intervention.

Exodus 15:1-19

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.

“The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, Lord,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
shattered the enemy.

“In the greatness of your majesty
you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
it consumed them like stubble.
By the blast of your nostrils
the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy boasted,
‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.’
But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
Who among the gods
is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?

“You stretch out your right hand,
and the earth swallows your enemies.
In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, Lord,
until the people you bought pass by.
You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

“The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.” — Exodus 15:1-19 (NIV)

When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

Questions to Consider

• Has God ever intervened in your life to rescue you–from physical danger, from a bad decision, from a personal crisis?
• Did you recognize God’s hand at the time? If not, when did you make the connection?
• Notice the sheer, exuberent joy in Moses’ prayer of thanksgiving. Have you ever just marveled aloud at God’s majesty?
• Have you ever prayed simply to thank and praise God?

How do you recognize a Christian?

Can you tell by a person’s church attendance or affiliation? By their stance on hot political topics? By the number of kids they have, by the amount of money they give to charity, by their eloquence in describing their faith?

The good news is that the Bible tell us exactly what telltale signs to look for in a Christian’s life. But the real question is not whether or not somebody else is a Christian according to these traits. It’s whether you recognize yourself in the Bible’s description.

Galatians 5:13-26

For, brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love. For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: “Love your neighbor as yourself”; but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other!

What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism.

And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency; involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.

Moreover, those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua have put their old nature to death on the stake, along with its passions and desires. Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. — Galatians 5:13-26 (CJB)

Questions to Consider

• What sorts of questions or problems do you think prompted the author of this Bible passage to write it?
• What does the term “old nature” mean to you? If Christians have been renewed by Christ, why must they still be on guard against their old nature?
• Imagine that an outside observer is watching your everyday interactions, and day-to-day affairs of your church. Would they use words like “selfish ambition,” “factionalism,” and “intrigue” to describe what they see? Or would they see “peace,” “patience,” and “humility”?
• None of us mange to perfectly embody these fruits of the Spirit. According to this passage, what will cause the fruits of the Spirit to appear in our lives?