Finding a Niche

Certain it is that man must completely despair of himself in order to become fit to receive the grace of Christ.
- Martin Luther


everybody's a winner:
We're the Body of Christ and all the parts have a job to do. Whenever we take time to reach out to a sick neighbor or teach a Sunday School class we're helping change those people's lives.

made by design:
God's word teaches us that we were beautifully and perfectly designed by God.

"You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Eveyr moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

all things are possible :
Since the dawn of the Olympic games man has sought to run a 4 minute mile. It wasn't until 1954 that Roger Bannister was able to run a mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. That same year more than 39 other people ran a mile in under 4 minutes. The year after that hundreds more did. The world will tell us that things are impossible. They might even try to tell us that working on a relationship with God is impossible or that it isn't worth the effort. The Bible tells us that with man some things are indeed possible. But according to Matthew 19:27, "with God everything is possible."
Bannister had to believe that the impossible was possible, or he would have never tried to run the race. He must have believed that he could make a difference and have a lasting impact on the world around him.

group effort:
One more thing about Bannister: He didn't run alone. The race was very carefully planned - there were two pacesetters that ran with him. One in front and one behind so Bannister could stay at the pace he needed to break the record. In the middle of the race, the one behind ran forward and the frontrunner fell back. That way neither of the pacesetters was too taxed. In the last stretch Bannister picked up speed, lengthened his stried, and finished the race alone.
You can't break a world record alone. That's probably not what God is calling you to do right now. But whatever you're called to, know that your willingness to take your place on the track will put you a step closer to discovering and fulfilling God's intentions for you.

dive in:

• Am I a functioning part of the Body of Christ? Why or Why not?
• Has there ever been a time I should have stepped up to the plate but didn't? What was the result?
• How could God use me if I were committed to following his lead instead of my own?