Who Does God Want You to Be?

This weekend I have the opportunity to preach both services at my home church. I knew what scripture I wanted to talk about (2 Peter 1:5–8), but I was still struggling with how to apply it to our church. This afternoon, while I was thinking about this, I asked God to help me. “What is it about this scripture that you want me to say?” And then it came to me.

Many of us have read Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life”. The first words in chapter one are, “It’s not about you.” Yet, how many of us look at our ministry and ask the question, “What am I doing?” “What is it that God wants me to do?” Maybe that’s the wrong question. Maybe the right question is “Who does God want me to be?” When we read these words from the thought of who we are, and not what we do, it has a whole new meaning.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8 (HCSB)

The other thing that occurred to me is when we strive to become who God wants us to be, we will in turn find out what God wants us to do. So simple, yet so profound.

And those are my words.