Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
GOD is GOOD, GOD is JUST, and GOD is LOVE.
GOD gives us strength and courage, and He equips and empowers us to do everything He called us to do, for He knows the plans he has for us, plans to prosper and not harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. And GOD is not unjust so as to overlook our work and the love that we have shown for His name in serving the saints, as we still do, according to Hebrews 6:10, but according to one renowned teacher and leadership mentor, our "greatest failure in life is being successful in the wrong assignment."
Instead of following GOD's plan for our lives, some of us take detours, yield to temptation, pursue worldly dreams, or find assignments that are easier, more comfortable, convenient, pleasing, or appealing. And often, we put self-interest above GOD's interests, our business or the world's business above GOD's business, and our needs (for food, shelter, clothing, security, and survival) above His desire (for us to love Him whole-heartedly, obey His commands, and abide in Him as He abides in us), even when JESUS, in Matthew 6:33, advises us to "seek first the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness" and trust that "all things" will be added to us.
Instead of living for the LORD and letting Him be the LORD of ALL, some of us are living for ourselves and acting like we're the lords of all. And we're not living our lives in CHRIST, in submission, under GOD's authority; we're living our lives in pursuit of SUCCESS, WEALTH, PROSPERITY, and HAPPINESS, always trying to make a LIVING or make a NAME for ourselves, because we're proud, independent, self-reliant, fearful, and sometimes insecure, and we don't want to be poor, needy, powerless, inconvenienced, or lacking; we don't want to follow anybody else's rules, guidelines, or laws; and we don't want to be submissive, dependent, under anybody else's authority, control.
So, instead of humbling ourselves, trusting GOD, and letting Him be our Source and Strength, our Protector and Provider, our Counselor and King, our Lifetime Employer and Eternal Boss, we're walking away, doing our own thing, often bypassing Him completely, reclaiming the wheel in our lives, making our own decisions, finding our own assignments, chasing our own dreams, and driving to our own destinations. We can see the road in front of us, but we can't see long distance or what's coming ahead, and that's the problem. JESUS gave us all the GREAT COMMISSION in Matthew 28:19-20, telling us to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [He] had commanded," but some of us have gotten distracted, sidelined, redirected, or lost on the journey.
When we accept JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR, GOD adopts us into His Family; drafts us into His army; employs us in His business; and gives us all unique assignments on Earth, according to the gifts and talents He's given us; then, He sends us like ambassadors in CHRIST and representatives of His, as walking letters and living Bibles, into this ministry of reconciliation to draw others to Him, to share the GOSPEL, the GOOD NEWS, and bring the KINGDOM of HEAVEN on Earth. And this is GOD's business: enlarging His Kingdom and territory from Heaven to Earth; reconciling and drawing others to Himself through JESUS; employing them in His service; and giving them dominion, power, and authority on Earth, in the NAME of JESUS.
What's ironic is some of us have attained power and authority, and some of us have found happiness and success, just in the wrong assignment.
So, the real questions are these: Are we as believers doing what GOD created, called, and commissioned us to do? Are we fulfilling our mission, our purpose, our assignment--the one GOD planned for us?
If our assignments are graded according to GOD's standard, will we get an "A" or an "F"? Will JESUS, the Righteous Judge, say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant," if we're successful but in the wrong assignment?
