Monday—June 24 • A Man’s Emptiness Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David . Romans 1:1-3
Bill has been out of work for over a year, and he’s having a tough time making ends meet. But he doesn’t want to jump into anything, because he believes God has made him to make a difference. He doesn’t want to “settle,” so he’s holding out for a job where he can feel like he’s fulfilling God’s destiny for him. By contrast, Steve is at the zenith of his career. He said, “I have a fantastic job, a beautiful wife, three excellent kids, and recently I deposited a check for $100,000 into my bank account. That night my wife and I had a drink to celebrate, but I found
I was downcast. My wife asked, ‘What’s the matter? What do you want?’” He explained, “I looked at her and said, “’I just don’t know.’” Whether you’re just trying to survive, or you are feeling the emptiness of mere “success,” every single one of us has been wired by God with a craving to know we are significant. God really does have a calling for you, and it’s as unique as your fingerprints. MIMBS 8 Today’s Scripture passage shows that Paul knew he was called to be Jesus’ servant and to be an apostle. How would you define your calling? Share your thoughts with your wife or another man. Daily Reading: 2 Kings 6:1–7:20, Acts 15:36– 16:15, Psalm 142:1–7, Proverbs 17:24–25
Tuesday—June 25 • A General Plan
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:8 God has a general plan for all men, and it’s summarized in Jesus’ words recorded in John 15:8. He calls us to turn our attention toward giving glory to God rather than to ourselves. When we start doing things for God’s glory, we begin to feel significant. A man will not feel significant or truly happy until he is doing exactly what God wants him to do. That doesn’t mean that God has ordained a performance-based culture where you have to do something to earn His favor. The apostle Paul clearly wrote that we are saved by grace rather than by works (see Ephesians 2:8-9). But you could say that we are saved for works (see Ephesians
2:10), because Jesus really did say that God intends for His followers to “bear much fruit.” That means He wants us to live productive lives by helping other people become His disciples as well. We are absolutely saved by faith, but we also are created to do good works, to bear much fruit, because it will bring glory to God. MIMBS 8 In what ways have you been focusing on God’s glory rather than your own? How does that affect the work that you do? Daily Reading: 2 Kings 8:1–9:13, Acts 16:16–40, Psalm 143:1–12, Proverbs 17:26
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