Bible Study
Lord, what do You want me to do with my life?
I would like to share a story with you that has touched me deeply. It is about an American soldier in the Vietnam War. He was about to step on an anti-personnel land mine that was hidden from his sight. His comrade across the battlefield, who could see the impending disaster from his vantage point, stood up from behind his protective barricade and shouted a life-saving warning to his friend.
At that moment the brave young man received a gunshot wound that ended his life. A couple of years later, at an honorary memorial service in the United States, the soldier whose life had been saved from the land mine had a chance to meet the wife and son of his deceased friend. The son, who was only seven years old, had never gotten a chance to really know his father.
The soldier could tell that this boy’s heart was broken, so he knelt down next to him and put his hand on the child’s shoulder. “I want you to know,” the soldier said, “your father saved my life.” The little boy looked up at him with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Sir,” he said, “were you worth it?”
Leonard Ravenhill once asked the question, “Is what you’re living for worth Christ dying for?” We were not saved so that we could be polished, decorative knickknacks sitting on God’s shelf filling space in heaven for eternity.
No, we were born with special talents and abilities, and have been saved by the grace of God. The most appropriate response to this amazing gift is to make ourselves completely available for Him, thus fulfilling our calling.
In light of these things, what then should we do? Perhaps you feel a desire to respond by offering your life as a “rocket booster” to propel God’s kingdom forward, but you are not sure where to begin. When Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, met the Lord on the road to Damascus, this was his question: “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6).
And this is where our journey begins, with a simple question: “Lord, what do You want me to do with my life?”
Whether this journey takes you to the mission field or medical school, whether you become a construction worker, businessman, chef, or pastor, discovering God’s will for your life is not a matter of determining what you want, but what He wants. It is a spiritual quest of utmost significance, and the Holy Spirit must lead it. For that reason, I invite you to begin this journey by praying the following prayer for guidance and direction:
Heavenly Father,
I present my life to You today as a living sacrifice.
Because You gave Your Son for me, I give myself fully to You.
This is my reasonable service.
I lay my dreams and desires at Your feet
and ask that Your will be done in my life.
Use my mortal hands to build Your eternal kingdom.
Use my life to propel Your purposes forward.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
The purpose of our ministry at CfaN is very clear. God has called us to preach the message of Jesus Christ from Cape Town to Cairo…and all over the world. To continue doing this effectively, we need your help.
With all my heart, I pray that you would know God’s purpose for your life with conviction, and that you would take hold of it with passion.
Daniel Kolenda
