From where I sit
The story goes that as a man was walking through a large city one day, he came across a large construction site. Curious, he asked one of the workers what they were doing. With no emotion, "Laying bricks" was all he said. Still curious, the man asked a second worker what they were doing. Without looking up, the second worker replied, "Earning a paycheck". Finally, the man encountered a third worker, to whom he directed the same question. This time, however, he received a much different response. The third worker stopped for a moment, looked the man right in the eye, and with
excitement on his face and awe in his voice, he answered, "I am building a cathedral".
How is it that outwardly, people can appear to be doing the same thing, yet inwardly they are experiencing different realities? It's all about attitude. It's all about perspective. It's all about seeing the bigger picture. From where I sit, that is what Empower is really all about. Sure, we are a school with lots of classes and teachers and books. But there is much more. Empower is a mindset, it is an understanding of how God wants to make you into someone who is making a difference. Down deep, that's what we really want. We want our life to matter, we want our life to make sense, we want our life to count for something special.
From where I sit, the third worker from our story got it. He saw beyond the daily grind. He saw beyond the task at hand. He saw the lasting result of his labor. He was empowered by his vision, which transferred into empowering his activity. His inward reality impacted his external performance. From where I sit, that is a good example of living empowered.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Sunday, November 5, 2017
From where I sit
Acts 13:36 is a very interesting verse of Scripture to me. It reads, "Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep and was buried with his ancestors". Think about the amazing message contained in this single verse of Scripture, and the realities it holds for us.
Have you ever considered that just like King David, we also are responsible for serving God's purpose in our own generation? That tells me you are not an accident, insignificant, or irrelevant. Rather, you have been strategically placed in this generation with the privilege of serving the awesome purposes of God.
The bible tells us the story of David. He embraced the call and fulfilled God's purpose. Same thing with Esther. Her uncle Mordecai reminded her that if she did not obey God, then he would use someone else. He also reminded her that she had come into her position for "such a time as this".
From where I sit, I see more than ever that we have come into this time and place for such a time as this. God has great plans and we must prepare ourselves to participate wholeheartedly. From where I sit, nothing else comes close to the joy and meaningfulness of serving God's purpose in our generation.
What will you do? How will you respond? From where I sit, when it's all said and done, I want it to be said of me, just like David and just like Esther, that I chose to serve the purpose of God in my generation.
Acts 13:36 is a very interesting verse of Scripture to me. It reads, "Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep and was buried with his ancestors". Think about the amazing message contained in this single verse of Scripture, and the realities it holds for us.
Have you ever considered that just like King David, we also are responsible for serving God's purpose in our own generation? That tells me you are not an accident, insignificant, or irrelevant. Rather, you have been strategically placed in this generation with the privilege of serving the awesome purposes of God.
The bible tells us the story of David. He embraced the call and fulfilled God's purpose. Same thing with Esther. Her uncle Mordecai reminded her that if she did not obey God, then he would use someone else. He also reminded her that she had come into her position for "such a time as this".
From where I sit, I see more than ever that we have come into this time and place for such a time as this. God has great plans and we must prepare ourselves to participate wholeheartedly. From where I sit, nothing else comes close to the joy and meaningfulness of serving God's purpose in our generation.
What will you do? How will you respond? From where I sit, when it's all said and done, I want it to be said of me, just like David and just like Esther, that I chose to serve the purpose of God in my generation.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
From where I sit, I see the continual need to keep the big picture in view. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind that we can sometimes lose sight of the why behind the what, or the reasons why we do what we do. Allow me to explain.
From where I sit, I see that the call of God is the most valuable thing we possess. We only get one life to live, so we want to be our best. It is a gift of paramount importance, and should be treated as such. That is why Empower NBCA School of Ministry does what we do. We are passionate about helping people to discover their call, own their call, and live their call for the glory of God.
From where I sit, the plan of God works best when we are at our best. Now we understand that God is perfect and he never changes. He is always at his best. However, he has chosen to use us as his tools to accomplish his work in the earth. As his instruments, his purposes are best served when we do our best to prepare ourselves for them. That is why we do what we do. We help prepare people to be at their best so they can give their best effort to the purposes of God.
From where I sit, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else or doing anything else. I am where I belong and doing what I love. I wish everyone could feel that way, but I realize how uncommon that really is. That is why we do what we do. We want more people to experience the joy of fulfilling their God-given purpose.
From where I sit, life is good, yet there is so much more that can be done. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). We do what we do to help others invest their lives into the greatest cause that exists. And for that, I am truly thankful. From where I sit, the best is yet to come because we are letting him bring out the best in us.
From where I sit, I see that the call of God is the most valuable thing we possess. We only get one life to live, so we want to be our best. It is a gift of paramount importance, and should be treated as such. That is why Empower NBCA School of Ministry does what we do. We are passionate about helping people to discover their call, own their call, and live their call for the glory of God.
From where I sit, the plan of God works best when we are at our best. Now we understand that God is perfect and he never changes. He is always at his best. However, he has chosen to use us as his tools to accomplish his work in the earth. As his instruments, his purposes are best served when we do our best to prepare ourselves for them. That is why we do what we do. We help prepare people to be at their best so they can give their best effort to the purposes of God.
From where I sit, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else or doing anything else. I am where I belong and doing what I love. I wish everyone could feel that way, but I realize how uncommon that really is. That is why we do what we do. We want more people to experience the joy of fulfilling their God-given purpose.
From where I sit, life is good, yet there is so much more that can be done. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). We do what we do to help others invest their lives into the greatest cause that exists. And for that, I am truly thankful. From where I sit, the best is yet to come because we are letting him bring out the best in us.
Monday, October 16, 2017
John 17:4 is one of my favorite bible verses. Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross and here we find him praying to the Father in heaven. As he starts praying he says that he has completed the work that God has given him to do. This is such an important lesson for all of us.
There is nothing as valuable as standing before God at the end of our lives, knowing that we did all that God has required of us. Nothing else compares, and I don't want anything to keep me from the joy of that moment.
That's what Empower NBCA School of Ministry is all about. We are committed to helping people find and fulfill their God-given purpose. The call of God on your life is too important to leave to chance and it's not going to happen by accident. Life is to be lived on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose.
If you are looking for a program to help you live the life that you were created for, then give us a call. In January 2018, we are launching a new evening program that could be the answer you are looking for. Let us know how we can help you complete the work God gave you to do.
John Merola
Director
Empower NBCA School of Ministry
There is nothing as valuable as standing before God at the end of our lives, knowing that we did all that God has required of us. Nothing else compares, and I don't want anything to keep me from the joy of that moment.
That's what Empower NBCA School of Ministry is all about. We are committed to helping people find and fulfill their God-given purpose. The call of God on your life is too important to leave to chance and it's not going to happen by accident. Life is to be lived on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose.
If you are looking for a program to help you live the life that you were created for, then give us a call. In January 2018, we are launching a new evening program that could be the answer you are looking for. Let us know how we can help you complete the work God gave you to do.
John Merola
Director
Empower NBCA School of Ministry
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