“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” Ephesians 2:19-21 NLT
A morning this week, I was praying and preparing for this Sunday’s Part 2 message near some canoes at the Ala Wai. On my right, cars were driving in towards the golf course. On my left across the canal, a lot more cars driving down the boulevard. It was noisy, but as I was staring at the empty canoes in front of me I felt an emptiness within my soul. I was a little perplexed as to why I felt that way. And then, the thought came to me, What good are beautiful canoes sitting on the shoreline? They were picturesque, on that beautiful sunny morning. But they were empty and lifeless without the paddlers.
In preparation for Sunday’s message, I thought what good is the church and its building, if people aren’t engaged, desiring to seek and serve God’s mission? What if the canoe paddle represents a person’s gifts, passions, and desire to be used of God? Imagine if we all used our “paddles” together for God’s Kingdom purposes? WOWZAH!
Paul reminds us that we are citizens with all of God’s holy people. We are members of God’s family and TOGETHER we are His house. Together we paddle using our gifts, desires, and passions for His purpose. I believe the Lord will continue stirring our family members’ hearts to jump in and use their God-given paddles to honor Him and bless His house and mission!
