Like any adult, you’ve felt the blur of monotonous tasks that make it feel like you’re going everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Chores around the house, running errands, and soccer Saturdays eat up your non working hours, and the repetition week after week can make it feel meaningless sometimes. Today, I’m giving you 6 Bible verses that prove what you’re doing isn’t meaningless. Au contraire mon frère, you were chosen on purpose for a purpose with the exact role you’re playing.
CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN: EP 3
Reminder #1: This Isn’t Kickball
Think back to your elementary school days when you went to PE. Coach says it’s kickball day, and then selects two student leaders to pick teams. In this scenario you were one of four people: the elected leader, the first couple rounds picked, middle of the pack, or…the last of the crew. Ready for some good news? Being in God’s family isn’t kickball! Hallelujah!
If you have crossed the line of faith and consider yourself a follower of Christ, guess what…God chose you! He chose you to be on His team. He was always going to pick you. He wants you to be a part of something much bigger than yourself. More good news! God’s team wins. God’s team is undefeated, and He will be the winningest winner ever, and you’re a part of the team. Instead of winning kickball trophies, you win eternity with Him. That’s sounds awesome. Here are three of the 6 Bible verses that prove what you’re doing isn’t meaningless.
Scripture to Back This Up (the first three verses)
1 Peter 1:2 says, “God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.” God called you and you responded with a “yes” to following Him. Chosen!
1 Peter 2:9 says, “‘But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” He called you out of the darkness, and He calls you His! Chosen!
John 15:16 says, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” He picked you to get out there and make a difference, pointing people back to Him. Chosen!
Bonus: You were chosen on purpose for a purpose! God has a wonderful plan for you to spread the good news of the gospel. It may be through that mom group you’re in, the little league bleachers, or in your workplace coffee hub. Wherever God has placed you, that’s your cue to start chatting up Jesus and producing good fruit. Great start to our 6 Bible verses that prove what you’re doing isn’t meaningless!
Reminder #2: Think of JTB
Who the heck is JTB, a new boy band? No, but NSYNC is my favorite boy band in case you were wondering. I’m talking about John the Baptist, and he is such a great example for us to look at today. Let’s go back about 2000 years ago, when JTB’s mom, Elizabeth, found out she was pregnant (Luke chapter 1). A quick recap:
- Elizabeth was old and couldn’t have kids
- Zechariah (husband) and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes and obeyed all of God’s commands
- Angel appears to Zech and tell’s him Elizabeth will have a baby, and name him John
- John is going to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, which also happens to be his cousin, Jesus. Small world, huh?
Pause, what?! John is a surprise baby that will grow up and prepare the people for Jesus coming. This is not just a big load for old girl Elizabeth to carry, but John will have an important role in pointing people to Christ. Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful, regardless of role and circumstance, and God honored their day after day working for the Lord.
Guess what, you have an important role to point people to Christ too. You may be the person whose main occupation is being a missionary, or maybe you’re in a season of staying home and motherhood is your mission field. Wherever you are on this spectrum, all roles can and should have the main focal point of making disciples for Christ. So whether you’re John out in the mission field, or Jenny at home with a bunch of kids climbing all over her, the task is the same: point people to Christ.
Reminder #3: Live it out
Well, that’s all lovely, Brooke, but how do I actually do this as a real life human being in 2024? I’m glad you asked. We’re halfway through our 6 Bible verses that prove what you’re doing isn’t meaningless. Here are three more verses that tell you exactly how to live out your chosen identity:
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.“
Colossians 3:12-14
Don’t you just love it when God makes it obvious on what to do? I know I’m super thankful for that. Let’s break this down a bit and apply it to our lives today. Verse 12 gives us a list: tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 5 qualities, and a majority of these are also fruit of the spirit. Whew, so the more we attune ourselves to God, the fruit shall come forth: kindness, gentleness, and patience.
Tenderhearted Mercy & Humility
The word “tenderhearted” is there on purpose. Mercy is when we don’t get what we deserve. Which means, when you are wronged in some way (think backstabbing, toxic gossip, unjust action) the next step isn’t revenge or retaliation, it’s mercy. Tenderhearted mercy, not smack talking your way through a reply about how “you’re going to get yours one day!” That doesn’t really give off “come join team Jesus” vibes.
Yes, the “what goes around comes around” phrase is true, but it’s clear in the Bible that you are not the deliverer of that “comes around” part, God is. So instead of blowing up with payback, take a deep breath in, let the Lord do a work in you, and show mercy to that person. I promise it gets easier over time. I use to be a very rage-filled human. Thank God I’m not who I was 15 years ago.
As far as humility goes, we know that pride, arrogance, and a huge ego get in the way of becoming more like Jesus. The more we focus our eyes on Him, give Him the credit, and make much of Him and not ourselves, the more we’ll transition from prideful to humble. This takes intentionality. Hint: pause, pray, then act (like Jesus).
Verse 13
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Raise your hand if you’ve ever messed up before and hurt someone. Yeah, all of us. Sometimes, we have the best intentions, but our delivery is terrible. Maybe our timing or tone is off. Or, maybe the recipient isn’t handling it like you thought.
Same goes the other way. Someone has hurt us in some way. So, what do we do? We refer to what God says to do, and then we actually do it. Forgive! To drive the point home further, the verse goes on to talk about how God forgave us. If God is forgives all of His children, we should be too.
Verse 14
We’ve got a great list so far. Six attributes, soon to be seven: tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. Verse 14 says, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” The secret sauce is love, y’all. When we start with love, it sets us apart. It make those of us who have been chosen by God immediately stand out in a world where payback is not only normal, it’s encouraged. Ew.
Podcast Recap
When we take these six scriptures and apply them to our lives, it trains our brain to know, without a doubt, that we are chosen on purpose for a purpose. We can live this out in a way that is simple and reflects Christ. We can confirm our identity in Christ that He chose us, and He didn’t stop there. He gave us very clear ways in which to act in our daily lives.
Whether it’s at the grocery store, the ball field, or while you’re on your fourth coffee at work, everything you say and do can serve God and point people to Him. Walk in confidence today know that:
- This isn’t kickball: You were picked on purpose
- John the Baptist and his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, honored God in their roles
- You can live out Colossians 3:12-14 consistently, and it will automatically point people to Christ
Reflect on these 6 Bible verses that prove what you’re doing isn’t meaningless. You may be in the trenches of the newborn stage, or in the trenches of kids going through puberty. Pause, take a look around you, and see how you can leverage the monotony of diaper changes and driving kids to practice as an opportunity to show up spiritually for you and those around you. Your identity of being chosen can rest in Jesus.
Scripture Summary
We covered quite some group today! For a quick scripture summary, here are the 6 bible verses that prove what you’re doing isn’t meaningless.
- 1 Peter 1:2
- 1 Peter 2:9
- John 15:16
- Colossians 3:12-14
I am the daughter of the King. I am chosen, forgiven, redeemed. I am loved and I belong. I am bold, brave, and strong. I am seen. I’m accepted. I am able. I’m protected. Through Him I can do anything. Because I’m the daughter of the King.
Busy Christian Mom Credo, Brooke Collier
Links from the Show:
