Living the Extraordinary Life God Wants for You

David CerulloBy David Cerullo9 Minutes

What does it look like to believe in God’s promises and expect amazing results? And is it possible to turn an ordinary, bland, unexciting life into a life full of blessings and miracles?

Perhaps you’re familiar with the story in John 2:1-11, where Jesus turned water into wine during a wedding feast in Cana. At the wedding venue were some stone water pots used by the Jews for purification purposes. The water in these pots was plain…ordinary…bland…flavorless…and completely unexciting. But as the story unfolded, Jesus performed a miracle – turning this water into sparkling, tasty, thirst-quenching wine.

This account contains some wonderful principles for discovering an extraordinary life. We all have water of some kind that needs to be transformed into wine – and this story shows us how that can happen.

Water is an essential, elemental part of life. But in this story, it also stands for the plain, the ordinary, and the bland. Wine, in contrast, has zest and distinctive flavors. Jesus said this kind of wine must be put into “new wineskins” because it needs room to expand and grow (Mark 2:22).

A Personal Assessment

Before embarking on this journey to get your excitement and zing back in life, it’s important to do a personal assessment. Take a moment to ponder what boring, bland parts of your life may be due for a transformation like this. Your job? Your ministry? Your marriage? Your relationship with the Lord?

The good news is that Jesus can turn ordinary things into something extraordinary. If you’ve lost joy in some area of your life, He can help you get it back. And if you’ve been stagnating instead of expanding and growing, your turnaround can be closer than you think.

But transformation comes with a price. Jesus’ mother told the servants at the wedding feast, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5). This is the key to every breakthrough. If you follow this profound advice and commit yourself to obeying Jesus’ instructions, your water will surely be turned into wine.

Yet this is a radical statement, isn’t it? Are you willing to do WHATEVER He tells you to do? Think about it. That’s the price of transforming your circumstances and your life.

Your Breakthrough Is at Hand

Friend, I believe your breakthrough from God is at hand today – in fact, it’s literally in your hand! Whatever turnaround you need from Him – whether in your finances, marriage, job, health, or children – the key is surrendering all of your resources into the hands of your Almighty Father and covenant partner.

That’s how ordinary things and ordinary people become extraordinary and supernatural.

Remember…

  • Samson slew hundreds of Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.
  • David defeated Goliath with a slingshot and five smooth stones.
  • Jesus used a young boy’s lunch – five loaves and two fish – to feed thousands of hungry people.

There was nothing extraordinary about the jawbone, the slingshot and stones, or the bread and fish. They only became extraordinary when they were devoted to the Lord’s purposes.

God works the same way today as He did in Bible days. He is looking for obedient, submitted people, willing to entrust Him with everything they have and everything they are.

God is not looking at who you are or what you possess. He’s looking at what He can do through you and what He can make of your life. You are simply an instrument and vessel of His supernatural power and ability.

The Lord is only dependent on Himself and His Word. He will never allow His purposes to be at the mercy of human ability, nor will He ever share His glory with anyone or anything.

So if you want the Lord’s supernatural favor, the key is clear: “The eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB).

Once you’ve fully submitted your life to God, you can confidently resist the devil, and he will have to flee from you (James 4:7). You can boldly speak the Lord’s promises over your circumstances, knowing that He’s a miracle-working God, forever faithful to His Word.

Running Out of Wine

The wedding feast “ran out of wine” (John 2:3), and perhaps that’s how you’re feeling today as well. You had hope…but it ran out. You had love…but now it seems to be gone. You had dreams…but somehow they evaporated or turned into nightmares.

At such times, it’s easy to feel frustrated or disillusioned. “I never thought life would be this way,” you complain. That’s exactly how the people at the wedding feast must have felt when they ran out of wine.

But the story isn’t over yet – and your story doesn’t have to be over either.

All you have to do is find out what Jesus is telling you to do. More often than not, He will tell you to give Him something you HAVE (like water) in order to get something you NEED (like wine). Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

So what do you have today, and what do you need? Like exchanging water for wine, whatever you give the Lord will be a wonderful exchange indeed. The entire new covenant Jesus enacted can be described as the great exchange:

Your sins for Jesus’ righteousness…your sickness for His health…your poverty for His wealth…your weakness for His strength…your sadness for His joy…your weariness for His rest.

 Everything changes when you step into a covenant life with God! However, those who taste the newly made wine in your life may well be like the master of the feast, who “did not know where it came from” (v. 9). They’ll wonder where you got such peace, joy, and zest for life even amid tough times. What a great chance to tell them about Jesus, the one who can also turn their water into wine.

If you’re older and have lived a lot of life, you may be tempted to feel that life has passed you by, and your best years are now behind you. But this story ends with some additional good news. Jesus didn’t just replace the old wine with something new; verse 10 of the story says He saved the BEST for LAST!

He can do the same for you when you do what He says and give Him what you have. That can be the first step in regaining your zest and rediscovering an extraordinary, joy-filled Christian life.

God bless you,

David Cerullo