The Gap Between

Who We Are and Who God Calls Us to Be

There's a distance between who we are and who God intends us to be. It's uncomfortable to acknowledge, but if we're honest, none of us would claim we perfectly represent what God has planned for our lives. This gap (this space between God's vision and our current reality) is where we all live. The question isn't whether the gap exists, but what we're going to do about it.

Stephen's Defining Moment

In Acts chapters 6 and 7, we encounter the story of Stephen, an early church member who serves as a powerful example of what it looks like to close that gap. Stephen wasn't an apostle or a prominent church leader. He was simply a servant, chosen to help distribute food to widows in the congregation. Yet Luke describes him as "full of faith and the Holy Spirit" and later as "full of grace and power."

When Stephen was seized and brought before the most powerful religious leaders of his day (many of the same people who had condemned Jesus) he didn't shrink back. He didn't manage his image or soften his message. Instead, he delivered a sweeping account of Israel's history, culminating in a devastating indictment: God moves, and His people reject Him. God delivers, and they voluntarily return to bondage. God sends prophets, and they cast them out. God sent His Son, and they murdered Him.

This wasn't a comfortable devotional thought or a carefully crafted blog post. This was truth spoken in the face of deadly opposition. And it cost Stephen his life.

The Decision We All Must Make

Stephen's story forces us to confront a fundamental question: How long will we waver between two opinions? Will we stand with one foot in the boat and one foot on the dock, or will we finally make a decision?

Jesus Himself addressed this in the harshest terms when He told the church in Laodicea that He would rather they be hot or cold than lukewarm. Lukewarmness, that middle ground of indecision, makes Him sick. It's the spiritual equivalent of trying to straddle a widening gap between a boat and a dock. Eventually, you're going to fall.

Here's the reality: it's impossible to be full of the Holy Spirit and full of hesitation at the same time. Stephen's character, courage, and conviction reveal three movements that can help us close the gap in our own lives.

Stop Delaying Your Obedience

Two of the most dangerous words in our spiritual vocabulary are "not yet." They sound harmless enough. "God, I know You want me to do this, but not yet. I'll do it eventually. Maybe tomorrow."

But here's the truth we need to grasp: delayed obedience is still disobedience.

When God calls us to do something, He wants us to do it when He asks. We often get caught up in our past failures, feeling like we need to go back and make everything right before we can move forward. But Jesus paid for all of that at the cross. His grace says that's forgiven. What He needs from us now is to take the next step of obedience.

If you want to start shrinking the gap in your life, do the next thing God asks you to do. It's that simple... and that challenging. Don't worry about the ten steps down the road. Just take the next one.

Stop Managing Your Image

We're all guilty of being spiritual chameleons to some degree. We reflect the atmosphere we're in. We're concerned about the image we project; using the right spiritual language, checking off the right boxes, making sure people see us reading our Bibles, praying, attending church, even serving at church.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: we're often more concerned with looking right than actually being right in the sight of God.

Stephen didn't try to manage his image. When faced with powerful accusers, he didn't soften his message to protect himself. He spoke truth regardless of the consequences.

You cannot close a gap you're committed to hiding. Whatever you protect is what you value most. If we're protecting our image more than pursuing genuine transformation, we're widening the gap, not closing it.

Decide Who or What You Fear Most

In his final moments, as an angry mob prepared to stone him, Stephen didn't recant. He didn't try to explain away what he'd said. Instead, he turned his face toward heaven and fixed his gaze on Jesus. His focus never wavered from Christ, even as the stones began to fly.

Most of our hesitation in obedience comes from fear: fear of rejection, fear of discomfort, fear of losing control. The gap in our lives is often determined by whose voice we give the most weight to. Whose opinion matters most? Whose approval are we seeking?

Whatever voice you give the most weight to determines your direction, how you live, and the decisions you make.

Boldness is never the easy choice. Neither is obedience. That's why we have to determine we're going to be obedient long before we step into situations that require it. Stephen's obedience was determined before he faced the council, because in the heat of that moment, obedience was the most costly choice he could make.

Christ as Option A (With No Other Options)

Stephen's obedience cost him everything. He became the first Christian martyr, his life cut short because he refused to compromise the truth.

Christ must be our Option A, with no other options. Surrender to Him is what shrinks the gap. Disobedience widens it. Delaying decisions widens it. Compromising His truth widens it.

The Question That Matters

So here's the question we all must answer: What is one area of your life where a gap is present? Where is the distance between who you are and who God is calling you to be?

Maybe it's in your obedience to a specific calling. Maybe it's in your authenticity; the difference between the image you project and who you really are. Maybe it's in what you fear; allowing the voices of others to drown out the voice of God.

The gap exists. The evidence is clear. Now comes the decision. Will you take the next step of obedience? Will you stop managing your image and start pursuing genuine transformation? Will you give God's voice the most weight in your life?

Stephen's story isn't ultimately about Stephen. It's about what happens when an ordinary person (a servant distributing food) decides to close the gap completely. Full of faith. Full of the Holy Spirit. Full of grace and power.

That same possibility exists for each of us today. The decision is ours.