31 Understanding Your Shape

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 4

 

 

You Were Shaped For Serving God

 

 

We are simply God's servants.... Each one of

us does the work which the Lord gave him to do:

I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant,

but it was God who made the plant grow.

1 Corinthians 3:5-6 

 

 

31 Understanding Your Shape

 

 

You shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:13

 

Only you can be you.

God designed each of us so there would be no duplication in the world.

"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts...

different ways of serving...

[and] different abilities to perform service."

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

In the last chapter we looked at the first two of these:

your spiritual gifts and your heart.

Now we will look at the rest of your SHAPE for seving God.

 

 

SHAPE: Applying Your Abilities

 

 

Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with.

When God wanted to create the Tabernacle and all the utensils for worship,

he provided artists and craftsmen who were shaped with the

"skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts

 to make artistic designs...

and the engage in all kinds of craftsmanship."

Exodus 31:3-5

Today God bestows these abilities and thousands of others,

so pelple can serve him.

 

All of our abilities come from God.

"God has given each of us the ability

to do certain things well."

Romans 12:6a

Since your natural abilities are from God,

they are just as important and as "spiritual" as your spiritual gifts.

You have dozens, probably hundreds, of untapped, unrecognized,

and unused abilities that are lying dormant inside you.

 

You are a bundle of incredible abilities,

an amazing creation of God.

Part of the church's responsibility is to identify

and release your abilities for serving God.

 

Every ability can be used for God's glory.

"Whatever you do,

do it all for the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

"There are different abilities to perform service,

but the same God gives ability

to all for their particular service."

1 Corinthians 12:6

God has a place in his church

where your specialties can shine and you can make a difference.

It's up to you to find that place.

 

"Remember, the Lord your God,

for it is he who gives you the ability

to produce wealth."

Deuteronomy 8:18

If you have this business ability,

you should be using it for God's glory.

How?

First, realize your ability came from God and give him the credit.

Second, use your business to serve a need of others

and to share your faith with unbelievers.

Third, return at least a tithe (10 percent) of the profit to God

as an act of worship.

Deuteronomy 14:23; Malachi 3:8-11

Finally, make your goal to be a Kingdom Builder

rather than just a Wealth Builder.

I will explain this in chapter 34.

 

What I'm able to do, God wants me to do.

The Bible says that God equips you

"with all you need for doing his will."

Hebrews 13:21

To discover God's will for your life, you should seriously examine

what you are good at doing and what you're not good at.

God doesn't waste abilities;

he matches our calling and our capabilities.

 

"God has given each of you some special abilities;

be sure to use them to help each other,

passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings."

1 Peter 4:10

New members are told,

"Whatever you're good at, you should be doing for your church!"

 

 

SHAPE: Using Your Personality

 

 

We don't realize how truly unique each of us is.

Your uniqueness is a scientific fact of life.

When God made you, he broke the mold.

There never has been, and never will be, anybody exactly like you.

God made introverts and extroverts.

He made people who love routine and those who love variety.

He made some people "thinkers" and others "feelers."

 

"God works through different people in different ways,

but it is the same God

 who achieves his purpose through them all."

1 Corinthians 12:6

Your personality will affect how and where

you use your spiritual gifts and abilities.

You can learn from the examples of others,

but you must filter what you learn through your own shape.

 

Like stained glass, our different personalities

reflect God's light in many colors and patterns.

This blesses the family of God with depth and variety.

It also blesses us personally.

It feels good to do what God made you to do.

When you minister in a manner consistent with the personality God gave you,

you experience fulfillment, satisfaction, and fruitfulness.

 

 

SHAPE: Employing Your Experiences

 

 

You have been shaped by your experiences in life,

most of which were beyound your control.

God allowed them for his purpose of molding you.

Romans 8:28-29

In determining your shape for serving God,

you should examine at least six kinds of experiences from your past:

 

 

 Family experiences:        

What did you learn growing up in your family?

 

 Educational experiences:

What were your favorite subjects in school?

 

 Vocational experiences:  

What jobs have you been most effective in and enjoyed most?

 

 Spiritual experiences:     

What have been your most meaningful times with God?

 

 Ministry experiences:     

How have you served God in the past?

 

 Painful experiences:      

What problems, hurts, thorns, and trials have you learned from?

 

 

It is this last category, painful experiences,

 that God uses the most to prepare you for ministry.

God never wastes a hurt!

In fact, your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt.

God intentionally allows you to go through painful experiences

to equip you for ministry to others.

 

"He comforts us in all our troubles

so that we can comfort others.

When others are troubled,

we will be able to give them

the same comfort God has given us."

2 Corinthians 1:4

If you really desire to be used by God,

you must understand a powerful truth:

The very experiences that you have resented or regretted most in life—

the ones you've wanted to hide and forget—

are the experiences God wants to use to help others.

They are your ministry!

 

For God to use your painful experiences,

you must be willing to share them.

You have to stop covering them up,

and you must honestly admit your faults, failures, and fears.

Doing this will probably be your most effective ministry.

 

Paul understood this truth,

so he was honest about his bouts with depression.

He admitted,

 "I think you ought to know, dear brothers,

about the hard time we went through in Asia.

We were really crushed and overshelmed,

and feared we would never live through it.

We felt we were doomed to die and saw

how powerless we were to help ourselves;

but that was good, for then

we put everything into the hands of God,

who alone could save us,

for he can even raise the dead.

And he did help us and saved us form a terrible death;

yes, and we expect him to do it again and again."

2 Corinthians 1:8-10

 

If Paul had kept his experience of doubt and depression a secret,

millions of people would never have benefited from it.

Only shared experiences can help others.

Aldous Huxley said,

"Experience is not what happens to you.

It is what you do with what happens to you."

What will you do with what you've been through?

Don't waste your pain; use it to help others.

 

As we've looked at these five ways God has shaped you for service,

I hope you have a deeper appreciation for God's sovereignty

and a clearer idea of how he has prepared you for the purpose of serving him.

Using your shape is the secret of both fruitfulness and fulfillment in ministry.

 

You will be most effective when you use your spiritual gifts and abilities

in the area of your heart's desire,

and in a way that best expresses your personality and experiences.

The better the fit, the more successful you will be.

 

 

 

 

 

DAY THIRTY-ONE

Thinking About My Purpose

 

 Point to Ponder: Nobody else can be me.

 

Verse to Remember: "God has given each of you some special abilities;

be sure to use them to help each other,

passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings."

1 Peter 4:10

 

Question to Consider: What God-given ability or

personal experience can I offer to my church?

 

 

p 240~248

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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