32 Using What God Gave You

 

 

 

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 

 

 

32 Using What God Gave You

 

 

Since we find ourselves fashioned into

all these excellently formed and marvelously

functioning part in Christ's body, let's just

go ahead and be what we were made to be.

Romans 12:5

 

What you are is God's gift to you;

what you do with yourself is your gift to God.

Danish proverb

 

 

God deserves your best.

He shaped you for a purpose,

and he expects you to make the most of what you have been given.

He doesn't want you to worry about or covet abilities you don't have.

Instead he wants you to focus on talents he has given you to use.

The best use of your life is to serve God out of your shape.

To do this you must discover your shape, learn to accept and enjoy it,

and then develop it to its fullest potential.

 

 

Discover Your Shape

 

 

"Don't act thoughtlessly,

but try to find out

and do whatever the Lord wnats you to."

Ephesians 5:17

Start finding out and clarifying what God intends for you to be and do.

 

Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities.

"Try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities."

Romans 12:3b

Make a list.

Ask other people for their candid opinion.

Tell them you're serching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment.

Spiritual gifts and natural abilities are always confirmed by others.

 

Ask questions like these:

Where have I seen fruit in my life that other people confirmed?

Where have I already been successful?

In the first place, they are standardized,

so they don't take into account your uniqueness.

Second, there are no definitions of the spiritual gifts given in the Bible,

so any definitions are arbitrary and usually represent a denominational bias.

Another problem is that the more mature you become,

the more likely you are to manifest the characteristics of a number of the gifts.

You may be serving or teaching or givig generously out of maturity

rather than because it is you spiritual gift.

 

The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is

to experiment with different areas of service.

Just start serving, experimenting with different ministries,

and then you'll discover your gifts.

Until you're actually involved in serving,

you're not going to know what you're good at.

So I encourage you to try doing some things

 you've never done before.

No matter how old you are, I urge you to never stop experimenting.

 

Don't try to figure out your gifts

before volunteering to serve somewhere.

Just start serving.

You discover your gifts by getting involved in ministry.

You will never know what you're good at until you try.

When it doesn't work out, call it an "experiment," not a failure.

You will eventually learn what you're good at.

 

Consider your heart and your personality.

"Make a careful exploration of who you are

and the work you have been given,

and then sink yourself into that."

Galatians 6:4b

 

Ask yourself questions:

What do I really enjoy doing most?

When do I feel the most fully alive?

What am I doing when I lose track of time?

Do I like routine or variety?

Do I prefer serving with a team or by myself?

Am I more introverted or extroverted?

Am I more a thinker or a feeler?

Which do I enjoy more—competing or cooperating?

 

Examine your experiences

and extract the lessons you have learned.

Review your life and think about how it has shaped you.

"Remember today

what you have learned about the LORD

 through your experiences with him."

Deuteronomy 11:2

Forgotten experiences are worthless;

that's a good reason to keep a spiritual journal.

"Were all your experiences wasted?

 I hope not!"

Galatians 3:4

 

We rarely see God's good purpose in pain or failure or

embarrassment while it is happening.

"You do not realize now what I am doing,

but later you will understand."

John 13:7

Only in hindsight do we understand how God intended a problem for good.

 

I recommend that you take an entire weekend for a life review retreat,

where you pause to see

how God has worked in the various defining moments of your life

and consider how he wants to use those lessons to help others.

 

 

Accept And Enjoy Your Shape

 

 

Since God knows what's best for you,

you should greatefully accept the way he has fashioned you.

"What right have you, a human being, to cross-examine God?

The pot has no right to say to the potter:

'Why did you make me this shape?

Surely a potter can do

what he likes with the clay!"

Romans 9:20-21

 

Your shape was sovereignly determined by God for his purpose,

so you shouldn't resent it or reject it.

Instead of trying to reshape yourself to be like someone else,

you should celebrate the shape God has given only to you.

"Christ has given each of us special abilities—

whatever he wants us

to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts."

Ephesians 4:7

 

Part of accepting your shape is recognizing your limitations.

Nobody is good ant everything,

and no one is called to be everything.

We all have defined roles.

Paul understood that

his calling was not to accomplish everything or please everyone

but to focus only on the particular ministry God had shaped him for.

Galatians 2;7-8

 

"Our goal is to stay

within the boudaries of God's plan for us."

2 Corinthians 10:13

The word boudaries refers to the fact that

God assigns each of us a field or sphere of service.

Your shape determines your specialty.

Just as each runner in a race is given a different lane to run in,

we must individually

"run with patience the particular race

that God has set before us."

Hebrews 12:1

 

God wants you to enjoy using the shape he has given you.

"Be sure to do what you should,

for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction

of having done your work well,

and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else."

Galatians 6:4

 

Satan will try to steal the joy of service from you in a couple of ways:

by tempting you to compare your ministry with others,

and by tempting you to conform your ministry to the expectations of others.

Both are deadly traps that will distract you from serving in the ways God intended.

Whenever you lose your joy in ministry,

start by considering if either one of these themptations is the cause.

 

The Bible warns us never to compare ourselves with others:

"Do your own work well,

and then you will have something to be proud of.

But don't compare yourself with others."

Galatians 6:4

 

There are two reasons why you should never compare

your shape, ministry, or the results of your ministry with anyone else.

First, you will always be able to find someone

who seems to be doing a better job than you

and you will become discouraged.

Or you will always be able to find someone

who doesn't seem as effective as you

and you will get full of pride.

Either attitude will take you out of service and rob you of your joy.

 

"We do not dare to classify

or compare ourselves with some

who commend themselves.

When they measure themselves by themselves

and compare themselves with themselves,

they are not wise."

2 Corinthians 10:12

"In all this comparing

and grading and competing,

they quite miss the point."

2 Corinthians 10:12b

 

Paul often had to deal with critics

who misunderstood and maligned his service.

His response was always the same:

Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations,

and seek only God's commendation.

1 Corinthians 10:12-18

As Joh Bunyan said,

"If my life is fruitless, it doesn't matter who praises me,

and if my life is fruitful, it doesn't matter who criticizes me."

 

 

Keep Developing Your Shape

 

 

Jesus' parable of the talents illustrates that

God pxpects us to make the most of what he gives us.

We are to cultivate our gifts and abilities, keep our hearts aflame,

grown our character and personality, and broaden our experiences

so we will be increasingly more effective in our service.

Paul told the Philippians to

"keep on growing

 in your knowledge and understanding,"

Philippians 1:9

and he reminded Timothy,

"Kindle afresh the gift of God

which is in you."

2 Timothy 1:6

 

"Take the talent from him

and give it to the one who has the ten talents."

Matthew 25:28

Fail to use what you've been given and you'll lose it.

Use the ability you've got and God will increase it.

"Be sure to use the abilities

God has given you....

Put these abilities to work."

1 Timothy 4:14-15

 

Whatever gifts you have been given

can be enlarged and developed through practice.

Don't settle for a half-developed gift.

Stretch yourself and learn all you can.

"Concentrate on doing your best for God,

work you won't be ashamed of."

2 Timothy 2:15

Take advantage of every training opportunity

to develop your shape and sharpen your serving skills.

 

In heaven we are going to serve God forever.

Right now,

we can prepare for that eternal service by practicing on earth.

"They do it for a gold medal

that tarnishes and fades.

You're after one that's gold eternally."

1 Corinthians 9:25

We're getting ready for eternal responsibilities and rewards.

 

 

 

DAY THIRTY-TWO

Thinking About My Purpose

 

 Point to Ponder: God deserves my best.

 

Verse to Remember: "Do your best to present yourself to God

as one approved, a workman

who does not need to be ashamed

 and who correctly handles the word of truth."

2 Timothy 2:15

 

Question to Consider: How can I make the best use of

what God has given me?

 

 

p 249~256

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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