How to Make the Most of my Abilities

In Luke 12:43 I read, “When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed.” (NCV)

I have unused abilities and at this point I’m still figuring out what they are. They may even be abilities I’ve abandoned or ignored because of life circumstances.

God gave me those abilities for a reason: He wants me to use them to serve him and others! There are three ways I can start engaging my abilities so that they are being used for good and for God’s glory.

1. Estimate my abilities by doing an assessment of them. What am I good at? Make a list. Know my strengths and weaknesses. Consider the capabilities God has given me. If I have trouble identifying my abilities, ask someone close to me for help!

2. Dedicate my abilities. “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him” (Romans 12:1 GNT). Tell God, “You gave me these abilities. Now I’m going to give them back to you. I want to use them for the purpose for which you gave them to me.”

3. Cultivate my abilities through practice, improvement, sharpening, and development. Any ability God has given me can be improved with use. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (NIV).

I get skill by practicing. I sharpen my ax and work smarter, not harder. Sharpening my abilities, my aptitudes, and my skills. It is a spiritual responsibility.

God has invested enormously in me. First, he created me. Second, he shaped me with spiritual gifts and a unique personality. Then, he sent Jesus to die for me.

God has made an incredible investment in my life! And he expects a return on the investment. He’s going to ask me one day, “What did you do with what you were given? How did you use your abilities to honor me, to serve others, to make a living, and to be an example?”

Jesus says, “When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed” (Luke 12:43 NCV).

God wants to bless my life! When God looks at me, he wants to see me using my abilities in the ways he intended so that I will experience his blessing.

In summary, when the master comes and finds me doing his work, I will be blessed. I have unused abilities and at this point I’m still figuring out what they are. God gave me those abilities for a reason: He wants me to use them to serve him and others! There are three ways I can start engaging my abilities: First, estimate my abilities by doing an assessment of them. What am I good at? Make a list. Know my strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, dedicate my abilities by offering myself as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. Tell God, You gave me these abilities. Now I’m going to give them back to you and use them for the purpose for which you gave them to me. Lastly, cultivate my abilities. Any ability God has given me can be improved with use. I get skill by practicing. I sharpen my ax and work smarter, not harder. God has invested enormously in me. He expects a return on the investment. He’s going to ask me one day, “What did you do with what you were given? How did you use your abilities to honor me, to serve others, to make a living, and to be an example?” God wants to bless my life! He wants to see me using my abilities in the ways he intended so that I will experience his blessing.

Jesus promises a reward for those who have been faithful to the Master. While I sometimes experience immediate and material rewards for my obedience to God, this is not always the case. If so, I would be tempted to boast about my achievements and only do good for what I get. Jesus said that if I look for rewards now, I will lose them later. My heavenly rewards will be the more accurate reflection of what I have done on earth, and they will be far greater than I can imagine. 

Father, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to embrace the way you’ve made, gifted and given me a passion for. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

How to Serve God Out of Delight

In Romans 12:3 I read, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (NLT)

I need to listen to my heart. While that sounds like pop culture fodder, the Bible says that’s what God wants me to do. He wants me to look at what I’m made to do in order to know what he wants me to do. But most people these days are moving so fast that they don’t have time to listen to their heart anymore.

People all over the world are speeding along with no direction. They’re in such a hurry, stressed with too much to do, and they won’t realize until it’s too late that they didn’t have to do so much.

This isn’t the plan God has for me. He wants me to slow down and listen to my heart. Romans 12:3 says, “.. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves ..” (NLT).

I need to get alone with God and ask myself these questions:

What do I love to do?

What do I dream of doing?

What fascinates me?

What can I talk about, think about, and study all day without getting bored?

Where have I been most effective in my life?

I serve God out of my design and the way he shaped me. I serve God not out of duty, force, or guilt but because I love him. Because when I do what he wired me to do, it brings glory to him.

I need to make a careful exploration of who I am and the work I’ve been given, in other words, of what God put me on earth to do. Then serve God out of delight and gratitude. That’s the way to live.

In summary, I shouldn’t think I’m better than I really am. I need to be honest in my evaluation of myself, measuring myself by the faith God has given me.The Bible says to listen to my heart about what God wants me to do. He wants me to look at what I’m made to do in order to know what he wants me to do. I need to avoid speeding along with no direction, or being in such a hurry, stressed with too much to do, that I don’t realize until it’s too late that I didn’t need to do so much. This isn’t the plan God has for me. He wants me to slow down and listen to my heart. So I need to get alone with God and ask myself: What do I love to do? Dream of doing? What fascinates me? What can I talk about, think about, and study all day without getting bored? Where have I been most effective in my life? I serve God out of my design and the way he shaped me. I serve God not out of duty, force, or guilt but because I love him. Because when I do what he wired me to do, it brings glory to him. So I need to make a careful exploration of who I am and the work I’ve been given, Then serve God out of delight and gratitude. 

Healthy self-esteem is important because I often think too little of myself; on the other hand, I need to be careful to not overestimate myself. The key to an honest and accurate self-evaluation is knowing the basis of my own self-worth, which is my identity in Christ. Apart from him, I'm not capable of very much by eternal standards; in him, I am valuable and capable of worthy service. Evaluating myself by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause me to think too much about my worth in the eyes of others and thus miss my true value in God's eyes.

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to embrace the way you’ve made, gifted and given me a passion for. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

When I Fell Brokenhearted, the Lord Is Close

In Psalm 34:18 I read, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NIV)

Everyone has had their hearts broken in some way, maybe by disappointment, fear, shame, rejection, or ridicule. God cares and He hurts with me.

What was God doing when I was weeping? He was weeping too. In fact, it is in my pain that God is closest to me, whether or not I realize it.

The Bible says in Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (NIV). How does he do this? He saves me by giving me a heart transplant. In fact, it’s his specialty.

It’s as if God says, “For the heart that’s guilty, I’ll give you a heart that’s forgiven. For the heart that’s resentful, I’ll give you a heart that’s full of peace. For the heart that’s anxious, I’ll give you a heart that’s confident. For the heart that’s lonely, I’ll give you a heart full of love. The heart that has been bitter and angry? I’ll give you a heart that is forgiving, loving, and generous instead. Let me do a heart transplant in you. I will set you free.”

Why do I need this freedom? Because, without Christ, I’m enslaved. I’m a slave to the expectations of others. I’m a slave to past memories. I’m a slave to future fears. I’m a slave to current pressure. I’m a slave to the opinions of society, and on and on and on.

But all I have to do is open my heart to Jesus Christ and give him all of it. Like David in Psalm 119:32, I can say to God, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding” (NIV).

My heart may have been broken, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Decide today to stop limiting God! He wants to do so much with my life, more than I can even imagine. Open my heart to God, and let him transplant my heart for his own.

In summary, The Lord is close and saves those who are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Everyone has had their hearts broken in some way, maybe by disappointment, fear, shame, rejection, or ridicule. God cares and He hurts with us. When we were weeping, He was weeping too. In fact, it is in my pain that God is closest to me, whether or not I realize it. The LORD saves those who are crushed in spirit. He does this by giving me a heart transplant. God says, I will set you free.” Why do I need this freedom? Because, without Christ, I’m enslaved. I’m a slave to the expectations of others. I’m a slave to past memories. I’m a slave to future fears. I’m a slave to current pressure. I’m a slave to the opinions of society, and on and on and on. But, all I have to do is open my heart to Jesus Christ and give him all of it. My heart may have been broken, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. I can decide today to stop limiting God! He wants to do so much with my life, more than I can even imagine. So I will open my heart to God, and let him transplant my heart for his own.

I often wish I could escape troubles. The pain of grief, loss, sorrow, and failure; or even the small daily frustrations that constantly wear me down. Gd promises to be "close to the brokenhearted," to be my source of power, courage, and wisdom, helping me through my problems. When trouble strikes, I shouldn't get frustrated with God. Instead, I need to admit that I need his help and then thank him for being by my side.

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to remember to turn to you with my broken heart and allow you to perform a transplant. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Letting God Focus My Passions

In Revelation 3:20 I read, “Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together.” (GW)

God gave me a heart, and he has placed in me passions, desires, and dreams. But unless they are under his control, they will be misused and abused—or lie dormant and wasted—in my life.

All around the world, millions of passionate people are misusing and abusing their interests and ambitions. And it breaks God’s heart. That’s why, in spite of their talent and passion, those people are unhappy. When my passions are misused, it makes me miserable.

I might even be thinking, “I’m not really passionate about anything right now.” This means I am disconnected from God. I cannot be connected to God and dispassionate. When I’m plugged in to God, it’s like plugging in to a power supply. I get passionate!

God is a passionate God. The only reason I have emotions is because I’m made in his image. God is emotional. God gets jealous when he sees me ignoring him for something else. God loves me with an everlasting love. And no matter what I do, he will always love me. That’s passion!

When I spend time with God on a daily basis and get plugged in to his passion, I can’t help but be passionate myself. I start to develop God’s heart for the world. I start to feel the way he does. Who I hang out with really does make a difference. When I spend time with God, I become more like him.

The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words en theos, meaning “in God.” When I get en theos, I’m going to be enthusiastic. The closer I get to God, the more energy, vitality, and passion I’ll have in life. The further away I get, the more bored and apathetic I become with life.

To get closer to God, I’ve got to open my heart to him.

“Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together” (Revelation 3:20 GW).

Jesus Christ has been standing and knocking at the door of my life for a long time. He wants to come in and help me use my passion in positive ways. But he’s a gentleman. He’s not going to bust the door down.

I’ve got to open it up.

In summary, Christ stands at my door and knocks. If I listen to his voice and open the door, he’ll come in and have fellowship with me. God has placed in me passions, desires, and dreams. But unless they are under his control, I will misuse, abuse, or allow them to lay dormant and wasted. It breaks God’s heart to see millions of passionate people misusing and abusing their interests and ambitions. That’s a key reason why those people are unhappy. When passions are misused, you become miserable. I know at times I think, “I’m not really passionate about anything right now.” This is because I am disconnected from God. I cannot be connected to God and dispassionate. When I’m plugged in to God, it’s like plugging in to a power supply. I get passionate! God gets jealous when he sees me ignoring him for something else. God loves me with an everlasting love. And no matter what I do, he will always love me. When I spend time with God on a daily basis and get plugged in to his passion, I can’t help but be passionate myself. I start to develop God’s heart for the world. I start to feel the way he does. When I spend time with God, I become more like him. The closer I get to God, the more energy, vitality, and passion I’ll have in life. The further away I get, the more bored and apathetic I become. To get closer to God, I’ve got to open my heart to him. He wants to come in and help me use my passion in positive ways. But he’s a gentleman. He’s not going to bust the door down. I’ve got to open it up.

If I'm not careful I can become complacent and not really have Christ's presence in me. The pleasures of this world can be dangerous, because their temporary satisfaction makes me indifferent to God's offer of lasting satisfaction. I need to leave the door of my heart constantly open to God. Letting him in is my only hope for lasting fulfillment. Jesus knocks at the door of my heart because he wants to save and have fellowship with me. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through, but he will never break and enter, he only knocks. He allows me to decide whether or not to open my life to him. 

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to remember to allow you in and open my life to fellowship with you. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

Four Ways to Use My Spiritual Gifts

In Romans 6:13 I read, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have a new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (NLT)

The moment I became a follower of Jesus, God gave me spiritual gifts. But how do I start using the spiritual gifts God has put inside of me? Here are four suggested ways to get started:

1. Discover my gifts.

Before I can use my gifts, I need to know what they are. Many Christians have dormant spiritual gifts inside of them. They neglect their gifts, not using them and not even knowing what they are. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:14, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you” (GNT).

How do I discover your spiritual gifts? There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, I examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what I’m good at. I can start by asking friends what gifts they see in me. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries will help me discover my gifts. 

2. Dedicate my gifts to God.

The Bible says in Romans 6:13, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (NLT).

Maybe I already know my spiritual gifts, but I’m just not using them for the Lord. I’m using them for myself. I need to humble myself and dedicate to the Lord every gift I have. Push all of my excuses out of the way, and say, “God, I dedicate back to you the gifts that you gave to me.”

3. Develop my gifts.

Gifts are like muscles: The more I use them, the bigger they get. I can and should strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given me. I get better at using a gift by practice, studying, and by learning from others who have the same gift.

The Bible says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT).

When God gives me something, he will give me even more of it if I use it well—more talent, money, influence, relationships, or responsibility. He says, “I can trust that person. I’m going to give that person more and more and more.”

4. Deploy my spiritual gifts.

“Deploy” means to put into service. I get out on the field and start doing something. Romans 12:6 says this: “We are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have” (GNT).

The best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy my spiritual gifts is in a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. That could be a small group at your church, a Sunday school class, or any small gathering of believers that meet together regularly. This way I can test and develop my spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage me.

In summary, I need to give myself completely to God, for I was dead, but now I have a new life. So use my whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. God gave me spiritual gifts. But how do I start using them  Here are four suggested ways to get started: 1. Discover them. Before I can use them, I need to know what they are. There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, I examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what I’m good at. I can start by asking friends what gifts they see in me. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries will help me discover my gifts. 2. Dedicate my gifts to God, using them for his purpose and not my own. So humble myself and dedicate to the Lord every gift I have. 3. Develop my gifts. The more I use them, the bigger they get. I need to strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given me. I get better at them by practice, studying, and by learning from others who have the same gift. He will give me even more of it if I use it well. 4. Deploy my spiritual gifts by putting them into service. I start doing something. The best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy my spiritual gifts is in a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. This way I can test and develop my spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage me.

My skills, capabilities, and body can serve many purposes, good or bad. In Christ, every part of me can be an instrument for service. It is the one to whom I offer my service that makes the difference. I need to give myself completely to God, asking him to put me to good use for his glory.

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to continue to discover my SHAPE so that I can serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.