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March 03, 2009
Dear God, what am I supposed to do
with my life?
Do you ever wish you could write a letter to God and ask Him that
question? Wouldn’t it be great to get an e-mail from heaven.com with a
very specific and direct answer from God that said, “This is what I made you to
do... and this is the place and the people that I want you to do it
with..."Of all the things that I have wrestled with in my life, this one has been the biggest. As a young Christian, I was just trying to figure out how to get to know God and how to live this new life in Christ. Later, I wanted God to use my life – I wanted to bear fruit, to make a difference in the lives of others in a way that would enhance God’s reputation and let people see who He really is and what He is really like.
I'd never heard of spiritual gifts, let alone know what mine was. I also had no idea that my spiritual gifts were one of God's primary ways of communicating to me what He wanted me to do. It only makes sense as I look back now – He supernaturally empowers us so that we are equipped to do what He has called us to do.
Though I don’t have time to get into how God calls us and how to actually discover your spiritual gifts in this blog post (we have free resources available to help you do this at LivingontheEdge.org), let me share with you why it’s so crucial to discover, develop, and deploy your spiritual gifts. If you really figure out how God has wired you and how He has gifted you, it just may change the course of your life and ministry from this point on for greater joy and impact in your life:
1. Your spiritual gift becomes the basis for making major priority decisions.
If you understand how God has supernaturally gifted you, it will begin to dictate where and how you spend your time. Countless sincere believers find themselves saying yes to every request made by others (often out of guilt) because they feel it’s “the Christian thing to do”. God does not want you to be involved in everything. He wants you to be willing to do whatever He calls you to do with a servant’s heart, but He wants the majority of your time and energy focused on developing and deploying your spiritual gifts to fulfill your Ephesians 2:10 “mission.”
Knowing your primary spiritual gift can take your focus from a spiritual flashlight to a spiritual laser beam.
In my early years as a pastor, I was unclear what my primary spiritual gift was, although I knew it had something to do with communicating. So I spent all my energy doing everything for everyone. My insecurities led me to attempt to fulfill everyone’s expectations. I did not have a sober self-assessment and it resulted in exhaustion, guilt, and ineffective ministry.
As I discovered that my primary spiritual gift centered on the communication and proclamation of God’s Word, I began to make very important priority decisions about what to do with my time. I began to block off two to three hours every morning and a complete day each week for sermon preparation. My priorities changed because I understood my primary spiritual gift; it gave me the ability and the power to say “no” to some other very good things and released me from the guilt and expectations I felt from others.
2. Your spiritual gift is an affirmation of God’s love for you.
We give gifts to people because we love them. We give them gifts at Christmas, birthdays, and some to people just because we feel like it. Gifts are evidence that someone matters to you and you want them to have something of value.
And gifts aren’t earned—they’re free. God has deposited within you a supernatural ability that He wants you to use. This gift will bring great joy to you and produce great fruit (a gift) in the lives of others. Each time you use your spiritual gift, God wants you to be reminded of how much He loves you.
3. A proper understanding of your spiritual gift keeps the work of Christ central in your heart and mind.
Ephesians 4:7-10 describes the victory of Christ over sin, death, and the devil. In quoting Psalm 68 in that passage, it is the picture of a victorious king or general sharing the spoils after returning home from battle. When you discover and deploy your spiritual gift it is to be a reminder of what Christ has accomplished for… victory over sin, death, and the devil.
Left to ourselves, we can make ministry about us, our group, our success, our growth. Spiritual gifts, properly understood, remind us that they are a gift from God that celebrate the finished work of Christ and that apart from Him, we can do nothing
If you wonder what your primary spiritual gift is and what God’s calling is on your life, then I invite you to join us on an incredible journey this March as we have designed our broadcasts and our resources at LivingontheEdge.org to help you answer these two questions:
1. What is my primary spiritual gift?
2. What is God’s calling on my life?
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Sunday, March 8, 2009 Read:
Matthew 5:13-16 TODAY IN THE WORD
We’re familiar with several uses of salt—it flavors food,
melts ice, and relieves a sore throat. You might know that it can be used to preserve
meat, smother a grease fire, and clean a kitchen cutting board. But did you
know it can help soothe a bee sting, kill poison ivy, and keep windows free of
frost? It can also be used for a number of specialty cleaning jobs. You can
even use it to test for rotten eggs: Put two teaspoons of salt in a cup of
water, then drop in the suspect egg. A rotten one floats, but a fresh one
sinks.
Obviously, salt is a versatile and highly useful substance! For about the
next two weeks, we’ll be studying what Scripture says about a healthy church’s
activities and responsibilities, both general and specific. The first of these
is to be salt and light to the world. The metaphor of “salt” (v. 13) seems to
have been used mainly to suggest salt’s properties of flavoring and
pre-serving, especially once we know that the phrase “loses its saltiness” is
elsewhere translated “has lost its taste” (ESV). This might include the
relationship the church should have with the general culture, but the emphasis
is on the uselessness of not being salt—that is, the uselessness of
being a Christian who does not actually follow Christ. Christianity without
discipleship is an absurd and empty phenomenon. The metaphor of “light” (vv. 14—16) has mainly to do with witness and righteousness. Light helps those walking in darkness see the truth (Isa. 9:2). It also represents goodness and holiness as opposed to “deeds of darkness” (John 3:19). Again, there is an emphasis on the uselessness of not giving light—a hidden lamp is of no use to anyone. What we should be doing is shining our light everywhere we can, meaning that part of our business as Christians is to do good deeds for the glory of God (Eph. 2:10).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The church must always
remember that we are a spiritual institution, not a cultural one, even though
we exist in particular times and places. That means that the church is to be
distinctive—salt and light—not simply carried along in the stream of “what
everyone else is doing.” Could you, and your church, be described as doing the
works of Christ that make you distinctive in the world? What “good deeds” are
you doing that would bring glory to your Father in heaven?
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Monday,
March 9, 2009 Read: Matthew
28:16-20 TODAY IN THE WORD
Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was a committed
promoter of missionary work during the eighteenth century. Born a nobleman, he
was inspired by German Pietists, as well as a painting of Christ wearing the crown
of thorns, to a life of Christian service. The painting contained an
inscription, “All this I did for you, what are you doing for me?” which
resonated deeply with the young count. He helped to found the Moravian church,
used his money and prestige for Christian causes, and mobilized missionaries to
go to people such as the Native Americans and places such as the West Indies .
Fulfilling the Great Commission is another core responsibility of the
church. In all likelihood Jesus taught the Great Commission repeatedly in
various forms in the days between His Resurrection and Ascension (see Mark
16:15—18; Luke 24:45—49; Acts 1:8). In all the versions, the main idea is the
same: Preach the gospel to all nations, and teach those who believe to follow
Christ. We call these inseparable activities “evangelism,” “missions,” and
“discipleship.” As in the days of the early church, they are to be done on the
basis of Christ’s authority (v. 18). In today’s reading, the Great Commission revolves around four verbs (vv. 19—20). “Go” involves movement, specifically, to follow wherever God leads even if we do not understand or agree (cf. Heb. 11:8). “Make disciples” implies that the goal of witnessing is not just to count converts but to train committed and obedient followers. “Baptizing” is a way of indicating that commitment, a solemn ceremony performed in the name of the entire Trinity (see March 13). “Teaching” shows again the centrality of the Word to the whole endeavor.
Just as the Great Commission began with Christ’s authority, it ends with His presence and by implication, His enabling power. Best of all, “to the very end of the age” means the promise is for us too!
TODAY
ALONG THE WAY
Most churches have missionaries and missions programs
that they support—are you familiar with the missions activity of your church?
Perhaps you could “adopt” one or more missionary families and keep up with
their ministry, birthdays, and family events through letters or e-mails. Or
maybe you could volunteer to help sort food or clothing to donate to needy
families. If your church has an evangelism team, they would certainly welcome
additional prayer support. There’s a way for all of us to be involved in
missions!
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In
our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that
inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage: "Surely
your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I
will live in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6 NLT).
God
is watching over you.
When King David writes, "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me," he's not saying, "Surely only good things will happen to me!"
The fact is that bad things happen to good people. What David is teaching us is that God can take bad, evil, and difficult situations and bring something good out of them.
It's one of God's great promises to us: we can know that all things are working for our good "if we love God and are fitting into his plans" (Romans 8:28 LB). If you're a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good—not that all things are good, but that they work together for good. There's no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in life that God can't ultimately turn toward good.
When you understand God's grace and mercy, there's no need to fear the future. God isn't trying to get even with you. Jesus shouldered the penalty for everything you've ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So when a bad thing happens, you don't have to think, "God's getting even with me."
Mercy, like goodness, follows us in life. Picture a parent following a little child around picking up after them; God is constantly picking up our messes.
Think about this:
Christians go toward the future, not with a question mark, but with an exclamation point. God will be with you no matter what happens. He will help you out.
God's goodness provides and protects; God's mercy pardons and forgives. God's goodness will supply; God's mercy will sooth. God's goodness will help; God's mercy will heal.
Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don't deserve. Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.
When King David writes, "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me," he's not saying, "Surely only good things will happen to me!"
The fact is that bad things happen to good people. What David is teaching us is that God can take bad, evil, and difficult situations and bring something good out of them.
It's one of God's great promises to us: we can know that all things are working for our good "if we love God and are fitting into his plans" (Romans 8:28 LB). If you're a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good—not that all things are good, but that they work together for good. There's no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in life that God can't ultimately turn toward good.
When you understand God's grace and mercy, there's no need to fear the future. God isn't trying to get even with you. Jesus shouldered the penalty for everything you've ever done wrong or will do wrong. He paid for it on the cross. So when a bad thing happens, you don't have to think, "God's getting even with me."
Mercy, like goodness, follows us in life. Picture a parent following a little child around picking up after them; God is constantly picking up our messes.
Think about this:
Christians go toward the future, not with a question mark, but with an exclamation point. God will be with you no matter what happens. He will help you out.
God's goodness provides and protects; God's mercy pardons and forgives. God's goodness will supply; God's mercy will sooth. God's goodness will help; God's mercy will heal.
Goodness is the fact that God gives us good things in life that we don't deserve. Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we deserve.
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Email Devotional - Tuesday March 10, 2009
Today's devotional for Jeanne TENSE COMMUNICATION
When you find yourself in a relationship,
whether at home or at work that is charged with tension, ask God into the
situation. Prayer does change things!
God will give you the wisdom you need to make
changes in tense relationships. His Word reveals practical insight. The
communication cycle starts in your heart. You can only change yourself yet that
change will very often foster changes in the relationships around you.
Recognize that the overflow of your mouth
comes from the attitude of your heart.
"Out of the overflow of the heart the
mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45b).
- Ask God to give you a desire to change the
attitude of your heart toward the person you are in tense communication with.
Ask Him to help you see that person through His eyes. Ask Him for a kind heart.
- Ask God to first meet the needs of your
heart. Past hurts buried there often become the filters we put the words of
others through. Recognize what is true about yourself and what is not. Ask God
to give you clarity of understanding. Ask Him to begin the healing process of
the deep hurts that may have become your filters.
- Ask God to give you a willingness to change
in spite of all the justification of your own heart to respond negatively.
God, You know the tense cycle that exists in
my communication in this relationship. I know that it takes two to work this
out yet I know I can only work on change in me. Help me to examine my heart and
allow You to touch me and begin to heal me. Give me a new attitude and the
power of Your Holy Spirit to respond differently. I need You Lord and I thank
you for caring enough to help me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Questions: Which relationships that you're in
could use God's intervention?
Would you like us to pray with you about
them?
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Read:
Philippians 4:10-20 TODAY IN THE WORD
The sweet smell of success, in the form of the 2004 Nobel
Prize for medicine, rewarded the work of American researchers Richard Axel and
Linda Buck. In 1991, they mapped out how the human sense of smell works,
finding a family of proteins that enables the nose to recognize odors and the
brain to sense and remember smells even when they are no longer present. When a
smell enters a nose and activates an odor receptor, the brain creates a memory
of the event. People can remember about 10,000 different odors, according to
the research. Axel and Buck were the first scientists to explain how the sense
of smell works physiologically.
In today’s reading, the sweet smell of worship is pleasing to the Lord.
Using imagery from the Old Testament sacrifices, the Philippians’ worship is
said to be “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”
What was this worship? An enthusiastic praise-and-worship service? A citywide
revival? No. Paul was referring to missionary support gifts he had received
from the Philippian church’s representative, Epaphroditus. So the worship was
money? Not exactly. Paul was highlighting the long-distance partnership for
missions he had formed with the believers in Today, money still matters (cf. 1 Tim. 5:17—18). We send financial support to missionaries and pay salaries to pastors, showing congregational care for those who have given their lives to vocational ministry. This is done not as a cold wages-for-services contract, but rather on the basis of a relationship that testifies that ministry is in a larger sense being done not by individuals but by the entire body of Christ. In the passage, this is also demonstrated in the sending of Epaphroditus, a personal connection with the distant local church (see 2:25—30).
TODAY
ALONG THE WAY
Caring financially and in other
practical ways for those in ministry is one of the church’s core
responsibilities. How is your church or denomination doing in this area? Some
churches keep their pastors on “starvation wages,” reasoning that generous pay
is worldly rather than understanding that it can be very godly. After all, Paul
said he’d been content both in need and with plenty (v. 12). Be generous
to your pastor in whatever ways you can, including prayer, encouragement, and
financial support.
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