I have been teaching on Spiritual Gifts for many years. Recently I taught a three part lesson on this topic to my bible study group and God gave me a wonderful, fresh new take on this subject. After all these years of teaching and studying Spiritual Gifts, I have finally found a way to visually help us grasp ahold of where to focus and place our priorities when following hard after the Lord and using our gifts. I hope it is as helpful to you as it has been for me.
First let's look at some scripture:
S - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. - 1 Peter 4:10
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. Romans 12:4
O - If you have studied anything about Spiritual Gifts, you know that these are not "talents" or "hobbies" or interests. The scripture says that Spiritual Gifts are used for serving others and to share God's grace. But this doesn't just mean go out and feed the homeless or help build a house for a veteran. Serving in some capacity to help others is what we are ALL called to do, YES. Using your Spiritual Gifts is more than that and goes a step beyond.
At the point of salvation, when you accept Christ, you are acknowledging that you have messed up, that you cannot do life on your own, that you cannot save yourself, that you recognize that Jesus gave His life for yours and the debt has been paid. When you accept THIS gift, the greatest of ALL gifts, then the Holy Spirit enters the picture and indwells with you for all eternity as you live your life on earth. Our ONLY purpose is truly to serve the Lord as a response to what we have been given. It does not come from a place of obligation but of GRATITUDE for the life you have been given. (2 Cor. 9:6-8) It is up to us, with God's help, to direct others in His direction. Our Spiritual Gifts are the "tools" that we have been given to do that. To commune with and serve the Lord God Almighty is what we were created for so let's not waste it.
Does this mean it could be while you are working at your vocation or hobby? Yes. Does this mean if you are a student you could be using them while going to school and working some hourly wage job? Yes. Does this mean you could use your gifts while being a stay home mom, raising kids and volunteering? ABSOLUTELY. It says we use them as faithful stewards. So whatever we have been given, we need to be wise in how we use it, relying on HIS guidance and direction.
As faithful stewards, that means that if we are the "toe" in the body of Christ, and we try to act like the "elbow" then we will continually fail at what we are trying to accomplish and be frustrated, disappointed, and unfulfilled. We will go through life continuing to search for our purpose and our "calling". Not necessarily right away, but maybe after a time. So if you have taken some time to discover and be prayerful about your Spiritual Gifts, but aren't feeling fulfilled, chances are you are not using them in the right area. The scripture says we make "one body" and if the "toe" is not working right, the body of Christ could be limping a little :) Sometimes this just means you are working with kids when you should be working with adults. Or maybe you are working with the wrong people/personalities. There are many reasons why you could feel things are not working right so instead of praying about a specific request, maybe it's time to ask God to show you and be open to listening for His direction.
God in His infinite wisdom, in reality, will find a way to accomplish His purposes for He will use those that are making themselves available for His service. Sometimes certain parts of the body may feel as if they have been amputated. It is time to see a surgeon to get re-attached and the great surgeon of course is Christ! After all, it says that we belong to all the others and just because we may feel lost or disconnected does not mean that we stop "belonging". We can be reconnected!!! Glory to God!!! Unlike a toe that has been frostbitten, that may be cut off, God restores in every way when we rely on Him. NOTHING is impossible for God!
A - So how does this apply to YOU? Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I know my top 4-5 Spiritual Gifts?
2. Am I using them?
3. Am I fulfilled while using them?
If you do know them, GREAT! Let's put them to work. If you haven't put them to work yet, consider what gets your heart racing and look for how you can use your Spiritual Gifts in that area. If you are putting them to work but feel like you're going 90 miles an hour, maybe it's time to take a step back.
That's what happened for me 7 years ago and now I can say that I have found a way to say "no" and not feel guilty (I am someone that likes to say YES). Here's what I do...I discovered all of my spiritual gifts and ranked them in order. There are about 4 that are at the top of my list, then another small cluster, and then the bottom group. I divided this up based on looking at the scores of the assessment and finding the natural break in numbers...looking at which ones were closest together. Gifts are never used alone but always with another gift and sometimes, you use one of your top gifts in combination with a secondary gift so it's important to look at both of these categories.
Here is a visual that God gave to me one day that I find helpful in focusing on what I say yes to and what I need to say no to:
Your bottom group of gifts, those go in your back pocket. You do not usually notice what is there in your back pocket until you need what's in there. So leave those alone...don't look at them, think about them or give them any of your attention. Out of sight, out of mind. These are probably not really your gifts...they are low numbers for you but are usually things that we are ALL called to in service. If Hospitality is in your back pocket for example, like it is for me, then the only time you pull it out is when a need arises - I only use this gift a few times a year when they need people to serve hotdogs at our church's Fall Festival, a community outreach, or on Christmas Eve when they need someone to serve cookies. I don't need to feel guilty that I am not on the meals team, making and bringing meals to people all the time. Yes, I need to help when a friend is in need because this is what is asked of ALL of us, but this is not a gift that I should be giving all my time and attention to on a regular basis. I should not be volunteering to be a coordinator for something in hospitality, like a serve team or for a big event. That's just me. Think about what this might be for you.
Your middle group of gifts, those go in your front pants pocket. You can slip your hand in there and pull them out as needed. They are easily accessible and ready to use in partnership with your top group...kind of like a "side kick" in a super hero movie. In my middle group is Intercessory Prayer and I pull it out in partnership often with my top gifts of Encouragement, Faith, or Teaching. It is in complement to where God desires for me to give my main focus, so I pray with friends and those in my bible study group as requested. I do serve on the Altar Prayer Team monthly but other than that I am not called to be a major part of the prayer ministry. Think about what this might be for you.
Your top group of gifts go in your shirt pocket...you know that little pocket you might put a pen in close to your heart? These are the gifts you keep close to your heart and are indicators of where you should be spending your time. I pull these out weekly if not daily. I volunteer for things where I can use my gifts of Teaching and Faith primarily as a small group and discipleship leader on a regular basis. If it is not a ministry where I will be using my primary gifts weekly, I say no to committing to that ministry. I am not always perfect at that and I have had to sometimes bail on commitments I've made for various reasons but this generally works for me as a guide for where to serve. Think about what this might be for you.
There is no substitute for prayer. You cannot make decisions on how to use your Spiritual Gifts without prayer...you just can't. Oh you will try. You will say yes to things because they sound fun, or someone "needs" you, or your friends are doing it, or maybe you don't know your gifts yet so you're trying things out. That's ok. But if you aren't praying about what GOD wants you to do, even if it's a GOOD thing, then chances are great that you will end up either burned out, having to get out of your commitment, or delaying the blessings that God has in store for you. God WILL bless you when you are serving in the right area. I'm not talking about monetary blessings...I'm talking spiritual blessings. When you are within HIS will, it always works out...even if it's challenging or patience is required. It ALWAYS works out in HIS time when we are seeking Him. That's a promise I can make.
If you would like to take a Spiritual Gifts assessment, here is one that I have used that is easy to take and is an easy starting point. There are others out there and God may build up in you a stagnant gift for a time so be open to retaking an assessment again to continually rediscover how God is going to use you at different stages in life.
Spiritual Gifts Assessment
Finally, I think a discussion on Spiritual Gifts is very relevant at this time of year, when we are shopping and gift giving and making our wish lists. Let us all remember the greatest gift is Jesus and the gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit, in our Spiritual Gifts, are to be used and not wasted. Don't let fear or other obstacles get in the way of what God is calling you to do. Don't wait another day to BLESS someone and help them know the living Lord by using YOUR gifts.
P - My prayer today is for all those that know you to be encouraged to seek out a knowledge of their Spiritual Gifts and to be strengthened to use them. Help all of us Lord to be courageous, even when it's hard, to follow YOUR will and to be in prayer continually about what that means in our own lives. Open our ears to hear. May we be slow to speak and quick to listen. May we have the courage to say no to good things when it means we can say YES to the best things. I thank you Lord for your word that equips us and empowers us to know you more. And I thank you for your son Jesus who is the ultimate gift...may we always be grateful with our purposeful service. Amen.
Showing posts with label priorities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label priorities. Show all posts
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Maintaining Priorities
I have been praying about how I can be a good steward of my time and stay in line with my priorities, which are really God's priorities for my life. It is becoming a repeated message that I need to stay diligent in "saying no to the good so I can say YES to the best". I struggle with saying no when there are so many things, including GOOD things that I want to do, not just for my own self-fulfillment but also to do what I believe is God's work. I LOVE variety and trying different things and I enjoy being "busy" because this helps to keep me actually more focused and motivated than when I have extra time on my hands. There is a healthy balance I must maintain as well, of scheduling everything I'm doing and being overly scheduled. The last 2 weeks have shown me that when I get out of balance, I become a good steward of NOTHING!
I was reminded in my scripture reading this morning from Genesis 2:2-3 that God rested after creating everything and that this was not just about taking a physical break from work, but about having time for actual mental rest as well. I find it so interesting that God ALWAYS gives me the right scripture when there is something that I need to work on! Hmmmm...how does He do that? Maybe I should listen more often??
During our mental rest is when we can hear God's voice. Sometimes I think we think we have to fill this time with talking to God because we feel guilty that we don't do that enough. But have you ever thought about how you HEAR from God? I think about it all the time and yet I struggle so much with having QUIET time...especially in my house with 2 teens, a 5th grade boy, a busy husband, and 3 dogs, some fish and a lizard. Now the fish and lizard don't really make any noise so they are off the hook. But we have a busy household and I recently moved my "office" back into the corner of my bedroom so that I can remove myself at times from the activity of the house at any time and not just early in the morning or late at night. I can go away when needed and close the door. It doesn't always cut out all the noise but it does help me to focus on what I need to focus on which is not just quiet time, but doing my other work in a timely manner so that I CAN make time for my quiet time at other times of the day.
And I absolutely LOVE hearing from God. When He speaks to me, it is not auditory, it is like it is coming from deep within. It is like what John Wesley spoke of when talking about being "strangely warm"...like a peace comes over me and I KNOW without a doubt that it is God. Other times I hear "voices" (um, yeah, I do, but no I'm not crazy!) and I am unsure who's voice it is and therefore I know that this is of the world, or of my own agenda, or of Satan, the enemy. When I am not sure, this just means I need more time in the quiet asking God to reveal His voice to me that I might hear Him LOUD AND CLEAR!
With all that said, I am evaluating which activities God wants for me to make priority and I have made the decision, (even though I am disappointed about it) that I must put my blog writing aside. The original purpose was to inspire others to read the Bible and to share some of the insights that I am gaining from my own reading. I cannot focus both on doing my OWN SOAP devotionals, AND all the other things I am doing, AND make my family priority, while continuing to make updating this blog a priority. It is something I love and if I am honest it is something I really do for myself and my own fulfillment. I love when I get feedback about how something I have written has blessed someone, but I can't really justify making it priority when only a few people are reading it and my focus is on how the feedback fulfills ME. I think I will maintain it periodically as the Lord prompts me to have something to share from my own SOAP devotionals, but my priorities must be maintained and here are just some of the other activities that I will continue to be doing instead:
Global Media Outreach online missionary - answer emails with those that are searching for God and a how to have a relationship with the Christ; in addition, I will be providing support as a community leader to other missionaries as they do the same.
Small group bible study leader for 11th grade girls at my church - this includes preparing my weekly lesson, maintaining administrative activities, praying for my girls, communicating with my Co-leader, texting and facebooking my girls to keep up with their lives and keep them informed, and meeting with my group weekly.
Moms In Touch prayer leader - prepare weekly prayer sheet, communicating with other moms, and meet to pray for our kids and school; periodically do "words and deeds" for our school to let them know we are praying
Ministry consultant - provide my services to small churches to help them firm up a foundation in areas of ministry where they might struggle (children's, youth, adult, women's ministry, etc.) primarily serving as an outside resource to provide prayer, guidance, and training for lay and paid staff within the church
This is in addition to my regular job as a part-time music teacher, running my CM business, maintaining my kid's schedules, helping them with homework, and all the other things I do as a wife and mom...the list is long, but very much a priority. And I am having to cut out a few other things in my life as well...I am keeping a "Doing and eating" journal this week to evaluate where I am spending my time and what I am eating (another area that I am working on :)
So it is with sadness that I will not say "good-bye" but "see you later" until a time when God says it is time to pick it up again.
Be Blessed!
I was reminded in my scripture reading this morning from Genesis 2:2-3 that God rested after creating everything and that this was not just about taking a physical break from work, but about having time for actual mental rest as well. I find it so interesting that God ALWAYS gives me the right scripture when there is something that I need to work on! Hmmmm...how does He do that? Maybe I should listen more often??
During our mental rest is when we can hear God's voice. Sometimes I think we think we have to fill this time with talking to God because we feel guilty that we don't do that enough. But have you ever thought about how you HEAR from God? I think about it all the time and yet I struggle so much with having QUIET time...especially in my house with 2 teens, a 5th grade boy, a busy husband, and 3 dogs, some fish and a lizard. Now the fish and lizard don't really make any noise so they are off the hook. But we have a busy household and I recently moved my "office" back into the corner of my bedroom so that I can remove myself at times from the activity of the house at any time and not just early in the morning or late at night. I can go away when needed and close the door. It doesn't always cut out all the noise but it does help me to focus on what I need to focus on which is not just quiet time, but doing my other work in a timely manner so that I CAN make time for my quiet time at other times of the day.
And I absolutely LOVE hearing from God. When He speaks to me, it is not auditory, it is like it is coming from deep within. It is like what John Wesley spoke of when talking about being "strangely warm"...like a peace comes over me and I KNOW without a doubt that it is God. Other times I hear "voices" (um, yeah, I do, but no I'm not crazy!) and I am unsure who's voice it is and therefore I know that this is of the world, or of my own agenda, or of Satan, the enemy. When I am not sure, this just means I need more time in the quiet asking God to reveal His voice to me that I might hear Him LOUD AND CLEAR!
With all that said, I am evaluating which activities God wants for me to make priority and I have made the decision, (even though I am disappointed about it) that I must put my blog writing aside. The original purpose was to inspire others to read the Bible and to share some of the insights that I am gaining from my own reading. I cannot focus both on doing my OWN SOAP devotionals, AND all the other things I am doing, AND make my family priority, while continuing to make updating this blog a priority. It is something I love and if I am honest it is something I really do for myself and my own fulfillment. I love when I get feedback about how something I have written has blessed someone, but I can't really justify making it priority when only a few people are reading it and my focus is on how the feedback fulfills ME. I think I will maintain it periodically as the Lord prompts me to have something to share from my own SOAP devotionals, but my priorities must be maintained and here are just some of the other activities that I will continue to be doing instead:
Global Media Outreach online missionary - answer emails with those that are searching for God and a how to have a relationship with the Christ; in addition, I will be providing support as a community leader to other missionaries as they do the same.
Small group bible study leader for 11th grade girls at my church - this includes preparing my weekly lesson, maintaining administrative activities, praying for my girls, communicating with my Co-leader, texting and facebooking my girls to keep up with their lives and keep them informed, and meeting with my group weekly.
Moms In Touch prayer leader - prepare weekly prayer sheet, communicating with other moms, and meet to pray for our kids and school; periodically do "words and deeds" for our school to let them know we are praying
Ministry consultant - provide my services to small churches to help them firm up a foundation in areas of ministry where they might struggle (children's, youth, adult, women's ministry, etc.) primarily serving as an outside resource to provide prayer, guidance, and training for lay and paid staff within the church
This is in addition to my regular job as a part-time music teacher, running my CM business, maintaining my kid's schedules, helping them with homework, and all the other things I do as a wife and mom...the list is long, but very much a priority. And I am having to cut out a few other things in my life as well...I am keeping a "Doing and eating" journal this week to evaluate where I am spending my time and what I am eating (another area that I am working on :)
So it is with sadness that I will not say "good-bye" but "see you later" until a time when God says it is time to pick it up again.
Be Blessed!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
You are God alone
Here is my 2nd post for this week. Be sure to read the other one posted today, FIRST.
This is my SOAP devotional for Feb. 26th.
S - Exodus 20:3-6
" 3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments."
O - There is a lot to talk about here. God asks us to make Him the ONLY God in our life and in our hearts. Some would say that's easy but in reality there are many things that we make into a "god" because it is a priority, but we don't define it as a god. He uses the word "jealous" to describe how He feels towards us and relationship. Why is it jealousy? Because God knows us and created us, and we cannot divide our hearts and be faithful to more than one God. It isn't humanly possible to give our devotion to multiple things. God has a passionate desire to be intimate with us and help us experience true joy in a life committed to Him, therefore He is "jealous" for what we could have and what is possible when we don't choose to make HIM first. This jealousy cannot be defined as it is in human terms, stemming from envy or greed or insecurity. All the more reason why we must read ALL of God's word to understand the context of His character. His jealousy is one that stems from a desire to love us and give us His best. Because of His good nature, He cannot tolerate what is the complete opposite of who He is and therefore it grieves Him to be separated from us...this is where the "jealousy" comes from.
A - I remember an interview where Oprah said that this is something from the bible that bothered her greatly as a child...she did not understand how a loving God could be jealous and therefore, she had spent her whole life trying to understand "who God is". She has since proceeded to try to define God for millions and generated more confusion in the process. The Bible is clear if we read it as a whole. I am to put God first EVERY day ahead of my husband, my children, my worries, my family and friends, my personal aspiration and even my "ministry." Time and devotion to HIM should be my first priority. WHY? For when I put Him first I will experience true joy and be blessed in all my relationships. God's jealousy for me is a blessing because He wants me all to Himself. He does not want the enemy to take a hold of me and thereby being separated from me forever. His love for me is so great that He can't imagine losing me...He would do anything to have me with Him forever. Because He is eternal and transcends time, my only time with Him is in the spiritual realm and therefore, how else would I be in intimate relationship with Him other than prayer and studying His word. Putting time with Him first in my life allows Him to work in and through my life to bless me and many others.
P - You are God alone. I worship you with my daily choices to seek your will and walk in your ways. I know I will stumble and so I ask that you pick me up and remind me who I belong to and who I serve. I am THANKFUL that you are jealous enough for me that you do not want to let the enemy have me and you even sacrificed your son to save me. You are the Lord Almighty!! Amen.
This is my SOAP devotional for Feb. 26th.
S - Exodus 20:3-6
" 3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments."
O - There is a lot to talk about here. God asks us to make Him the ONLY God in our life and in our hearts. Some would say that's easy but in reality there are many things that we make into a "god" because it is a priority, but we don't define it as a god. He uses the word "jealous" to describe how He feels towards us and relationship. Why is it jealousy? Because God knows us and created us, and we cannot divide our hearts and be faithful to more than one God. It isn't humanly possible to give our devotion to multiple things. God has a passionate desire to be intimate with us and help us experience true joy in a life committed to Him, therefore He is "jealous" for what we could have and what is possible when we don't choose to make HIM first. This jealousy cannot be defined as it is in human terms, stemming from envy or greed or insecurity. All the more reason why we must read ALL of God's word to understand the context of His character. His jealousy is one that stems from a desire to love us and give us His best. Because of His good nature, He cannot tolerate what is the complete opposite of who He is and therefore it grieves Him to be separated from us...this is where the "jealousy" comes from.
A - I remember an interview where Oprah said that this is something from the bible that bothered her greatly as a child...she did not understand how a loving God could be jealous and therefore, she had spent her whole life trying to understand "who God is". She has since proceeded to try to define God for millions and generated more confusion in the process. The Bible is clear if we read it as a whole. I am to put God first EVERY day ahead of my husband, my children, my worries, my family and friends, my personal aspiration and even my "ministry." Time and devotion to HIM should be my first priority. WHY? For when I put Him first I will experience true joy and be blessed in all my relationships. God's jealousy for me is a blessing because He wants me all to Himself. He does not want the enemy to take a hold of me and thereby being separated from me forever. His love for me is so great that He can't imagine losing me...He would do anything to have me with Him forever. Because He is eternal and transcends time, my only time with Him is in the spiritual realm and therefore, how else would I be in intimate relationship with Him other than prayer and studying His word. Putting time with Him first in my life allows Him to work in and through my life to bless me and many others.
P - You are God alone. I worship you with my daily choices to seek your will and walk in your ways. I know I will stumble and so I ask that you pick me up and remind me who I belong to and who I serve. I am THANKFUL that you are jealous enough for me that you do not want to let the enemy have me and you even sacrificed your son to save me. You are the Lord Almighty!! Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)