Purpose Driven Life Day 32: Using What God Gave You

Romans 12:5

Since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be.

What you are is God's gift to you;

what you do with yourself is your gift to God. -Danish proverb-

God deserves my best!

Discover Your Shape

Ephesians 5:17

Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Start finding out and clarifying what God intends for us to be and do.
1. Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities
Take a long and honest look at what we are good at and what we're not good at.

Romans 12:3

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Make a list. Ask others for their candid opinion. If you want to know if you have the gift of leadership, just look over your shoulder! If no one is following you, you're not a leader!

Ask questions like this: Where have I seen fruit in my life that other people confirmed? Where have I already been successful?

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. We have dozens of hidden abilities and gifts we don't know we've got because we've never tried them out.

2. Consider your heart and your personality

Galatians 6:4-5

Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Questions you can ask:
1. What do I really enjoy doing most?
2. When do I feel the most fully alive?
3. What am I doing when I lose track of time?
4. Do I like routine or variety?
5. Do I prefer serving with a team or by myself?
6. Am I more introverted or extroverted?
7. Am I more a thinker or a feeler?
8. Which do I enjoy more - competing or cooperating?

3. Examine your experiences and extract the lessons you have learned
Forgotten experiences are worthless; that's a good reason to keep a spiritual journal. We rarely see God's good purpose in pain or failure or embarrassment while it is happening. Only in hindsight do we understand how God intended a problem for good.

Extracting the lessons from our experiences takes time. It is recommended that we take an entire weekend for a life review retreat, where we pause to see how God has worked in the various defining moments of our 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 us, we should gratefully accept the way He has fashioned us.

Ephesians 4:7

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

Part of accepting our shape is recognizing our limitations. Nobody is good at everything, and no one is called to be everything.

2 Corinthians 10:13

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the fields God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.

Whenever we lose our joy in ministry, start by considering if we've been comparing or conforming to others. There are 2 reasons why we should never compare with others. 
1. We will always be able to find someone better and be discouraged. 
2. We will always find someone less effective and get full of pride.

Either attitude will take us out of service and rob our joy.

2 Corinthians 10:12

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.

There are people who do not understand our shape for ministry who will criticize and try to get us to conform to what they think we should be doing. Ignore them. 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. One of the reasons Paul was used so greatly by God was that he refused to be distracted by criticism or by comparing his ministry with others.

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. - John Bunyan -

Keep Developing Your Shape
We are to cultivate our gifts and abilities, keep our hearts aflame, grow our character and personality and broaden our experiences so we will be increasingly more effective in our service.

Philippians 1:9-10

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

If you don't utilize the abilities and skills God has given, you will lose them. Whatever gifts we have been given can be enlarged and developed through practice. Don't settle for a half-developed gift. Stretch ourself and learn all we can.

2 Timothy 2:15

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.

Take advantage of every training opportunity to develop our shape and sharpen our serving skills.

1 Corinthians 9:25

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

We're getting ready for eternal responsibilities and rewards.

Points to ponder: God deserves my best.

Verse to remember: 2 Timothy 2:15
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.

Question to consider:
How can I make the best use of what God has given me?