God has a purpose and a plan for everyone.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD ,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Regardless of our past, He has a plan. It doesn't matter if I am a
brand new Christ follower, or if I've been a Christian for 50 yrs.
There are no age requirements - 5 or 85 each person has a purpose
and a plan.
Only you can be you.
God designed each of us so there would be no duplication
in the world. No one has the exact same mix of factors that make you
unique. That means no one else on earth will ever be able to play
the role God planned for you.
“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus,
God made us to do good works, which God planned
in advance for us to live our lives doing.”
Ephesians 2:10
You were shaped for serving God and others
“Your hands shaped me and made me” Job 10:8
How God Shapes you for serving:
S piritual gifts
H eart/ passion
A bilities
P ersonality
E xperiences
Unwrap You Spiritual Gifts
God gives every believer spiritual gifts to serve others.
These are special God-empowered abilities for serving that are
given only to believers. (Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12, and Eph.4)
We cannot earn them or deserve them – that's why their gifts!
Your gifts are not given to you for your benefit but to benefit others.
“A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” 1 Cor. 12:7
Do you know yours?
Mine are: Teaching, Pastor, Exhorter, Leadership
We have a test for you if you need it.
Your gifts reveal one key to discovering the direction God has for you in serving others. Your S.P. Are not the total picture, there's more.
Listen to your Heart
The bible uses the term 'heart' to describe the bundle of desires,
interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. Your heart is the source of all your motivation. Proverbs 27:19 - “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.”
Your heart reveals the real you – who you truly are (some of you right
now are thinking, “Eww, that's scary) It reveals the real you,
not what others think about you, or what circumstances force you to be.
Your heart determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the
way you do, and why you act the way you do.
We all have a unique heartbeat - no ones heartbeat is the same as
anyone else's.
In the same way God has given each of us a unique “emotional” heartbeat
that just races when we think about certain subjects, or activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things
and not about others.
These are clues for us to think about where we should be serving.
Another word for heart is Passion. What are you passionate about?
What experiences capture your attention, you get really excited about?
What makes you pound the table if someone is coming from a complete
opposite direction.
These reveal the nature of your heart.
“Serve the Lord with all your heart.” Romans 1:9
This is God's design – He did this on purpose. He wants you to serve
in the areas that make your heart go “piter pater” He did that on purpose –
He wants you to serve Him passionately, not dutifully.
People rarely excel at tasks they do not enjoy.
How do I know I'm serving with all my heart?
Are you enthusiastic?
Does it motivate and challenge you? You dont need rewards or
applause b/c you love it.
Are you effective?
Are you good at it? That passion drives toward perfection.
Figure out what you love to do – what God gave you a heart to do – and then do it for His glory.
Apply your Abilities
Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with.
Some people have a natural ability with words: they came out of the womb talkin' Others have natural athletic abilities,
still others are good at mathematics, or music, or mechanics.
All of abilities come from God
Even abilities used to sin are God-given; there are just misused or abused. “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.” Romans 12:6
Every ability can be used for God
“...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31
The bible is filled with examples of different abilities that people used
to serve God and others - artistic ability, admin, baking, boat making, designing, fishing, needle work, being a soldier, the list goes on and on...
The bible says, “There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service.”
1 Cor. 12:6
God has a place for you where you 'specialties' can shine and make a difference.
When it comes to discovering God's will for our lives,
and serving Him and others, we should seriously examine what
we are good at and what were not good at.
You've got Personality
I'm not sure we always consider how truly unique each of us are –
until we start unraveling our amazing DNA structure. Your uniqueness
is a scientific fact. When God made you, He broke the mold.
There never has been, and never will be anybody exactly like you.
You are very special. I think some of you need to know that this morning
– you are very special – let that sink in.
It's obvious God likes variety – just look around you at the unique combination of personality traits.
God made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routine
and those who love variety. He made some people thinkers, and others are feelers. Some work well alone, others excel in a group project.
We all have different personality profiles. The bible gives plenty of proof that God uses all types of personalities. Peter was a Sanguine. Paul was a Choleric. Jeremiah was a Melancholy. When you look at the 12 disciples,
it's easy to see why they sometimes had interpersonal conflict. There is no right or wrong temperament – They all work in serving. Remember, God created us the way we are on purpose.
We have a personality profile test to give you if you do not know what yours is exactly. We can recommend some resources to dig deeper if you like.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14
You are wonderfully weird!
When we understand our personality temperament it helps determine
our SHAPE and direction to serve others.
Employ your Experiences
We have been shaped by our experiences in life. Most of which were
beyond our control. God allowed them for His purpose of molding us. In determining our SHAPE for serving God and others, we need to examine the experiences of our past.
Family experiences – What did you learn growing up in your family?
Educational exper. - What were your favorite subjects in school?
Vocational exper. - What jobs have you been most effective in and enjoyed most?
Spiritual exper. - What have been your most meaningful times with God?
Ministry exper. - How have you served God and others in the past?
Painful exper. - What problems, hurts, thorns, and trials have you learned from?
This involves some work on our part. It will take a bit of time,
we may rehash some things we don't, but that's okay. Let me say this, that last category, painful – that God seems to use the most to prepare us
to serve Him and others. God never wastes a hurt!
Who better to minister to the parents of a Down Syndrome child than,
... Who could better help an alcoholic recover than, ... who better to
comfort a wife whose husband has left her for an affair than, ...
God allows us to go thru painful exper. to equip us to be able to
minister to others.
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Cor. 1:4
If you really desired to be used by God, you must understand a
powerful truth: The very experiences that you have resented or regretted
most in life – the ones you've wanted to hide and forget –
are the experiences God wants to use to help others.
They are your ministry – they help determine our SHAPE.
Dont waste a single experience, use it to help others.
One more thing...
Service is the pathway to real significance
“Each of us finds our meaning & function as a part of His body.”
Rom. 12:5
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