“The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me – to tell people the Good News about God's grace.” (Acts 20:24 NCV)
God gave you a unique role to play in his Kingdom.
You’re the only person in the world who can live your particular life for the glory of God. There is no one else in the world with your unique mix of spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences. God shaped you for a very specific ministry, and no one else can fulfill your mission.
Paul writes: “The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me – to tell people the Good News about God's grace” (Acts 20:24 NCV). God doesn’t want us to waste a precious minute of our lives doing things that don’t matter – if the most important thing we can do is left undone.
It’s never too late to move faithfully into your mission for God. You may think you don’t have any skills God can use, but the truth is God would never send you on a mission without making sure you had everything you needed – including your unique S.H.A.P.E.
He sends you with his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, inside you to guide you.
What does this mean?
· Let’s not waste God’s grace – The apostle Paul writes, “But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I'm not about to let his grace go to waste. Haven't I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn't amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it.” (1 Corinthians 15:10 MSG)
· What if it’s true? – How would you live differently if you really believed God had created you for a unique mission, one that only you could accomplish?
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Pastor Jon Walker is a writer for www.GraceCreates.com.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Obeying God
Peter was a professional fisherman. He knew how to gauge weather conditions, where to find the best places to fish, and when to end an unproductive night. Because of his expertise, he may have silently questioned the reasonableness of Jesus’ instruction. Why let down the nets when an experienced team of fishermen hadn’t caught anything all night?Sometimes God asks His children to act in ways that appear unreasonable. His request might involve leaving a job or ministry that He provided only recently, taking on more responsibility when life already feels overloaded, or accepting an assignment that seems better suited for someone with a different skill set. Perhaps God’s plan makes no sense in view of age, financial situation, or health condition. Yet, because of the One who asks, it will be the absolutely right thing to do. We have to decide whether to do what is sensible by human standards or to obey God.The Bible talks about many people who had to make such a choice. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. Noah was told to build an ark on dry land because a flood was coming. Joshua was given a military strategy of marching around Jericho instead of attacking it (Joshua 6:2-5). Gideon, the inexperienced fighter, was told to send most of his warriors home before the battle (Judges 7:2-3). They all obeyed and experienced God’s power released on their behalf.Don’t let human logic dictate whether you follow God’s plan. Trust in Him as Peter and these other faithful believers did.
From the Issue of In Touch Ministry's, Early Light Devotional.
From the Issue of In Touch Ministry's, Early Light Devotional.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Sacrifice is Part of Service by Jon Walker
“We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. (1 John 3:16 GW)
Serving others comes at a great price.
When you become a servant, you always give up something you could have kept for yourself – time, money, energy. But the greatest cost of all is yourself.
Serving others exacts a personal toll that cannot be measured in dollars and cents or hours and minutes.
In 2 Corinthians 6:8-10, Paul describes the price he paid for serving others: “We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” (NLT)
Later in the same book, Paul describes being jailed, whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, and robbed – all while serving the churches God entrusted to his care. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
God’s servants find the sacrifices worth the price because they can look past the present pain or inconvenience, fixing their eyes firmly on Jesus who “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)
It is in serving others sacrificially, says the apostle John, that we begin to grasp as well as experience godly love: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:10-11 NIV)
What does this mean?
· Serve on God’s terms; not your own – You’ve been seeded with the Spirit of Christ, and even though you can’t, his Spirit within you can enable you to give yourself for others. You can draw from his sacrificial strength.
· Love finds meaning in sacrifice – “We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers.” (1 John 3:16 GW)
· Your sacrifice of service – Is God asking you to give up something – or sacrifice in some way – in order to serve others? Talk to him about your fears, concerns, and confusion. Affirm your willingness to cooperate with his plan for you.
From the Issue of Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional
Serving others comes at a great price.
When you become a servant, you always give up something you could have kept for yourself – time, money, energy. But the greatest cost of all is yourself.
Serving others exacts a personal toll that cannot be measured in dollars and cents or hours and minutes.
In 2 Corinthians 6:8-10, Paul describes the price he paid for serving others: “We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” (NLT)
Later in the same book, Paul describes being jailed, whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, and robbed – all while serving the churches God entrusted to his care. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
God’s servants find the sacrifices worth the price because they can look past the present pain or inconvenience, fixing their eyes firmly on Jesus who “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)
It is in serving others sacrificially, says the apostle John, that we begin to grasp as well as experience godly love: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:10-11 NIV)
What does this mean?
· Serve on God’s terms; not your own – You’ve been seeded with the Spirit of Christ, and even though you can’t, his Spirit within you can enable you to give yourself for others. You can draw from his sacrificial strength.
· Love finds meaning in sacrifice – “We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers.” (1 John 3:16 GW)
· Your sacrifice of service – Is God asking you to give up something – or sacrifice in some way – in order to serve others? Talk to him about your fears, concerns, and confusion. Affirm your willingness to cooperate with his plan for you.
From the Issue of Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional
Friday, January 4, 2008
Rediscovering the Priority from Dr. Myles Munroe's book, Kingdom Principles
REDISCOVERING THE PRIORITY
From Dr. Myles Munroe’s book Kingdom Principles
The greatest secret to living effectively on earth is understanding the principle and power of priorities. Life on earth holds no greater challenge than the complicating daily demand of choosing among competing alternatives for our limited time. Our life is the sum total of all decisions we make everyday, and those are determined by our priorities. How we use our time every day eventually defines our lives. Life was designed to be simple, not complicated, and the key to simplifying life is prioritization. Identifying the correct and right priority of life is the key to a successful and fulfilled life. So then, what is the principle and concept of priority?
Priority is defines as:
The principal thing.
Putting first things first.
Establishing the most important thing.
Primary focus.
Placing in order of importance.
Placing the highest value and worth upon.
First among all others.
If our priorities determine the quality of life and dictate all of our actions and behavior, then it is essential that we understand and identify our priorities. THE GREATEST TRAGEDY IN LIFE IS NOT DEATH BUT LIFE WITHOUT A PURPOSE – LIFE WITH THE WRONG PRIORITIES. Life’s greatest challenge is in knowing what to do. The greatest mistake in life is to be busy but not effective. Life’s greatest failure is to be successful in the wrong assignment. Success in life is measured in the effective use of one’s time.
Time is the true measure of life. In fact, time is the currency of life. How you spend your time determines the quality of your life and death. You become whatever you buy with your time. Always be aware that everything and everyone around you is vying for your life. And the key to effective use of your time is establishing correct priorities. First things first!
When your priorities are correct, you preserve and protect your life. Correct priority is the principle of progress because when you establish your priority according to your purpose and goals then your progress is guaranteed. Correct priority protects your time. When you set the right priorities, then you use your time for intentional purposes; your time is not abused or wasted. Correct priority protects your energy. Correct priority protects your talents and gifts. Correct priority protects your decisions. Correct priority protects your discipline. Correct priority simplifies your life.
Failure to establish correct priority causes you to waste your two most important commodities: your time and your energy. When your priorities are not correct you will find yourself busy with the wrong things, majoring in the minor, doing the unnecessary, or becoming preoccupied with the unimportant. Incorrect priorities in your life will cause you to invest in the less valuable, engage in ineffective activity, and abuse your gifts and talents. Ultimately, it will cause you to forfeit purpose, which results in failure.
Why is the principle of priority so important to our discussion of the Kingdom? Because if priority is the essence of life, then we should want to know what our priority should be so that we can live effectively. It may surprise you to know that most of the people in the world are driven by incorrect priorities that occupy and control their entire lives. What are these priorities that master most of the human race?
The answer is perhaps found in the work of behavioral scientist and psychologist Abraham Maslow who, after studying the motivations of human behavior, concluded that all human behavior is driven by the same basic “hierarchy of needs”:
1. Water
2. Food
3. Clothes
4. Housing
5. Protection
6. Security
7. Preservation
8. Self-actualization
9. Significance
It is important to note that Maslow listed these motivational needs in order of priority. Perhaps if we are honest, we would agree that the human rat race does indeed strive for all of these things. We go to work every day, and some even hold down two or more jobs, just to secure water, food, clothing, housing and protection. What a tragedy, to think that the basic priority driving most humans is that of simple survival!
Would it surprise you to learn that most religions are built around the promise to meet these very same needs as a priority? Meeting human needs is the premise of all religions. One common denominator of all religions is the effort to please or appease some deity in order to secure basic needs such as a good harvest, favorable weather, protection from enemies, etc. Another factor that all religions have in common is that their primary focus is on the needs of the worshipper. Priority in religious prayers and petitions is for personal needs. Human needs drive religion. Much of what we call “faith” is nothing more than striving for the very things on Maslow’s list.
From Dr. Myles Munroe’s book Kingdom Principles
The greatest secret to living effectively on earth is understanding the principle and power of priorities. Life on earth holds no greater challenge than the complicating daily demand of choosing among competing alternatives for our limited time. Our life is the sum total of all decisions we make everyday, and those are determined by our priorities. How we use our time every day eventually defines our lives. Life was designed to be simple, not complicated, and the key to simplifying life is prioritization. Identifying the correct and right priority of life is the key to a successful and fulfilled life. So then, what is the principle and concept of priority?
Priority is defines as:
The principal thing.
Putting first things first.
Establishing the most important thing.
Primary focus.
Placing in order of importance.
Placing the highest value and worth upon.
First among all others.
If our priorities determine the quality of life and dictate all of our actions and behavior, then it is essential that we understand and identify our priorities. THE GREATEST TRAGEDY IN LIFE IS NOT DEATH BUT LIFE WITHOUT A PURPOSE – LIFE WITH THE WRONG PRIORITIES. Life’s greatest challenge is in knowing what to do. The greatest mistake in life is to be busy but not effective. Life’s greatest failure is to be successful in the wrong assignment. Success in life is measured in the effective use of one’s time.
Time is the true measure of life. In fact, time is the currency of life. How you spend your time determines the quality of your life and death. You become whatever you buy with your time. Always be aware that everything and everyone around you is vying for your life. And the key to effective use of your time is establishing correct priorities. First things first!
When your priorities are correct, you preserve and protect your life. Correct priority is the principle of progress because when you establish your priority according to your purpose and goals then your progress is guaranteed. Correct priority protects your time. When you set the right priorities, then you use your time for intentional purposes; your time is not abused or wasted. Correct priority protects your energy. Correct priority protects your talents and gifts. Correct priority protects your decisions. Correct priority protects your discipline. Correct priority simplifies your life.
Failure to establish correct priority causes you to waste your two most important commodities: your time and your energy. When your priorities are not correct you will find yourself busy with the wrong things, majoring in the minor, doing the unnecessary, or becoming preoccupied with the unimportant. Incorrect priorities in your life will cause you to invest in the less valuable, engage in ineffective activity, and abuse your gifts and talents. Ultimately, it will cause you to forfeit purpose, which results in failure.
Why is the principle of priority so important to our discussion of the Kingdom? Because if priority is the essence of life, then we should want to know what our priority should be so that we can live effectively. It may surprise you to know that most of the people in the world are driven by incorrect priorities that occupy and control their entire lives. What are these priorities that master most of the human race?
The answer is perhaps found in the work of behavioral scientist and psychologist Abraham Maslow who, after studying the motivations of human behavior, concluded that all human behavior is driven by the same basic “hierarchy of needs”:
1. Water
2. Food
3. Clothes
4. Housing
5. Protection
6. Security
7. Preservation
8. Self-actualization
9. Significance
It is important to note that Maslow listed these motivational needs in order of priority. Perhaps if we are honest, we would agree that the human rat race does indeed strive for all of these things. We go to work every day, and some even hold down two or more jobs, just to secure water, food, clothing, housing and protection. What a tragedy, to think that the basic priority driving most humans is that of simple survival!
Would it surprise you to learn that most religions are built around the promise to meet these very same needs as a priority? Meeting human needs is the premise of all religions. One common denominator of all religions is the effort to please or appease some deity in order to secure basic needs such as a good harvest, favorable weather, protection from enemies, etc. Another factor that all religions have in common is that their primary focus is on the needs of the worshipper. Priority in religious prayers and petitions is for personal needs. Human needs drive religion. Much of what we call “faith” is nothing more than striving for the very things on Maslow’s list.
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