Use Our Gifts to Serve

 

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Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

 

I recently wrote that our spiritual gifts were for our employment. By this, I meant that we are to use our gifts to enlarge the kingdom of God.

 

Sometimes, I wonder if I am not obeying the message Peter wrote to the scattered believers. Then I read a response to a text or a comment on Facebook that tells me I have done or said the right thing. Due to the COVID pandemic, things have changed dramatically. There are still restaurants in our city that have not reopened. A friend mentioned one that had been a viable business on the near southside of town seemed not to be reopened yet.

 

One way we have been able to serve others is to continue our prayer ministry. For quite a while we met via conference calls on our mobile phones. This spring we have tried to meet in the gazebo in our prayer garden.

When it is too hot (80+ degrees) or rainy we meet in the fellowship hall of the church building.

Our prayer group has a text group that we use when we are aware of a need in our families or our community. We use it when we are not meeting.

 

When I sat down to work on this, I had a personal message from one of my Facebook friends who was in the youth group I was in back in the day. He had commented on a post I shared about people with cancer. He commented that his stepson had cancer. I responded by asking him to PM me and give me the stepson’s name. I would add him to my prayer list. He messaged me and seemed grateful for the added prayer.

 

That seems to me how God wants us to work.

The Gift of Encouragement

 

quotesgram.com

             

                 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope. May the God who gives you endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus Romans 15:4-5 NIV                        

           

Encouragement from the Scripture

 

Paul says it so well. We are to receive encouragement from God’s Word. However, he also tells us that we are to not give up. Yes, sometimes things happen that cause us hurt. But Paul reminds us that we must persevere.

  

            Encourage One Another                                       

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

 

As believers in Christ, we are given instructions to help, to encourage those young in the faith. Those of us who have been walking with Jesus for a long time are to live our lives as an  example for those who are new to following the LORD.

I took a gift analysis test in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The results showed that I had the gift of encouragement. This amazed me. There were so many things in my life that seemed to keep me down.

           

One evening in the mid-1980s, I had a question come to my mind. It went like this;” Where does an encourager go when he or she needs encouragement?” Almost immediately, I had another thought, “He or she goes to the LORD.”  God heard my question and He answered it.

                       

           

            God gives us encouragement through many ways:

            Through our Bible and devotional reading,

            through answers to our prayers,

through a friend,

             through a sermon.

 

 

              

                                              "Where Could I Go But To The LORD" Gaither Homecoming group.

The Gift of Faith

 

               

                 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 

                                                                                                                Hebrews 11:1-2 NIV

 

                The writer of Hebrews gives us an interesting concept of the meaning of faith.

He says that it is our being sure of what we hope for. Does this mean that when we are sure that something will happen as we want it to? Or does it mean that we must believe that the thing we want will transpire according to God’s desire and plan?

 

When our faith is in God, we can be sure that His Will is the most important and is what will transpire.

 

When we feel God’s presence around us, we can be certain that He is there, and He will guide us through the issues we face in this fallen world.

 

Several years ago, I heard a neat acrostic for the word faith:

                        Forsaking

                        All

                        In

                        Trusting

                        Him.

 

The writer of Hebrews says it best: “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

 

For further reading:

Hebrews 3:6

2 Corinthians 4:18

Hebrews 11

Spiritual Gifts

 

 

Snow aftermath in late April

                Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is in prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith, if it is in serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.   Romans 12:7-8 (NIV)

Have you ever met someone who helped make life easier for you? I am speaking of when we are in difficult circumstances.

In dealing with nurses, I decided a long time ago they are called by God and given special gifts to perform their many tasks.

The Apostle Paul gives us a picture of the attitude with which a person needs to practice his or her gift. Have you ever been around someone who did not seem to be in the right position for their makeup? I have had that experience in several situations of my life. It was not a fun place to be.

On April 21, I had an appointment for my third day of radiation treatments. (I had two a day.) About 20 minutes before my appointed time, the phone rang. It was the nurse from the Cancer Care Building. Overnight, our state was hit with a very-late-season snowstorm. The place lost power due to the heaviness of that snow. This caused the scanning machine they used on me not to work properly. They needed me to come 30 minutes later for my morning session.

 

The whole time I was in treatment that morning, I felt cared about as well as cared for. They did not seem to know when the problem would be remedied. We were all in this together. They exercised their gifts to help me through that week. They had to use a different machine on me for two days (four treatments).

 

I learned several years ago that Spiritual gifts were given to us by the Holy Spirit for our employees, not our enjoyment. I believe we followers of Jesus should learn to use our gifts for the sake of the Kingdom every day.

 

Encourage

https://www.missionariesofprayer.org/2013/01/
encouraging-bible-verses/

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)

Encourage is defined as "1. a:: to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope: hearten she was encouraged to continue by her early success. b: to attempt to persuade: urge they encouraged him to go back to school

2: to spur on: stimulate warm weather encourages plant growth

3: to give help or patronage to: foster government grants designed to encourage conservation

God encourages us by sending people into our lives to aid us in understanding events going in and around our lives." 1

God uses His people to build one another up. One of the Gifts of the Spirit is encouragement. Children of God do this when they tell someone they miss them at church. It only takes a little bit of effort on our part.

We encourage people going through a difficult time by praying for them, by sending them a card, or just by listening to them when they talk.

We went to the grocery store early this afternoon. While there, I ran into a lady from church. I am acquainted with her, we work in different ministries. After she spoke to me, she next said she wanted a copy of my book. She inquired how I was doing with the sales. I told her it was slow.  I came away encouraged by her interest.

When we take the time to politely inquire about someone, we usually find they appreciate being noticed. A dear friend sometimes tells me, “Thank you for noticing us.” This happens when I call her to check on her and her family.

Children of God are called to be encouragers wherever they find themselves.

Prayer: Thank You. Lord for the many things You do to build us up and keep us going. Without your encouraging us, we would not be able to stand for You in this fallen world. Please guide us as we try to encourage those around us. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen 

1. Merriam-Webster online dictionary.https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encourage Accessed Sept 26. 2017/

Book Review:The Spirit-Filled Life By Charles F. Stanley

Dr. Stanley writes this book explaining what he himself has learned about the Holy Spirit’s place in the life of a believer.

He speaks of the Holy Spirit indwelling in the heart of those who choose to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples he would send another helper to them after He left.

Dr. Stanley speaks of how the Holy Spirit will lead us and, yet, warn us if we start to do something foolish. We sometimes mess up because we have made one or more bad choices a lot of times. We don’t listen to the prompting the Spirit gives us and we get ourselves into embarrassing circumstances.

Dr. Stanley further explains that the Spirit warns us not when we cross the line or even get right on that line between right and wrong but before we even come close. He also explores that some of us can’t do seemingly harmless things because, while they don’t hurt us or anyone else, they lead to things that are sinful.  

When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we turn our lives over to God’s control and gain strength and wisdom in how to live for Him.

I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in their life.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson through its Book Look Bloggers Review program. All they asked me to do was read it and give an impartial review.

Book Review: When The Glass Ceiling is Stained

                           by Mary Detweiler

When God gives His children Spiritual Gifts, He plans on those gifts to be exercised. Some feel that women have no place in leadership roles of the church.

Mary Detweiler has researched this issue by studying Old Testament women who led people through catastrophic times—Deborah, Huldah, and Rahab and Esther. God equipped these women with the gifts they needed to lead their people though the difficult times those people groups faced.

She has documented her book with writings of John Maxwell, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren and other Christian writers.

This book is not a diatribe against the church but a positive book pointing out how God has used women in the furtherance of His Kingdom. Mary refers to Rahab, Deborah, and Huldah and Esther in the Old Testament and to Mary Magdalene, Mary (the sister of Lazarus), Euodia and Syntche, and Priscilla, in the New Testament.

In today’s world, we see godly women leading or assisting the leaders of their churches by employing their Spiritual gifts. We also hear of some sectarian groups who cling to the belief that women are not equipped to participate in Kingdom work in the role as pastors, even pastoral assistants, or even ministry group leaders. Having worshiped in one denomination and now worship in another that doesn’t exclude women from leadership roles; I believe I have grown in my faith because of the experience of their learning and their instruction.

I received a copy of this book from the author. All she asked in return was my honest and truthful review.

Intercession

Some of my journals 

Random Journal Day March 2013

3/26/1997, (I had been ill for four days.)

 “Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)

I ran across this today in the Bible reading I am trying to get caught up on. I have studied Hebrews several times. But today, this verse speaks to my heart.

“Jesus is able to save COMPLETELY those who come to GOD through Him.”

Completely is an awesome word; it means in every way. It means that a person is saved from all sin, the sins of omission as well as the sins of commission, those things God calls sin that we aren’t aware of as sin.

“. . . because He always lives to intercede for them”. God always hears from Jesus what we are going through. Jesus is sitting there at God’s right hand saying, “Father, there is this daughter/son of yours who needs your guidance through this day.” Or “Father, your children down there in central Indiana need your protection during the tornado.” Or “Father, that daughter of yours has asked you to come into his or her heart.” Or “Father, that daughter or son of yours has expressed a ‘thank you’ for guiding them through this day.”

Any one of these times of interceding is glorious.

UPDATE:

As I enter this Random Journal Day entry into my computer (2/23/2013) I am interceding for the leadership of our church.


Linking up to:http://beneaththesurface-dawn.blogspot.com

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

God's Spiritual Gifts for His people

“All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit,

and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” 1 Corinthians 12: 11 (NIV)


Read 1 Corinthians 12

The Apostle Paul explains to us the qualities, or assets, the Holy Spirit gives to individuals in a body of believers. In this chapter he describes various strengths needed by churches in order to build God’s Kingdom.

From time to time, I have read about or heard of a group or an individual holding teaching seminar on asking for a certain Spiritual gift.This passage tells me God has a different approach.  I once sat in a worship service where the person in charge started to delve into this topic. Two of us had to remind the man that it was the Holy Spirit’s decision as to who received what gift. The man never spoke of that subject again.

While it is true that every believer receives one Spiritual gift, a believer can receive several but no one receives all of them. If a person has several gifts, those gifts are termed a ‘gift mix.’

At different times in my Christian walk, I have taken a ‘Spiritual Gifts Survey’. The one I was most familiar with was a study book that had descriptions of each gift and how they could be used in God’s Kingdom. The material cautioned us on how to recognize if we were abusing the gifts. I believe Zondervan published it. I researched this and found information on their website.

After we took the survey, our scores were compiled. Our three highest scores were our working gifts, our next three highest- our waiting gifts, the scores left were not our gifts.

In my experience of taking this survey I have learned: 1) The gifts usually hold true. The gifts we have in 2011 will be evident in 2012 and beyond. 2) Those waiting gifts are qualities that we can develop into working gifts. 3) Other people confirm our gifts.

The purpose The Holy Spirit has for giving us these gifts is to build God’s Kingdom. We should all be working toward enlarging it.

Reflecting God

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,


faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.


If anyone speaks, he should do it as speaking the very words of God.


If anyone serves he should do it with the strength God provides,


so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.


To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 4:10-11 (NIV)




When God’s people face difficulties in life, it is their brothers and sisters in Christ who stand with them. As Christians, we are called to minister to those in need-physical and spiritual.

We listen to those who hurt. We pray with them. We write cards of encouragement or comfort. We might even take food into their home. According to Peter, we are to do this as if we were Jesus’ voice, His hands, or His feet.

What we have to remember is Jesus gave us the assignment. He is our overseer. Jesus Christ chooses to whom certain gifts are given and He expects them to be used for His glory and praise.

 As I write this, I have a set of friends who are facing grave difficulties . The parents and the older daughter are going through individual health crises. All we as a faith community can do is keep them before the Lord. Some of us can listen to them-others will do what they can to help them through this time.

We are His hands and His feet. He appoints us to do certain tasks. He instructs us on the course we take in order to perform the job He needs done. When we are fully committed to serving Him, He gives us the strength and the words we need as we bring hope to those who need it..

God’s Gifts To Us

2 Peter 1:13



In my research on a topic, I found a scripture that spoke to my soul. The topic-abundance-was one I considered speaking on ten years ago. The passage told of God’s bestowal of grace and peace in ABUNDANCE from our relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. As I soaked this thought into my mind and heart. I recognized that all the peace robbing facets of our lives are active because we allow them free access into our lives. That makes us our own worst enemies.

I sit here early this afternoon, awaiting the time my husband and I depart for his medical appointment. We will receive the results from an MRI. At one time, I would be worried-scared out of my mind. But I have learned a few principles of faith that keep me calm.

Principle 1 God is in control.

Principle 2 He only allows things into our lives that will ultimately make us stronger.

Principle 3 He only wants what’s best for us.

Principle 4 If something happens to either my husband or me, we will be with Him in Heaven.

Principle 5 Because of the previous four faith facts, I shouldn’t have any lingering worries.

Principle 6Those popcorn worries, those that seem to come from nowhere, I will turn over to my Lord,      God Almighty. He’s the only one who can handle them anyway.



God gives us these assurances when we choose to learn of Him, spend time with Him and seek His guidance.

Our Patience

Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves

in every way: in great endurance; in troubles,

hardships and, distresses;2Corithians 6:4 NIV

People tell us we shouldn’t pray for it. Yet, patience is on of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The thinking behind the advice is once we pray for it. God, in his authority, allows events into our lives that develop the patient attitude.

On Christmas day, I was typing away on my portable word processor. I was trying to finish my entries for this series of blog posts. My husband asked me to do something for him in the kitchen. I laid my word processor on the couch, at arms length from where I sat. When I came back the screen read “Do you want to clear file? Press (Y) for yes or (N) for no.”

Well, I didn’t read it correctly and I pushed the “Y” key. In essence, I wiped out six essays. I can’t even estimate how many hours of work. I was frustrated. I couldn’t remember the ones I had loaded onto my computer.

I accessed my word document and found I had 15 of them saved in word. I spent time taking the ones off that word document and creating those I hadn’t already into their own document. I had to approach this small speed bump calmly or I would’ve been a basket case. It has taken me a while to insure I have what I planned in my folder for this project. But, I did learn something in the process.

When we work for the Lord, we should strive to practice patience and some self-control as well. I am learning to rely on God’s Word to help me achieve and display a degree of patience.

Do any of you readers have a way to achieve patience in the face of emergency or personal disaster?

When We Face Hardships

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
when you face trials of many kinds,
because the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work
so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4

This passage always puzzled me. I couldn't understand how we could think of trials and hardships as anything good. One day in church, I realized I needed to focus on the latter part of the thought rather than the first.

James tells us we will have trials and troubles. There are many reasons for trials. We live in a fallen world. Our bodies wear out. Disobedience, not necessarily ours, can play a role in the picture.

But, there is good news in middle of the passage, “the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” Perseverance is one of the qualities involved in our spiritual growth. Peter tells us in his second letter to, “add to. . . faith goodness;to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

Having these qualities in our hearts keeps us from being ineffective and unproductive. As we work for the Lord, we should strive to develop them

God’s Grace

Grace comes to us in many forms. Among them is prevenient, saving, and sanctifying grace. Prevenient grace is the call of Jesus extended to each of those seeking Him.

A young woman and her husband attend a church service at the invitation of her uncle and aunt. During the service the Holy Spirit speaks to her heart. She asks Jesus to forgive her of her sins. A little later in the service the pastor issue a invitation to any one who wished to be baptized to come to the front of the sanctuary. A mother and a daughter make their way down to join him.

The young woman decides to find her uncle, an associate pastor of the church, and asks him to escort her down to the platform to receive baptism.

The saving grace entered this young woman's heart when she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Sanctifying grace sets us apart for Kingdom work. By sanctifying His people, Jesus bestows on them certain traits and talents to be used to expand His realm. These gifts are to be used for His glory.

And yet grace–His undeserved love–keeps us safe and comforts us as we walk through this life. We can give grace to one another and we can receive it as well. How can we do this for others–a kind word, a hug, a smile, a note of cheer. We receive God's grace when another person goes out of his or her way to inquire how things are going and gives a hug or other show of concern when they aren’t going as well as we would like. We receive God's grace when we receive a card in the mail or a phone call when we are having a hard time.
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I am a guest blogger on another website I frequent. I am sharing the link with all my friends. http://invisibleillnessweek.com/?cat=214

Seeking His Face

2 Chronicles 7:11-14

As God spoke to Solomon after the completion of the temple, The Lord gave certain guidelines or conditions for His people to follow when they would find themselves up against harsh times. One of these was to ‘seek my face.’ Let’s explore this idea and see where it leads.

As children, a generation of us whiled away summer evenings playing Hide and Seek. Those living in my neighborhood stayed outside every night until we could no longer see while playing it. One person,called “it”, would cover their eyes and count slowly to one hundred. The rest of the kids would scamper away, looking for a place to hide. As I remember, the person found last would be “it” for the next round.

As children of God, when we pray we have to search for His face. Our needs can seem so great we have to concentrate on who He is and His attributes before we begin to lay our requests before Him. Given the economic picture of our world–bank crises, insurance companies' messes, the automotive industry situation and our personal issues–health concerns, family situations, relational circumstances, these are times we should pray before we make decisions. But we might want to think on who God is and what He is like before we open our hearts.

Humbling Ourselves

2 Chronicles 7: 11-14
When Solomon completed the temple, God spoke to him. He told his servant of times of hardship and drought- a precursor to famine. The Lord also told of the possibility of locusts or plagues coming onto the land. But, He also told Solomon and, by extension, us how the land can be healed.

The first point God makes is that he is talking about His children, not the heathen or the vile people of the neighboring areas. If my people, who are called by my name. . .. Can it get any clearer?

He then lays out conditions for His people to follow. First we have to humble ourselves. What does that mean to us today?

Can we remember, as children, looking up at our dads or even our uncles and thinking ’‘He's the biggest (tallest) person I know’? When we compared ourselves to that man, we felt very small. When we approach God we need to realize that we are puny, powerless creatures. We need to tell Him we can do nothing without His guidance, direction, or help. While He knows this, we have to acknowledge and accept our helplessness.

Also, we have to recognize we are not to play ‘one-up-man-ship’ with our fellow human beings. We all face hardships, hurts, trials, and tribulations in our lives. No one is exempt from these travails. We have hard times enter our lives because we are human. Also, they manifest themselves because we live in a fallen world. Sometimes, we have made bad choices.

In the act of humbling ourselves, we see our place in the scheme of things. We also see who God is. It is through this process that we grow spiritually.

Gifts Given By God

God bestows certain traits, attributes and talents to be exercised by us. These gifts are given
to us by the Lord to further the advancement of His Kingdom.
In the Kingdom, each gift is considered important but none more than the others. In Paul's letters, he identifies at least 19 attributes deemed necessary in order for God's Kingdom to grow.
The Lord gives to each believer certain gifts, according to His wishes and His grace.
After taking a Spiritual Gift Survey, I found out there are some working gifts—those attributes that are very evident in our lives. I also discovered each person has waiting gifts—attributes we possess but are not very strong. There are also some areas of gifts called roles—things in which we are not strong but we do them, anyway.
There is such a thing as a person having a variety of gifts. I believe this is called a 'gift mix'.
God presents His children with these gifts. We, as those children, are to exercise them. When we refrain from exercising the gifts God gave us, we do so at our own peril.