It's been a hectic week. I'm trying to finish up the last few things for the class I did while in Israel. I found a temporary job at Home Depot in the garden department, which I'm loving and hating (hating because I'm getting a ton of ideas for a yard someday that I can't do anything about right now). I've been trying to work on my new blog, which has also suffered a little this past week. There has been some adjustments to the new schedule, and hopefully there are some big changes in the near future.
But this post has been on my mind all week, knowing I need to write it. This whole chapter is on Spiritual gifts, and their use in the Church. It's a topic that I've preached on trying to get people motivated to serve, but thus far hasn't been that effective. Everyone of us has at least one spiritual gift. Some have several and some have a few, some may only have one, but everyone has at least one. God doesn't put someone on earth with nothing to work with.
Each of us have different gifts, and each use our gifts, even if they are the same, differently. Because of that we need each other. This is why God never gives anyone all of them, if someone had them all they wouldn't need anyone else. Each gift is important and essential to the Church, and if someone decides not to use theirs the whole Church suffers. I won't say that the Kingdom is stalled, but it is effected.
When people refuse to use their gift, when they refuse to serve in their area of giftedness, they are denying their mission from God. When people hoard their gift to themselves they are refusing to take part in Kingdom work. This in an unfortunate act of disobedience. How many people haven't been reached because someone refused to use their gift?
I'm just kind of rambling, there is a lot that can be said about this topic and I'm just sort of letting my fingers fly over the key board. No one outlives their usefulness to God. No one uses up their spiritual gift. If you are still alive God still has a purpose for you. If you pour out your gift you will not run out, actually God may add additional gifts to you. In the Gospels Jesus told a parable about a man who went on a journey and entrusted his servants with various amounts of money. Those who used them increased what they had and the one who didn't gained nothing. In one account the one who doesn't use it has it taken from him and it is given to the one who has the most. " For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him" (Matthew 13.12).
You have a gift and it is essential to the work of the Kingdom. As long as you are breathing God has a purpose for you. The question is will you use what He has given you? Will you see the value in the gift, even if its just one, that He has given you and contribute it to the work of the Kingdom? Will you be part of the work of the Church and help the body be fully functional?
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Showing posts with label Spiritual Gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Gifts. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wrestlers
This winter I've had the opportunity to work as an assistant wrestling coach with the local high school team. It's been good to lace up my shoes again and step on the mat. I've enjoyed coaching, my wife says that I'm most alive when I'm working with boys and young men, helping them reach their potential. And with wrestling there are different types of young men.
You have some with talent, and some who don't have any. There are some who work hard and some who slack off. There are some that are there to compete, to be the best, and others who are there simply to goof around. Some of them frustrate you and others you love, and coaches have to work with all of them.
There are a few kids that should be state bound this year, they have the talent and know how to use it. There are some who have the potential to be phenomenal wrestlers. They are strong and solid, but have little drive or aggression. There are two that have the talent to be good, but just goof around all of practice, wasting their talent. And there are some with little talent, or little experience, that out work everyone else in the room. It's often that way, the ones with the least talent are the ones that work the hardest.
I was one of them. Most kids today start wrestling at four or five years old. I didn't start until seventh grade. Right away I was a middle weight with guys who had been wrestling most of their lives, I had a lot of ground to make up. I out worked everyone. I worked hard in the room, and did everything I could in the off season, running, lifting, as many open tournaments as I could find, open mats wherever I could get (thank you to my dad for the time and money he put into this). And even when I had gotten to be a good wrestler I kept working hard, I had seen the results of it, and so it continued to drive me.
That's why it frustrates me so much now to see some of these boys. They have more talent then I ever did, but they waste it because the work is hard. It frustrates me that some of the hardest workers don't get to see the victory that their work deserves. There is one kid who has a goal that his work has earned but his talent, barring a miracle, will never achieve. And some have the talent to be the best but their work ethic keeps them from achieving their full potential. It makes me wonder why God didn't bless the hard workers with the talent.
The Bible talks about Spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. These are God given talents to be used by us to serve others, build the Kingdom, and glorify God. Some have several, no one has them all, everyone has at least one. "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly" Romans 12.6; "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" 1 Corinthians 12.7.
God has given each of us at least one skill to use for Him. think about it, the God who spoke the universe into existence has decided to give you and me a talent that we can use to serve Him. The God who holds the universe in the palm of His hand, a universe that we are really, really small in, has given us a gift to serve Him. He has invited us to give Him glory that He must receive, allowing us to take part in the worship of Him. It is a service we are unworthy to give and unfit to offer, but He still invites and desires for us to give it to Him. Not only that, but He enables us, empowers us, to do it!
Why then do we waste our gifts? It is something precious given to us by God, and we ignore it, or treat it like it's nothing at all. One of the most frustrating things to a coach is the talented kid who wastes his talent by not working hard. It's almost heartbreaking, you see a kid that could do so well, who could get so for and do so much, and simply won't work for it. Do you think God feels the same way?
Let us not waste our gifts, let us use them for the glory of God. My mentor says there are six things that show a person where they are gifted; three internal and three external. The internal are joy, ease and losing track of time while you do it. When you serve you are joyful, you aren't drained but energized. When you serve it is easy, you get it done quickly and efficiently, you don't have to work that hard at it. When you serve you lose track of time, you aren't constantly looking at your watch. The external things are, fruitfulness, affirmation, and confirmation. When you serve things happen. When you serve people affirm you, telling you that you do it well. When you serve leaders confirm you, that you have that gift. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CtCYrfGHQw)
Find your place to serve, discover your gift. Use it, don't waste it. Jesus told a story once about a master who went on a journey and gave each of his servants an amount of money. Two of them put it to work and on his return we praised. The third one however did not. He buried his portion, and when the master returned he called him wicked and lazy and said, "'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" But to the ones who had used their portion the master said, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master"(Matthew 25.14-30).
Which one do you want to be? What do you want to hear? Use your gifts for the glory of God.
Peace be with you
You have some with talent, and some who don't have any. There are some who work hard and some who slack off. There are some that are there to compete, to be the best, and others who are there simply to goof around. Some of them frustrate you and others you love, and coaches have to work with all of them.
There are a few kids that should be state bound this year, they have the talent and know how to use it. There are some who have the potential to be phenomenal wrestlers. They are strong and solid, but have little drive or aggression. There are two that have the talent to be good, but just goof around all of practice, wasting their talent. And there are some with little talent, or little experience, that out work everyone else in the room. It's often that way, the ones with the least talent are the ones that work the hardest.
I was one of them. Most kids today start wrestling at four or five years old. I didn't start until seventh grade. Right away I was a middle weight with guys who had been wrestling most of their lives, I had a lot of ground to make up. I out worked everyone. I worked hard in the room, and did everything I could in the off season, running, lifting, as many open tournaments as I could find, open mats wherever I could get (thank you to my dad for the time and money he put into this). And even when I had gotten to be a good wrestler I kept working hard, I had seen the results of it, and so it continued to drive me.
That's why it frustrates me so much now to see some of these boys. They have more talent then I ever did, but they waste it because the work is hard. It frustrates me that some of the hardest workers don't get to see the victory that their work deserves. There is one kid who has a goal that his work has earned but his talent, barring a miracle, will never achieve. And some have the talent to be the best but their work ethic keeps them from achieving their full potential. It makes me wonder why God didn't bless the hard workers with the talent.
The Bible talks about Spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. These are God given talents to be used by us to serve others, build the Kingdom, and glorify God. Some have several, no one has them all, everyone has at least one. "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly" Romans 12.6; "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" 1 Corinthians 12.7.
God has given each of us at least one skill to use for Him. think about it, the God who spoke the universe into existence has decided to give you and me a talent that we can use to serve Him. The God who holds the universe in the palm of His hand, a universe that we are really, really small in, has given us a gift to serve Him. He has invited us to give Him glory that He must receive, allowing us to take part in the worship of Him. It is a service we are unworthy to give and unfit to offer, but He still invites and desires for us to give it to Him. Not only that, but He enables us, empowers us, to do it!
Why then do we waste our gifts? It is something precious given to us by God, and we ignore it, or treat it like it's nothing at all. One of the most frustrating things to a coach is the talented kid who wastes his talent by not working hard. It's almost heartbreaking, you see a kid that could do so well, who could get so for and do so much, and simply won't work for it. Do you think God feels the same way?
Let us not waste our gifts, let us use them for the glory of God. My mentor says there are six things that show a person where they are gifted; three internal and three external. The internal are joy, ease and losing track of time while you do it. When you serve you are joyful, you aren't drained but energized. When you serve it is easy, you get it done quickly and efficiently, you don't have to work that hard at it. When you serve you lose track of time, you aren't constantly looking at your watch. The external things are, fruitfulness, affirmation, and confirmation. When you serve things happen. When you serve people affirm you, telling you that you do it well. When you serve leaders confirm you, that you have that gift. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CtCYrfGHQw)
Find your place to serve, discover your gift. Use it, don't waste it. Jesus told a story once about a master who went on a journey and gave each of his servants an amount of money. Two of them put it to work and on his return we praised. The third one however did not. He buried his portion, and when the master returned he called him wicked and lazy and said, "'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" But to the ones who had used their portion the master said, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master"(Matthew 25.14-30).
Which one do you want to be? What do you want to hear? Use your gifts for the glory of God.
Peace be with you
Monday, October 24, 2011
Servant Warriors
Very often I think about weapons and warriors, I'm a guy. If I wasn't a pastor my dream job would be US Navy SEAL, the most elite commandos in the world. That wasn't God's calling on my life, at times I'm grateful, but there are still times my heart longs for the adventure and the battle. I really wish I had served my country after high school, but again that wasn't what God had in mind. My wife constantly reminds me that if I had enlisted I never would have met her, and for that fact alone, I'm glad I didn't.
The Navy SEALs fascinate me, but there are ancient warriors that I love as well, my favorite are the SEALs of the ancient world, the Spartans. These men were some of the toughest human beings ever to walk the planet. They lived and breathed battle. I wasn't able to get to Sparta when I was in Greece (sadly), but talking with a friend I learned that there really is nothing there. There's a statue of Leonidas, the King at the time of the Battle at Thermopylae (a location I did get to go to), but that's really all that is in Sparta as I've been told. There is no art, no architecture; they didn't have time for it because it didn't relate to combat and training for battle.
There are a few material things in life that I really want. One of them is a Spartan shield. I've been looking for over a year now, and I found one on the internet a few weeks ago that is full size and looks authentic. I showed my wife and told her, someday I'd love one. The reason is threefold. One is that it's awesome, I'll be honest there. Second, we're in a war against evil, and all warriors need a shield, so why not have the greatest shield ever made. Third, is the reminder of how no Christ follower is to go it alone.
The strength of the Spartan army was in the phalanx. In this formation the warriors stand side by side, and their massive three foot shields not only protect them, but their brother next to them. One of the greatest shames for a Spartan was to lose his shield because without it there could be no phalanx, one weak spot and the whole thing falls apart. The church is similar.
I'm taking a two week break from John to look at the idea of joining the work in the second half of the story of the woman at the well. God has a work that He has invited us to share in. He's enlisted us as soldiers in the war Satan has waged against Him (2 Timothy 2). He's not only asked us to join Him, but He's also equipped us for battle. He's given us the Bible to prepare us (2 Timothy 3) as well as armor to protect us (Ephesians 6). But He's also given us gifts to serve.
1 Corinthians 12 tells us that there are many different gifts that all come from God. There is one body of Christ that has many different members, each with a unique function. When each part functions properly, the body is strong and healthy, the body is able to grow. But when part of the body doesn't function as it was made to, there is sickness and growth is hindered.
In a church there are many ministries, and there are many people with a passion of different ministries. The pastor isn't passionate about everything that goes on, and the pastor isn't able to do every job that needs to be done, though some try. We need the other people of the church, the other parts of the body, to fulfill their functions and serve others. We need the other warriors for Christ to pick up their shields and stand beside us to fight the battle with us.
Our focus must be on building the Kingdom. If something we do doesn't help it to grow we need to set it aside. The Spartan's focused on war, and they were the best, the SEALs are the same way. The church must focus on building the Kingdom because nothing else matters.
I'm not saying we have to spend all our free time in Church, not by any means. Take vacations with your family, go out with friends, build those relationships, and in them set an example of what a Christ follower is. That is helping to build the Kingdom. In our relationships show love for others, Jesus said that's how people would know we are His (John 13). Let all that you do be for the Glory of God and for the expansion of His Kingdom.
God has given each person at least one Spiritual gift. No one has all of them, and that's why we need each other. But since we have a gift, we must use it.
Romans 12.6-8, "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
We are servant warriors. Let us use our gifts to serve so that we can build the Kingdom, and join in the victory over Satan.
Peace be with you
The Navy SEALs fascinate me, but there are ancient warriors that I love as well, my favorite are the SEALs of the ancient world, the Spartans. These men were some of the toughest human beings ever to walk the planet. They lived and breathed battle. I wasn't able to get to Sparta when I was in Greece (sadly), but talking with a friend I learned that there really is nothing there. There's a statue of Leonidas, the King at the time of the Battle at Thermopylae (a location I did get to go to), but that's really all that is in Sparta as I've been told. There is no art, no architecture; they didn't have time for it because it didn't relate to combat and training for battle.
There are a few material things in life that I really want. One of them is a Spartan shield. I've been looking for over a year now, and I found one on the internet a few weeks ago that is full size and looks authentic. I showed my wife and told her, someday I'd love one. The reason is threefold. One is that it's awesome, I'll be honest there. Second, we're in a war against evil, and all warriors need a shield, so why not have the greatest shield ever made. Third, is the reminder of how no Christ follower is to go it alone.
The strength of the Spartan army was in the phalanx. In this formation the warriors stand side by side, and their massive three foot shields not only protect them, but their brother next to them. One of the greatest shames for a Spartan was to lose his shield because without it there could be no phalanx, one weak spot and the whole thing falls apart. The church is similar.
I'm taking a two week break from John to look at the idea of joining the work in the second half of the story of the woman at the well. God has a work that He has invited us to share in. He's enlisted us as soldiers in the war Satan has waged against Him (2 Timothy 2). He's not only asked us to join Him, but He's also equipped us for battle. He's given us the Bible to prepare us (2 Timothy 3) as well as armor to protect us (Ephesians 6). But He's also given us gifts to serve.
1 Corinthians 12 tells us that there are many different gifts that all come from God. There is one body of Christ that has many different members, each with a unique function. When each part functions properly, the body is strong and healthy, the body is able to grow. But when part of the body doesn't function as it was made to, there is sickness and growth is hindered.
In a church there are many ministries, and there are many people with a passion of different ministries. The pastor isn't passionate about everything that goes on, and the pastor isn't able to do every job that needs to be done, though some try. We need the other people of the church, the other parts of the body, to fulfill their functions and serve others. We need the other warriors for Christ to pick up their shields and stand beside us to fight the battle with us.
Our focus must be on building the Kingdom. If something we do doesn't help it to grow we need to set it aside. The Spartan's focused on war, and they were the best, the SEALs are the same way. The church must focus on building the Kingdom because nothing else matters.
I'm not saying we have to spend all our free time in Church, not by any means. Take vacations with your family, go out with friends, build those relationships, and in them set an example of what a Christ follower is. That is helping to build the Kingdom. In our relationships show love for others, Jesus said that's how people would know we are His (John 13). Let all that you do be for the Glory of God and for the expansion of His Kingdom.
God has given each person at least one Spiritual gift. No one has all of them, and that's why we need each other. But since we have a gift, we must use it.
Romans 12.6-8, "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
We are servant warriors. Let us use our gifts to serve so that we can build the Kingdom, and join in the victory over Satan.
Peace be with you
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