My Abilities Are God’s Map for My Life

In Hebrews 13:21 I read, “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him." (NLT)

Different animals are designed to excel in specific areas, and they can’t be expected to do all the other things. A duck is made to be a duck—not anything else.

 

It’s the same for people. God has designed each person different from all the others. When I expect everyone to fit in the same mold, the result is frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and failure.

God made me to be me. He has given me unique abilities, and he wants me to use them the way he intended.

If I’m wondering what God’s will is for my life? Look at my abilities. They’re my road map; they point me in the direction I should go. When I know what I’m good at, then I can know what God wants me to do with my life.

The Bible says, “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him” (Hebrews 13:21 NLT).

Through my abilities, God has equipped me to do his will. As I use those abilities, I’ll start to see how he produces “every good thing” in my life.

In summary, different animals are designed to excel in specific areas. They can’t be expected to do all the other things. It’s the same for people. God has designed each of us different from all the others. If I expect everyone to fit in the same mold, the result is frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and failure. God made me to be me. He has given me unique abilities, and he wants me to use them the way he intended. To find out what God’s will is for my life, I need to look at my abilities. They’re my road map; they point me in the direction I should go. When I know what I’m good at, then I can know what God wants me to do with my life. Through my abilities, God has equipped me to do his will. As I use those abilities, I’ll start to see how he produces “every good thing” in my life.

God works in me to make me the kind of person that would please him, and he equips me to do the kind of work that would please him. Allow God to change me from within and then use me to help others.

God Gives Me Abilities to Help Others

In Romans 7:4 I read, “Now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God." (GNT)

God created me to help others. Regardless of my job or career, I am called to full-time Christian service. A “non-serving Christian” is a contradiction in terms.

The Bible says, “He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose” (2 Timothy 1:9 GNT).

Jesus came to earth with a mission. God has a mission for my life as well.

“You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you” (1 Peter 2:9 GW).

I may think that being called by God is something only missionaries, pastors, and other full-time church workers experience, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service.

God has given me unique talents and abilities to benefit others, and he’s gifted others with talents and abilities to benefit me. If I don’t share my talents with those around me, they’ll be cheated. If they don’t share their talents with me, I’ll miss out.

Everything in society says, “It’s all about me.” Yet nothing could be further from the truth! God is calling me to use my gifts to help others.

When I use my God-given abilities to help others, I am fulfilling my calling. The Bible says, “Now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God” (Romans 7:4 GNT).

Jesus glorified God by fulfilling his mission. God wants me to follow that example.

In summary, God created me to help others. I am called to full-time Christian service. He saved me and called me to be his own, not because of what I have done, but because of his own purpose. Jesus came to earth with a mission. God has a mission for my life as well. I was chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God. Every Christian is called to service. God has given me unique talents and abilities to benefit others. If I don’t share my talents with those around me, they’ll be cheated. Society says, “It’s all about me.” Yet nothing could be further from the truth! God is calling me to use my gifts to help others. Jesus glorified God by fulfilling his mission. God wants me to follow that example.

When I die in my old life and belong to Christ, a new life begins. An unbeliever's life is centered on his or her own personal gratification. Those who don't follow Christ have only their own self-determination as their source of power. By contrast, God is at the center of a Christian's life. God supplies the power for the Christian's daily living. Believers find that their whole way of looking at the world changes when they come to Christ.

 

How to Make the Most of my Abilities

In Luke 12:43 I read, “When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed.” (NCV)

I have unused abilities and at this point I’m still figuring out what they are. They may even be abilities I’ve abandoned or ignored because of life circumstances.

God gave me those abilities for a reason: He wants me to use them to serve him and others! There are three ways I can start engaging my abilities so that they are being used for good and for God’s glory.

1. Estimate my abilities by doing an assessment of them. What am I good at? Make a list. Know my strengths and weaknesses. Consider the capabilities God has given me. If I have trouble identifying my abilities, ask someone close to me for help!

2. Dedicate my abilities. “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him” (Romans 12:1 GNT). Tell God, “You gave me these abilities. Now I’m going to give them back to you. I want to use them for the purpose for which you gave them to me.”

3. Cultivate my abilities through practice, improvement, sharpening, and development. Any ability God has given me can be improved with use. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (NIV).

I get skill by practicing. I sharpen my ax and work smarter, not harder. Sharpening my abilities, my aptitudes, and my skills. It is a spiritual responsibility.

God has invested enormously in me. First, he created me. Second, he shaped me with spiritual gifts and a unique personality. Then, he sent Jesus to die for me.

God has made an incredible investment in my life! And he expects a return on the investment. He’s going to ask me one day, “What did you do with what you were given? How did you use your abilities to honor me, to serve others, to make a living, and to be an example?”

Jesus says, “When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed” (Luke 12:43 NCV).

God wants to bless my life! When God looks at me, he wants to see me using my abilities in the ways he intended so that I will experience his blessing.

In summary, when the master comes and finds me doing his work, I will be blessed. I have unused abilities and at this point I’m still figuring out what they are. God gave me those abilities for a reason: He wants me to use them to serve him and others! There are three ways I can start engaging my abilities: First, estimate my abilities by doing an assessment of them. What am I good at? Make a list. Know my strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, dedicate my abilities by offering myself as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. Tell God, You gave me these abilities. Now I’m going to give them back to you and use them for the purpose for which you gave them to me. Lastly, cultivate my abilities. Any ability God has given me can be improved with use. I get skill by practicing. I sharpen my ax and work smarter, not harder. God has invested enormously in me. He expects a return on the investment. He’s going to ask me one day, “What did you do with what you were given? How did you use your abilities to honor me, to serve others, to make a living, and to be an example?” God wants to bless my life! He wants to see me using my abilities in the ways he intended so that I will experience his blessing.

Jesus promises a reward for those who have been faithful to the Master. While I sometimes experience immediate and material rewards for my obedience to God, this is not always the case. If so, I would be tempted to boast about my achievements and only do good for what I get. Jesus said that if I look for rewards now, I will lose them later. My heavenly rewards will be the more accurate reflection of what I have done on earth, and they will be far greater than I can imagine. 

Father, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to embrace the way you’ve made, gifted and given me a passion for. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

My Gifts and Talents Are Not Just for My Benefit

In 1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 I read, “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NLT)

God created me with a number of different gifts, talents, abilities, and skills. There are certain ways I think and things I do that I’m just naturally good at.

Those gifts and abilities are how God shaped me. But God did not shape me uniquely for my benefit. My gifts are not just for my own good. My gifts are for the benefit of everybody else. And that means their gifts are for my benefit, too.

I may already know what I’m really good at. Why do I think God made me good at those things? He wants me to use those gifts for others!

How should I use those gifts or talents in the time left before Jesus comes back? Well, I should use them to reach others for Jesus. I should use them to be an ambassador of love in the world. In fact, if I’m not using those unique gifts the way God intended, then I’m really just wasting them.

God didn’t give me gifts just to use them for myself. James 4:17 says it like this: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT).

If I know what I’m good at and I know that many people in the world probably need my help, what am I going to do about it? Who am I serving? Who am I going to help between now and when the story ends and eternity begins?

God has given me, like the church the apostle Paul wrote to in 1 Corinthians, everything I need to serve well. “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 NLT).

Don’t waste my God-given abilities. So I need to use my gifts to serve God by serving others.

In summary, thank God for the gracious gifts he has given me. For I have spiritual gifts I need as I eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. God created me with a number of different gifts, talents, abilities, and skills. There are certain ways I think and things I do that I’m just naturally good at. Those things and abilities are how God shaped me. But God did not shape me for my own benefit. Rather my gifts are for the benefit of everybody else. The things I know that I’m already good at are to be used for others. I should use those to reach others for Jesus and be an ambassador of love in the world. If I’m not using my gifts the way God intended, then I’m really just wasting them. There are many people in the world that probably need my help. What am I going to do about it? Who am I going to help between now and when the story ends and eternity begins? I shouldn’t waste my God-given abilities, rather I need to use them to serve God by serving others.

It occurs to me that I should also be thankful for the gifts and abilities that God has given me. My thankfulness should affect my attitude and behavior. Because I believe in and follow Christ, I”ll be considered blameless when my life ends. One way I can use my talents and skills is to be a leader for a small Bible study group. This is something I have already set into motion. I should also consider how I should spend my time knowing that Jesus could return at any time. My perspective on life should change, being more thankful for what God has given me to use to help further his kingdom. I ask you Father for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I ask for in your Son Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.

 

To Know My Destiny, First Recognize My Gifts

In review of 1 Peter 4:10 I read, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (NLT)

My abilities should be used to faithfully serve others; they are not for my exclusive enjoyment. I am to discover my gifts and use them to help others. Meanwhile if I see a need, I should seek to meet it. 

Discovering what God created me for and what my destiny is very important.

The first thing I must do is recognize the gifts God has given me to use. These include the things I can’t control; such as my parents, nationality, race, and language. They also include my SHAPE; my spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. These are the things that make me uniquely me.

Now, I am not responsible for the gifts God didn’t give me. For instance, since I’m not artistically gifted, I am not expected to paint pictures like Rembrandt. However I am responsible for the ones he did give me.

When I get to heaven, God isn’t going to compare me with anyone else, but he will compare me with myself. What did I do with what I was given? What could I have done if I had trusted God a little bit more? Romans 14:12 says, “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (NIV).

God gave Esther a SHAPE uniquely designed to help her fulfill her destiny. As a result, “Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her . . . she won [the king’s] favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:15, 17 NIV).

Like Esther God has given me gifts for a purpose. And just like Esther, I have a responsibility to be a good steward of those gifts. They are not just for my benefit. God gave them to me for the benefit of others.

When I discover my gifts and determine to use them for good, God can use me, just like he used Esther, for his purposes on Earth.

In summary, God has given me a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. I am to use them well to serve others. It’s important to discover my gifts and use them to help. Meanwhile if I see a need, I should seek to meet it. The first thing is recognize the gifts God has given me to use. These include the things I can’t control and my SHAPE; those things that make up my spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. These are the things that make me uniquely me. The good news is that I am not responsible for the gifts God didn’t give me, but I am responsible for the ones he did give me. At the end of my life, God isn’t going to compare me with anyone else, but he will compare me with myself. What did I do with what I was given? What could I have done if I had trusted God a little bit more? God has given me gifts for a purpose. I have a responsibility to be a good steward of those gifts. They are not just for my benefit. God gave them to me for the benefit of others. When I discover my gifts and determine to use them for good, God can use me for his purposes on Earth.

I should create a list of all the gifts God has given me, along with my SHAPE and the things you can’t control. Then consider, “What has God given me to use for good?” What is one way I can use these gifts for good this week?

Father thank you for this reminder, especially as I begin to prepare for my next job. I ask you for wisdom and guidance as I prepare. I also ask for wisdom today with my current work, my leadership and my interaction with others. I pray these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.