Using My Spiritual Gifts to Bless Others

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 I read, “There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.” (GW)

When I know what I’m shaped to be, then I know what I ought to be, and I can start focusing on that and make better use of my life.

The moment I step across the line spiritually and begin following Jesus, I say, “I’m going to go God’s way, not my own way. I’m going to let him direct my life. I want to follow God’s purpose, not my purpose. I’m going to do what I was wired and made to do.”

After I take that step, God does four things for me: He forgives me, he gives me eternal life, he gives me the Holy Spirit, and he gives me special abilities.

In the Bible, these special abilities are called spiritual gifts, which makes them different from material or physical gifts. They are the abilities I need to get the job done that God wants me to do. Most people who are believers don’t even know they’ve got spiritual gifts, much less what they are. But I have them!

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person” (GW).

God has a purpose for my life, and my spiritual gifts are the equipment he gives me to do what he asks me to do. God will never ask me to do something he doesn’t give me the ability to do. It’s given to me the moment I accept Christ. I don’t get to choose my gift. I don’t earn my gift.

It’s also not for my benefit. My spiritual gifts are given to me to help others. And other people in the church family are given their gifts to help me.

When I use my spiritual gift, the people in my church get blessed. When we develop and use our spiritual gifts, we all get blessed.

To get that blessing and make the most of your life, I need to figure out how God shaped me and what spiritual gifts he gave me.

In summary, there are different gifts, different ways of serving and different types of work to do. They come from the same Spirit and the Lord. When I know what I’m shaped to be, then I know what I ought to be, and I can start focusing on that and make better use of my life. The moment I stepped across the line spiritually and began following Jesus, God did four things for me: He forgave me, he gave me eternal life, he gave me the Holy Spirit, and he gave me special abilities. These special abilities are called spiritual gifts. They are the abilities I need to get the job done that God wants me to do. God has a purpose for my life, and my spiritual gifts are the equipment he gives me to do what he asks. God will never ask me to do something he doesn’t give me the ability to do. I don’t get to choose or  earn my gift, and it’s also not for my benefit. My spiritual gifts are given to me to help others. And other people in the church family are given their gifts to help me. To get that blessing and make the most of your life, I need to figure out how God shaped me and what spiritual gifts he gave me.

God is completely involved in giving, using, and empowering of gifts. While my specific gifts and acts of service may vary from others, they will have the most effect when I use them to help build up the body of Christ and others. God has created a unique place for me in the body of the church and in people's lives. Part of my adventure will involve discovering and then using and making my service available to God. Serving God and his people should be my motivation as I utilize the gifts he has given me. 

Lord, 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 continue to discover my SHAPE so that I can 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 ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Even My Weaknesses Can Bring Glory to God

In Romans 9:20 I read, “My friend, I ask, ‘Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did?’” (CEV)

Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences—these are the five things that make me, me. They are called my SHAPE.

Accepting my SHAPE—the unique way God made me to bring glory to him, means to believe God knows best. It all comes down to a matter of trust. Do I believe God made a mistake when he made me? Or do I trust him, knowing he has a plan for my life?

Many of us make these kinds of statements to God: There are things I don’t like about myself. I wish I had a different hair color. I wish I were taller, shorter, skinnier. I wish I had more talent. I wish I could do ‘that.’ I wish I looked like him. I wish I had her smarts. And on and on our lists go.

This kind of thinking is basically telling God, “You blew it! Everybody else is okay. But you goofed up when you made me.”

When I reject myself, I am in essence rejecting God, because he’s my Creator. When I don’t accept myself, it's a rebellion against God. I’m saying, “God, I know better than you. You should have made me differently, with a different set of strengths and a different set of weaknesses.”

But God says, “No, I created you exactly the way you are because I want you to be you, with your strengths and your weaknesses. All of it can give me glory, if you’ll just start doing what I made you, to do, instead of trying to be like everybody else.”

I’m learning that It’s actually quite arrogant to reject myself. The Bible says in Romans 9:20, “My friend, I ask, ‘Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did?’” (CEV).

Whenever I doubt God’s love and wisdom, I get into trouble. The root behind many of life’s problems is that I don’t trust God. I don’t believe God really loves me. I don’t believe he really has my best interest at heart. I wish he had made me something different. As a result, I have a spirit of bitterness that produces frustration and keeps me from being the person God wants me to be.

But I don’t have to live that way, there is hope! Job 10:10 says, “You guided my conception and formed me in the womb” (NLT). God wanted me, and he loves me. He shaped me just the way I am for his glory. Believe it, and then trust it!

In summary, I have no right to question God. Accepting my SHAPE, the unique way God made me to bring glory to him, means to believe God knows best. It all comes down to a matter of trust. Do I believe God made a mistake when he made me? Or do I trust him, knowing he has a plan for my life? There are things I don’t like about myself. This kind of thinking is basically telling God, “You blew it! Everybody else is okay. But you goofed up when you made me.” When I reject myself, I am in essence rejecting God, because he’s my Creator. When I don’t accept myself, it's a rebellion against God. I’m saying, “God, I know better than you. God says, “No, I created you exactly the way you are because I want you to be you, with your strengths and your weaknesses. All of it can give me glory, if you’ll just start doing what I made you, to do, instead of trying to be like everybody else.” The root behind many of life’s problems is that I don’t trust God. I don’t believe God really loves me. I don’t believe he really has my best interest at heart. And I have a spirit of bitterness that produces frustration and keeps me from being the person God wants me to be. But I don’t have to live that way, there is hope! God wanted me, and he loves me. He shaped me just the way I am for his glory. Believe it, and then trust it!

The Creator has control over the created object. The created object, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator. It's very existence depends on him. Keeping this perspective can help remove any temptation for me to have pride in personal achievement.

Lord, 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 not question or compare myself to others, so that I can 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 ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

God Shaped Me for Work

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 I read, “There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.” (GW)

In architecture, form follows function. Tell me what you want to use the building for, and I’ll tell you how to build it. But in human beings, it’s the exact opposite. Function follows form.

Figure out how God shaped wired me. Learn what he’s given me in my SHAPE—your Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experience. Then I’ll know what I’m supposed to do with my life.

God didn’t put me here on Earth without giving me a life’s work. My life’s work may be my job, career, or how I serve my community. Work is a part of God’s purpose for my life.

I’m not on this planet just to be a placeholder and use up resources. I’m here to make a contribution. My contribution is based on my SHAPE.

God never gives me work to do without giving me the means to do it. That’s why I have spiritual gifts and the other parts of my SHAPE. But they’re lying dormant in me until I decide to discover them and develop them.

Many surveys have shown most Americans are in the wrong job; they’re in jobs they’re not shaped to do! They’re in jobs primarily for economic reasons or for status—not because the job is fulfilling, they’re good at it, or they’re shaped for it.

If I’m in a job that’s not using the SHAPE God has given me, then ask him to open the door to another job. Life is too short not to do work that fits with who I was made to be. While I’m waiting, look for ways to serve my community in a way that expresses my SHAPE.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person” (GW).

Knowing my SHAPE helps me answer some of life’s biggest questions: What’s God’s will for my life? What does God want me to do with my life? What kind of job or career should I have? What should be my ministry? What should be my mission in the world?

My SHAPE explains where I should be heading. My SHAPE helps shape my work.

In summary, There are different spiritual gifts and different ways of serving, but they come from the same Spirit. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person. In architecture, form follows function. But in humans, it’s the exact opposite. Function follows form. I need to figure out how God shaped and wired me, then I’ll know what I’m supposed to do with my life. God didn’t put me here on Earth without giving me a life’s work. Work is a part of God’s purpose for my life. I’m not on this planet just to be a placeholder and use up resources. I’m here to make a contribution. What I’m learning is that my contribution is based on my SHAPE. God never gives me work to do without giving me the means to do it. That’s why I have spiritual gifts and the other parts of my SHAPE. But they’re lying dormant in me until I decide to discover them and develop them. If I’m in a job that’s not using the SHAPE God has given me, then I need to ask him to open the door to another job. Life is too short not to do work that fits with who I was made to be. While I’m waiting, I need to look for ways to serve my community in a way that expresses my SHAPE. Knowing my SHAPE helps me answer some of life’s biggest questions: What’s God’s will for my life? What does God want me to do with my life? What kind of job or career should I have? What should be my ministry? What should be my mission in the world? My SHAPE explains where I should be heading. My SHAPE helps shape my work.

God is completely involved in giving, using, and empowering of gifts. While my specific gifts and acts of service may vary from others, they will have the most effect when I use them to help build up the body of Christ - his church. God has created a unique place for me in the body of the church. Part of my exciting adventure will involve discovering and using and making my service available to God. Serving God and his people should be my motivation as I utilize the gifts he has given me. 

Lord, 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 continue to discover my SHAPE so that I can 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 ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

What’s the Big Deal About Understanding and Using My SHAPE?

In Isaiah 43:7 I read, “Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (NCV)

The acrostic called SHAPE is the way God wired me for my life. Every area of my life is influenced by the way I’m shaped.

My SHAPE is made up of my Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. These are the five things that make me who I am.

No one else has my particular combination of gifts, talents, and passions. Why do I think I have my particular makeup? Because God gave it to me for his glory. If all Christians liked to do the same things and were good at the same things, we would accomplish a lot less for the Gospel in the world.

So God made me unique, and there’s nobody else like me. My SHAPE is mine alone. Why does this matter?

My SHAPE reveals God’s purpose for me. I find out what God wants me to do with my life by discovering how he shaped me. But here’s the thing: God won’t force me to do his plan. I can waste my life. I can use it on all kinds of personal, self-centered things and end up missing God’s purpose for me. In fact, most people do. That’s a tragedy. And it’s also why so many people are so frustrated! They’re trying to be something somebody else wants them to be rather than what God wants them to be.

My SHAPE equips me to serve God. God has a life mission for me that nobody else on this planet can do. Maybe I’ve missed that mission. Maybe I’ve missed serving God. But I can start today and make the rest of my life the best of my life. God will never ask me to do anything in life that he hasn’t already given me the ability to do.

My SHAPE prepares me for a life in heaven. As a follower of Jesus, this life is preparation for the next life in heaven. God says, “This is a test. I’m testing you to see what you will do with what you’ve been given on Earth. Based on that, I will determine what I give you to do in heaven for eternity.”

My SHAPE shows God’s glory. When I use my SHAPE and do what God made me to do, it not only feels good, but it also makes God smile. I am only fully alive when I live connected to God and according to the way he created me. God smiles when he looks down and sees me using the talents that he gave me for his glory.

Isaiah 43:7 says, “Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made” (NCV). God made me, to enjoy me!

When I wonder why I am the way I am, remember that God gave me my particular SHAPE. Take time to discover and live in it. My SHAPE will help me understand God’s purpose for me, serve God effectively, prepare for life in heaven, and show God’s glory!

In summary, God wants and has a purpose for me. He made me for his glory. The acrostic called SHAPE is the way God wired me for my life. Every area of my life is influenced by the way I’m shaped. My SHAPE is made up of my Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. No one else has my particular combination of these. God gave these to me for his glory. So God made me unique, unlike anybody else. My SHAPE reveals God’s purpose for me. I find out what God wants me to do with my life by discovering how he shaped me. God will never force me to do his plan. I can waste my life. This is why so many people are so frustrated! They’re trying to be something somebody else wants them to be rather than what God wants them to be. My SHAPE equips me to serve God. God has a life mission for me that nobody else can do. If I’ve missed it so far, I can start today and make the rest of my life the best of my life. God will never ask me to do anything in life that he hasn’t already given me the ability to do. My SHAPE prepares me for a life in heaven. As a follower of Jesus, this life is preparation for the next life in heaven. This life is a test to see what you will do with what you’ve been given on Earth. Based on that, God will determine what he gives to do in heaven for eternity. My SHAPE shows God’s glory. When I use my SHAPE and do what God made me to do, it not only feels good, but it also makes God smile. 

God gave me my particular SHAPE. I need to take time to discover and live in it. My SHAPE will help me understand God’s purpose for me, serve Him effectively, prepare me for life in heaven, and show God’s glory!

Lord, 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 continue to discover my SHAPE so that I can fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance 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 ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.