Chapter 30- I was shaped for serving God
Verse to remember - God works through different men in different ways, but is the same God who achieves his purpose through them all. 1 Cor 12:6
Question to consider- In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?
How God shapes me for ministry:
Spiritual gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experience
“Your spiritual gifts were not given for your own benefit but for the benefit of others”
I love people and I thrive on interacting with them in a real way. I am not a social butterfly and I do not care about small talk or superficial chit chat. I love to talk about matters of the heart. I am compelled to know people for who they are. I like to find ways to connect to others so I can share my faith. I love to tell people about who Jesus is to me. I would love to help lead new Christians into a deeper understanding of discipleship and how to walk the walk. I love to preach and teach Gods word and encourage others.
Chapter 31- Nobody can be like me
Verse to remember- God has given each of you some special abilities, be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others Gods many kinds of blessings 1 Peter 4:10
Question to consider- What God given ability or personal experience can I offer to my church?
According to the book I have been shaped by the following experiences
Family
Educational
Vocational
Spiritual
Ministry
Painful
I love to encourage people. I am an extrovert and I thrive on human contact. I love to communicate with people both in person as well as through the written word. I like to write short stories and articles about those things that are near and dear to my heart. I feel compelled to be transparent in my writing as I share the events of my life with others. I want people to know who Jesus is and how he is changing me from the inside. I want to teach others what I have learned through experiences and reading Gods word. I have a natural attraction towards computer technology and electronics. I love photography and capturing moments on film.
Chapter 32- God deserves my best
Verse to remember- do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth 2 Tim 2:15
Question to consider- How can I make the best use of what God has given me?
I need to prioritize my time more efficiently and find opportunities of service. I need to learn how to take what I already know and walk ti out in my life in practical ways. I need to ask God to open up doors of opportunity where I can use my spiritual gifts , abilities and experiences to minister to the needs of others. I need to stop comparing my life and ministry to other people and run the race that God has enabled me to run.
Chapter 33- I serve God by serving others
Verse to remember- If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers; you shall surely be rewarded Matt 10:42
Question to consider - which of the 6 characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to me?
“We serve God by serving others”
“God shaped you for service, not for self centeredness”
“You can tell what they are by what they do”
The six characteristics of a servant are
Available to serve
Pay attention to needs
Do the best with what you have
Do every task with equal dedication
Faithful to ministry
Maintain a low profile
Being available to serve is probably the number one problem out of all 6 characteristics. If I were honest with myself I would admit that there are times that I struggle with each of these characteristics.
I live in a materialistic world that determines my value and identity by what I own and what I am able to do. You are someone if you live there, drive that and belong to this organization and have this amount of wealth. We are constantly bombarded by marketing of all types that tells us that we need all sorts of junk. Our wants have destroyed our perception of real needs and therefore we spend most of our time pursuing things, wealth and status. I can not serve God as much as I should because of bad financial decisions, debt, poor time management and the pursuit to be entertained during what little free time I do have.
On page 259 of this book there is a quote by John Wesley and it says the following
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can” John Wesley
OUCH and double OUCH… That hurts
That means that I should pursue opportunities to do good and serve others every opportunity I get. Serving others will never be convenient or fun until God changes our hearts and gives us the desire to serve others above our own needs and happiness. Instead of looking for one opportunity per day to be good to someone I should never stop looking to serve others.
Chapter 34- To be a servant I must think like a servant
Verse to remember- your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus Phillipians 2:5
Question to consider - Am I usually more concerned about being served or finding ways to serve others?
If a need crosses my path that I can meet I usually do what I can. Do I go out of my way or inconvenience myself to see or find needs? The answer to that is no. I need to be more sensitive to others needs and be more willing to make myself available to meet some of those needs.
“Service starts in your mind”
“servants think more about others than about themselves”
“servants think like stewards, not owners”
“servants think about their work, not what others are doing”
“servants base their identity in Christ”
“servants think of ministry as opportunity , not an obligation”
Chapter 35- God works best when I admit my weaknesses
Verse to remember- My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor 12:9a
Question to consider- Am I limiting Gods power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses? What do I need to be honest about in order to help others?
Yes, I am sure that I sometimes limit Gods power in my life. I am proud and sometimes arrogant. At times in my life I have been told this and my defense was that I am not arrogant but self confident. I am just very confident in my abilities.
When does self confidence turn into pride and arrogance? Can one be self confident and humble at the same time? At a very early age I rebelled against my parents authority and excessive abusive behavior towards me . I went out into the world determined to escape the abuse and do things “my way”. Life taught me some very hard lessons and I quickly realized that my parents did posses a certain amount of worldly wisdom that I if I had followed it some of my lifes lessons might not have been so painful.
Thanks to the school of hard knocks I learned at a very young age to be a survivor.
My support system most of the time was me, I and myself. I did not have a close relationship with a parent figure, mentor or friend who could speak truth into my life , give me guidance or allow me to be vulnerable to them. My nature was and still is to some degree to just “handle it” myself. I want people to think that “everything is under control”. I sometimes think that if I were to be vulnerable to people that I would be viewed as a “whiner”, “weakling” or “cry baby” that needs to just “suck it up”. It is easier for me to communicate my true feelings and struggles in writing than it is for me to be vulnerable to the fellowship of believers I go to church with.
I suppose that because I do not share with others the things that go on in my heart that they assume all is well and therefore they do not need to pursue me in an effort to connect with me. I am task and results oriented and when the feedback level is low or non existent I become discouraged and find it difficult to pursue moments of connectivity with other people. I wonder how many people feel the same way as I do? Ships passing in the night with no apparent problems or needs…..
James Moffitt
http://www.jesus-connect.net/jcmoffitt
moffittj@bellsouth.net
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