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Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)
Suppose you had a very important job to do and money was no object. Would you settle for some inexpensive tool to complete the job or would you search for the very best tool available to complete the task?
No doubt the answer to this question would be something like, “The best tool available of course! I’d want to do the very best job and I’d spare nothing to get the best tool for it.”
Your Heavenly Father feels the same way. He has a job to do. His job is to tell the world all about his great love for others. He wants to let people of all ages, races and ethnic groups to know that he longs to spend eternity with them. He sees people struggling with addictions, relational difficulties, financial ruin and abuse that he is the great healer and wants to touch them with his hand of love. He wants people struggling with the effects of illness and natural disasters that he has everything under control.
So, what tool does the Almighty, creator-God of the universe have at his disposal to get the word out about his great love, mercy and forgiveness? You. Yep. You read that right. You are the best tool God has to accomplish this great work.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, “He could never use me. I’m not very talented; or have too many mistakes in my past; or have too many other things going on in my life right now to be used by God.”
All that is simply untrue by the way. God’s great plan for all mankind, no matter where they are in life, is to show them his great love and forgiveness. His best tool for that is people. Peter tells us that every one of us has gifts to be used for his glory. No gift is more important than any other.
You may be blessed by being the leader of a huge ministry that reaches thousands of people for Christ. You may have a day-care in your home. You may be flipping burgers at a local fast food joint or cleaning restrooms at a shopping mall. Where ever you are in life, God has given you gifts to be used for his glory.
Don’t let your past keep you from helping others with their future. Don’t let society lead you to believe what you do isn’t important. You are your Father’s best hope for telling others of your love. The things you do today may very well change someone’s life for eternity.
PRAYER: Father God. I’m so unworthy of your great love. There are so many times I feel weak, inadequate for the task ahead of me or simply unimportant. So many times I get too busy to think of others and how I can make a difference. Thank you for gifting me with things I can do to help others. Empower me with your Spirit to proudly use the gifts you’ve given me for your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
Ten reasons it’s better to follow God’s way instead of man’s way:
- God has my interests as the number one priority in His life. Even though there are billions of people in the world, God is big enough and powerful enough to give me His undivided attention. He wants me to succeed above all else!
- God is the only one that knows my true potential. Others may see me as a failure or measure me by standards they have set for themselves. I may have bought into that mentality as well, thinking I can never be financially strong, build strong relationships, be a good parent, and be a good spouse. God knows better. He made me just as I am. He knows what I can do if I let Him have complete control of my life.
- God understands my fears. Fear of failure is the biggest thing that keeps us from moving out of our comfort zone. Even our closest friends may not be able to understand how strong that fear is. God knows. He looks on my heart. Some people may try to dismiss our fears as unwarranted and silly. Our fears aren’t unwarranted to God. He understands and wants to build His confidence in me.
- God doesn’t change His mind. Isn’t it frustrating when you ask advice from people and act on it only to have them say “You know, I think you should go this direction instead”? God won’t do that. He has your life already planned out. All of your tomorrows are in His hands. If He leads you in a direction He won’t second-guess Himself.
- God isn’t ever wrong. NEVER! Nothing more needs to be said. If we believe God to be who we think He is we have to accept the fact that He knows better and is never wrong.
- God knows what works. Thomas Edison once said “The only people who have never failed are those who have never tried anything new”. Who better to bounce ideas and dreams off of than the creator of the universe? Because we are His number one desire He will never lead us into failure. Many times, if we look back, we will see that the things we thought were failures were really stepping stones God used for later success. He can even use our poor choices for His good if we turn to Him.
- God gives me the resources for success. God loves me. He wants me to succeed. He will never lead me into a situation where I don’t have the gifts to accomplish what He wants in my life.
- God isn’t unrealistic in His expectations. Since He has given me gifts to accomplish what He wants for me and knows my potential then I can know that the things He wants me to do are totally within the realm of possibility.
- God’s rules protect me, not Him. Sometimes we may feel God’s rules are confining. Others may say that they won’t follow God because there are too many rules. Belief in God isn’t about rules, it’s about relationship. The things God asks of us are for our own protection and our own good. As a loving Father He only wants His best for us.
- Following God leads to fulfillment NOT frustration. Following people is frustrating. Everyone has their own ideas of what works, what is right, how others should act or react. Trying to follow all those ‘ideas’ can lead to frustration. Turning our lives completely over to God allows Him to bring us a peace that passes all understanding.
PRAYER: Father God, there are so many times when I’m swayed by the words of men and women. Sometimes, even though these people are well meaning they don’t understand me and how I work. I thank you that You understand me. You believe in me completely and want more than anything else to see me live a fulfilled life. Help me to grow in knowledge of you and to follow your ways. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 