Tag: Gifts

You make a choice each day – and it matters

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

You make a choice each day – and it matters

 

You have a choice every day: choose to follow God and His commandments and receive blessings, or don’t and suffer the consequences. (Duet 30:15) This is both a threat…and a promise.

We live in a fallen world and need God’s help to get through it. You can limit God’s ability to help you by how you live your life: your thoughts, your words, your actions matter. Sin separates us from the father, His protection, and His blessings. (Isaiah 59:2)

What is He expecting ?

Love God first and foremost – He is the source of everything Good. He put you here. He loves you. He gave is only begotten son to save you. Learn about Him. Get to know Him personally. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Do what He says. Follow His commandments. Let Him lead you.

Love thy neighbor – Think of every other person on this planet as a beloved child of God, each struggling in a fallen world. Be kind, be patient, bring love and forgiveness into every situation. He put you here for reason. He wants you to be a living example…to shine as a beacon for the kingdom. Become His love in action, His arms and legs on this earth. You are the body of Christ, Let Him live through you.

Deny yourself – Remove selfish / self-serving agendas. This life is not about you, it is about how you can get over yourself and become of service to others. Put the old self behind you and put on the new self. Die to sin, be born again into life. Present yourself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. Focus your thoughts and actions around how to be useful to others. It is not about having things, it is about how you can use what you have can be helpful to others.

Pick up your cross. Don’t let sin against you become sin in you. Forgive them for they know not what they do. Live this life worthy of the price Jesus paid for it.

Remember you will stand before Him and be held accountable for how you chose to live this life: your thoughts, your words, your actions, how you spent your time.

How do you treat others? Do you build them up, or tear them down in your mind and through your words. Your words matter.

Do you let issues from the past linger and bog you down or do you focus on today and find ways to be a blessing to others. Forgive and forget. He forgives you so you can forgive others. Move forward!

How are you leveraging the gifts and talents He gave you, are you squandering them or nurturing them and leveraging them to help others. What you do with your life matters.

You have a choice today. Make the most of it!

My two cents for what it is worth.

Supporting scriptures:

Your actions can limit God’s ability to help you.

“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power”. (Psalm 78: 41-43)

Sin separates you from God – and his ability to help you

“…your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

You have a choice every day – Put God first and follow His commandments or suffer the consequences

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. (Deut 30:15-18)

Put sin behind you and become a living sacrifice to God

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

You are not saved by faith alone… how you chose to live your life really matters

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelation 21:12)

 

Example Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you.  You are the source of everything good in this world. I thank you for this life and for never giving up on me. Thank you for forgiving me so i can focus on the future. I thank you for filling me with your holy spirit. I thank you for fathering me, for teaching me, for coaching me. I thank you for helping me find the path you set for me. Thank you for continuing to help me remove my selfish sellf-centered agendas.  Thank you for helping me get ME out of the way so your love can flow through me. Thank you for helping me forgive others and moving forward. Thank you for helping me be a blessing to every person i come in contact with today. Thank you for helping me find more and more ways to be useful and to be of service to others.  Thank you for helping me shine in the darkness of this fallen world. AMEN.

 

 

Finding God’s purpose for my life

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

How can I find God’s purpose for My life?  

 

Thought for the day: He has a purpose for you, He will help you find it, and help you pursue it if you let Him.

His direction or for your life can be found at the intersection of the passions in your heart and the gifts/talents in your brain and body. Your passion shows you Where to focus your attention, your skills show you How; They give you a way to engage in the world and be useful. Head in the general direction of your passion, develop the skills He gave you, apply yourself to the opportunities that emerge, stay on the high road, and He will guide your steps as you go.

Key points and supporting scriptures: 

  • HE has a plan for you.
    • “all the days fashioned for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16)
  • HE knew you before He sent you here.
    • “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5)
  • HE formed you in your mothers’ womb.
    • “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
  • HE continues to form us as we go through life – as a potter works a clay pot.
    • “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)
  • We can start to figure out His intentions if we notice the unique gifts we have been given – talents / capabilities. These are the things that come easily to us; These are the things that stand out and others notice as special in us: Physical capabilities, Mechanical aptitudes, Mental capabilities, Social Skills, etc.
    • “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17)
  • He expects us to prudently use the gifts (talents/capabilities) He provided to serve others in his kingdom; this provides a return on His investment in us.
    • “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
  • All gifts come in seed form and must be planted in good soil and nurtured before the develop, mature and bear fruit.
    • “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground…; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”  (Mark 4:3-8)
  • We have been given affections – interests / passions. These are the things that excite us, inspire us, and give us fulfillment as we pursue them: Save the planet, Help people, Build things, Read a book, See the world, Lead a team, etc.
    • “..for it is God who works in you both to willand to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13)
  • His plan for each of us involves being useful to others.
    • “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Ephesians 2:10)
  • There are many ways to engage and be useful.
    • “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Cor 12:4)
  • God will help you as soon as you start pursuing the purpose He intends for you.
    • “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
  • Once you start moving in the right direction, he will guide your specific steps. Look for His hand in your life (People, Places, Opportunities, Unique timing)
    • “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
    • “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)
  • Even if you have not found your ultimate purpose, Always apply yourself to something useful; doing something useful is always better than doing nothing.
    • “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4)
  • Do the best job you can in every situation, even if just for Him. He will reward you in the long run.
    • “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)
    • “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
  • Stay on the high road at all times. He gave us two key rules, the great commandments: Love God with all your heart, Love your neighbor as yourself.
    • “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
  • Avoid self-centered selfish agendas which lead to sin and dishonorable actions as they will get in your way. Your choices affect you, they can affect your ability to be useful to others, and they can affect God’s ability to use you.
    • Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
    • “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-21)
  • When faced with challenges, ask for Help via prayer. Humble yourself, state your intention, state what you see as a need, and Ask for His help to see the path forward. Then watch and listen carefully for His answer and follow where He leads you.

My prayer:

Heavenly father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for this life and the plans you have for me.  Thank you for the gifts and talents that you have given me; Help me to nurture them and find good ways to apply them to bring goodness to your kingdom. Help me to see the opportunities you present in front of me and to engage with them. Help me to learn and grow through this journey. Help me to cast aside my selfish self-centered tendencies and focus on flowing your love out to others through my thoughts and actions. Help me to find ways to serve you and your kingdom as I grow in capability and experience.  May my life become a bright beacon for you and your kingdom. I ask this in Jesus Holy name. AMEN. 

Supporting Graphic

Conclusion:

Life is a journey, It is amazing how much better the journey goes when you know He put you here for a reason, He is with you and Helping you as you go. Find the direction He had in mind for you and start moving that way, things will start to come together for you.

Hope this helps. Leave a comment about what you have learned about God’s purpose for your life.