Day 35: God’s power in your weakness

..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
So Germany lost the Euro Cup to Spain. But the Spanish played better than the Germans. =( Media Markt no discount. Roy said Media Markt offering €100 discount per goal in the finale for goods more than €500 in the past. Wow?

Anyway, Diablo 3: Gameplay trailer is out. Blizzard Entertainment © will kill the gaming world this year by 2 gigantic projects? Starcraft III and Diablo III. Both using the same so-called “step-up-step-down” technology. Cool~
Anyway, I will update photos about my weekend trip with my church members, in the next post maybe. Too much to do, no?
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Day 35: God’s power in your weakness

We all have flaws and weaknesses, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. There are also some unforeseen circumstances that weaken you, for example relationships problems, financial limitations, relational limitations etc. It is not about how many weaknesses we have – it is about what you do with them. Normally people will deny, hide resent, excuse, and defend them. All of these prevent God from using them the way he wants.

So what does God wants through our weaknesses? But firstly, we must know that our weaknesses are not an accident too. God built them in us so that He can demonstrate His power through you. He is drawn to people who are weak but admit it. In the Bible we see a lot of people who are imperfect and ordinary. But those are the one who God uses to do extraordinary things in spite of their weaknesses. None of use is flawless.

If you think about the limitations in your life, you might say, “God could never use me.” But God enjoys putting His greatness into ordinary containers. A Bible verse says:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:7

We are fragile and easily broken. But God will use us if we allow Him to work through our weaknesses.

Admit your weaknesses. You are not a perfect person. Stop thinking how superior you are and be honest about yourself. This is something that I wanted to learn. There was a day when I burnt my pizza. Smoke came out from the oven. Some German guys from upstairs came down from the 3^rd floor, asking anyone burnt anything. When they asked me, I denied it. Till now, I felt uneasy about it. Ego and the fear of making mistakes led me to lie. I really wish that God can help me overcome it. Teach me to be humble and admit my mistakes, my weaknesses.

If you want God to use you, you must know who God is and know who you are.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Be content with your weaknesses. In Bible it says:

…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

In other ways to put it, it says that “God, I believe You love me and know what’s best for me.”

There are lots of reasons why we should be content with our inborn weaknesses:

1. They cause us to depend on God. When we are weak, God is reminding us to depend on Him.

2. They prevent arrogance. They keep us humble. Gideon recruited 32,000 armies to fight Midianites. But God reduced them to 300, making the ratio became 1:450 of 135,000 enemy troops. And God let them win, so that they would know it’s God’s power and not their own strength.

3. They encourage fellowship between believers. Our limitations show our need of each other. They made us to unite.

Christians, like snowflakes, are frail, but when they stick together they can stop traffic.
Vance Havner

4. They increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry. God wants us to have a Christlike ministry on earth. It means other people can go to find healing in your wounds. Deepest hurts are the part where your most effective ministry will show. The things we are most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, and most reluctant to share are the very tools God can use most powerfully to heal others.

All God’s giants were weak people.
Hodson Taylor

Moses, Gideon, Abraham, Peter, David, John and many others were the examples for this claim. God can turn weaknesses into strengths.

He wants to take your greatest weakness and transform it.

Honestly share your weaknesses. Ministry begins with vulnerability. The more we be defenseless, take off our masks, share our pains and struggles, the more God will be able to use us in serving others. Paul shared a lot in his letters.

However, vulnerability is risky. We might get rejected when we reveal our failures, feelings, frustrations, and fear. But we must always remember that the benefits are worth the risk. It relieves stress, defuses fears, and it is the first step to freedom.

A lot people misunderstand the word “humility”. It is not putting down or denying your strengths; it is being honest about your weaknesses.

Vulnerability is an endearing quality; we are naturally drawn to humble people. Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts, and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

We must then decide whether we want to impress or to influence people. If you just want to impress people, you can do it from far. But if you want to influence them, you must get close to them, and this is where they will able to see your flaws. But remember, the most essential quality for leadership is not perfection, but credibility. Therefore, don’t pretend to be perfect.

Glory in your weaknesses. When Satan points out our weaknesses, agree with him but fill your heart with praise for Jesus, for He understands every weakness of ours, and for the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our weakness. Be willing to walk with your weaknesses, because those are who God will use.

Vincent

Day 34: Thinking like a servant

..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
A nice Bible quote given by my mentor to me:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
2 Timothy 4:12

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Day 34: Thinking like a servant

God always interested in why we do something rather than in what we do. Attitude counts more than achievements. This is why we need to think like a servant of God.
Servants think more about others than about themselves. They give priority to other people than themselves. This is true humility.

Not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Philippians 2:4 The Message

We stop focusing on our own needs and start to be aware of the needs around us. Jesus himself is the best example of this:

...but made himself [Jesus] nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:7

Jesus made himself nothing to be a servant. You can’t, therefore, be a servant if you are full of yourself. However, this is not what happened to this world. Many serve to get others to like us, to be admired, or to achieve certain personal goals. This is manipulation. The funny thing is that some even make barter-system bargain with God: “I’ll do this for you God, if you do something for me.” How funny is that, no? A servant bargains with the Master. This is more like you are the master than the servant.

The quality of self-forgetfulness is rare. Humility is a daily struggle, a lesson that we must relearn over and over again to overcome our selfish nature. Today you might overcome it, but tomorrow you might fall under it. However don’t be disappointed over it. These are the chances for you to practice your servanthood. Remember, self-denial is the core of servanthood.

If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life.
Matthew 5:41 The Message

Servant thinks like stewards, not owners.

Servanthood and stewardship is together, since God expects us to be trustworthy in both.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2

How well are you in handling the resources that God entrusted to you? Are you using them, or just hide them, just like the Story of Talents?

Out of all, money has the greatest potential to replace God in our life. After-I-achieve-my-financial-goal-then-I-will-serve-God decision is foolish. Failing to use wealth for God’s glory is a sin. In Bible God uses money to test our faithfulness as a servant.

If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
Luke 16:11

Rick Warren talked again about the Kingdom Builders and Wealth Builders. Both are gifted at making money. But only the Kingdom Builders change the rules of the game – they don’t just earn money for themselves no matter how much they make, they use the wealth to fund God’s churches and their missions in the world.

Servants think about their work, not what others are doing. They don’t go around and compare their works with each other. They don’t go around and criticize others. They don’t go around and compete with other servants of God. We are all in the same team; we all have the same goals; we all are given different assignments; we all are uniquely shaped. Why do we need to compete with one and another?

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 5:26

And besides, who are we to compare and criticize and provoke others? Who are we to evaluate the Master’s other servants?

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.
Romans 14:4

Your service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say.

Servants base their identity in Christ. We need not to prove our worth, for we are all loved and accepted by grace. All we need is to settle our identity in Christ. Do not fear of exposure of our weaknesses to others, because you will end up needing other people’s approval.

When we base our worth and identity on our relationship to Christ, we are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows us to really serve them best.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

We need not to show off our awards to validate our works. Status is unnecessary in servanthood. You need not to be ranked, and your worth is not measured by your achievements.

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
2 Corinthians 10:18

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They enjoy helping others, doing ministry and meeting the needs of others. We serve because we are grateful for God’s grace and we love our God. We know serving is the highest use of life. We also know that God has promised reward for us. He will not forget how hard we have worked to show our love towards him.

Vincent

Day 33: How real servants act

Day 33: How real servants act

In this world most of the people define greatness in terms of power, wealth, possessions, prestige, or position. But God disagree this concept. God determines our greatness by how many people we serve instead. Often we see books about leadership; everything teaches you how to be a leader. Everyone wants to lead other people; no one wants to be a servant.
Sometimes, when we go so far, when we come to so far, it’s wise to have a rest and ask ourselves: Are we growing to be more like Christ? Jesus himself showed us the example of being a servant.

While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

We need to have this heart to be a servant to keep ourselves from falling for temptations to misuse our shape just for our personal gain. God often tests us through asking us to serve not the way we are shaped. We should serve in area where you are needed at the moment, not only in the area of which you are shaped. The servant’s heart is very important, as it will reveal your maturity. What talent or gift is needed to help out in cleaning or arranging tables and chairs after a church meeting?

Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

So, how to be a real servant?
Real servants make themselves available to serve. They don’t give excuses just to avoid serving God. They are always being prepared to serve, so as a soldier always be prepared to be enlisted to protect his country. Serving only when you are convenient is not a real servant. A question to think about: Are we available to God at any time?

We don’t get to pick and choose when or where we will serve. That is what being a servant is all about – giving up the right to control your schedule and let God to plan for you instead. That is why, praying to God and invite Him to be the shepherd every morning is very helpful.

Real servants pay attention to needs. They always look out for ways to help others.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:10

When someone needs our help, just help him or her, for it is an opportunity given by God for you to grow in servanthood. Likewise, we should pay attention to your church family. Pay attention. We miss a lot chances for serving because of our lake of sensitivity and spontaneity. Chances don’t come often. Therefore, seize them when you have one. Don’t wait.

Do not say to your neighbor,
“I’ll come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow” -
when you now have it with you.
Proverbs 4:28

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 ever can.
John Wesley

Isn’t that powerful? It does not matter if what you are doing is big or small; God is watching it.

Real servants do their best with what they have. We don’t make excuses, procrastination. Instead we just do what needs to be done. During my first few times in Hoffnung Stuttgart I was quite doubtful, because I fear I am not good enough to serve. But no! It does not have to be perfect for God to use and bless. And this leads to the next point:

Real servants do every task with equal dedication. In other words, we do things with all of our heart.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not or men.
Colossian 3:23

And don’t ever think that yourself is much important than others.

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Galatians 6:3

We don’t have to look for the big stuffs to do for God. A small thing could be more significant than the big, when we do it with all of our heart.

Real servants are faithful to their ministry. They do everything, and they do not leave any job half undone. They don’t quit when facing discouragement. They are trustworthy and dependable. Not many people are truly faithful. I could not call myself a faithful one – There are a lot of promises that I did not keep, vows that I did not fulfill… This element is, however, important because God has promised to reward us for our faithfulness:

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Matthew 25:23

Real servants maintain a low profile. They do not show off what they have done. They keep them low. Jesus told us:

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:1

I learned again today that I should not be waiting for comments from her, him, you or anyone. I should not be discouraged when what I’m doing so far is unnoticed or taken for granted. It’s God’s work that a servant like me is doing. The Verse to Remember of today is very meaningful:

“If you give even a cup of gold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
Matthew 10:42 New Living Translation

Vincent

Day 32: Using what God gave you

..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
Although exam is coming near, later I’ll be going for vacation with my church friends.
*you all can go vacation, I also can… Grins*
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Day 32: Using what God gave you

What you are is God’s Gift to you;
what you do with yourself is your gift to God.
Danish proverb

God shaped you with purpose, and He expects us to make the most of what we have been given. Focus on the talents that He has given you.

When you attempt to serve God in ways you’re not shaped to serve, it feels like forcing a square peg into a round hole. It’s frustrating and produces limited results.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

To full use of what God has given us, we must discover your shape, learn to accept and enjoy it, and then develop it to its fullest potential.

Discover your shape

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:17

Don’t waste your day here on earth, start find out what God’s will is today.

Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities. Understand yourself – your good and bad. Make a list of it. Ask people around for their opinion about you. But you must inform them that you’re searching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment. We can confirm our spiritual gifts and natural abilities from others.

The best way to understand your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service. This is also what Stephanie, Jia Jin, and others suggested to me. Help out in various teams and you will see results, receive confirmation from others and realized “God has gifted me to do this!” Experimenting is, therefore, important.

Until you are actually involved in serving, you are not going to know what you are good at.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

We all have many hidden talents in us. What matters is just to the so-called “awaken” them. Try out things that you never try before, but of course, not sinning. Start serving, not to wait and draw charts or whatever to figure out your gifts before you serve. You will know yourself better along the way when you are serving. When it does not work out, call it an “experiment”, not a failure. One day, you will learn what you’re good at.

Consider your heart and your personality

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.
Galatians 6:4 The Message

Ask yourself if you really enjoy doing the work or not, when do you feel the most fully alive, what are you doing when you lose track of time? There are a lot of things you can ask yourself to understand yourself better. And then ask others if those are also what they see in you. This will help you understand yourself.
Examine your experiences and extract the lessons you have learned.

Forgotten experiences are worthless.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

We seldom realize what God’s good intention in every pain or failure or embarrassment while it is happening. It happens to every one of us. Often we do not see further than what we can see. This causes our faith to be weak too. Look far, look wide. But extracting the lessons from your experiences takes time. Pause and see how God has worked in your life. Consider how He wants to use those lessons to help others.

Accept and enjoy your shape
God knows what is the best for us. Therefore, don’t because of tiny stuffs you blame God for not providing what you want.

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
Romans 9:20-21

Don’t reject what God has shaped you; He has his own purpose for that. Instead, we should celebrate the shape God has given specially to you.

Part of accepting your shape is recognizing your limitations. No one is perfect, else he will be God.

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.
2 Corinthians 10:13

Therefore, know the boundary – the field, or the sphere of service. We do not run to a different lane during a running competition.

… and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1

Focus on your shape, and enjoy using it. Satan will often try to steal the joy of service by tempting you to compare your ministry with others, and conform you ministry to the expectations of others. Don’t fall for it. In fact in Bible we are warned not to compare with each other:

Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.
Galatians 6:4

There are 2 reasons why we should not compare ourselves to another:
1. You will always find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you and you will become discouraged.
2. You will always find someone who doesn’t seem as effective as you and you will get full of pride.

Both of these take you out of service and rob your joy. It is foolish to compare ourselves to other people.
Paul always faces with critics and misunderstanding about his service. His respond, however, is always the same: Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God’s commendation. This is also why God used Paul so greatly.

If my life is fruitless, it doesn’t matter who praises me; and if my life fruitful, it doesn’t matter who criticizes me.
John Bunyan

Keep developing your shape
Jesus’ parable about the story of talents shows that God expects us to make the most of what He gives us. We need to use our shapes to be more effective in our service. It’s the same like exercising your muscles: If you don’t exercise them often, they weaken and atrophy. Likewise you will lose abilities and skills God has given you. From the same story of talents, we learned that God will increase the talents that we have. Through practice our gifts can be enlarged. Therefore, don’t settle down with your gifts. Then can be expanded. Take advantages of every training opportunity to develop you shape and sharpen your serving skills.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
1 Corinthians 9:25

I am going for the eternal crown. What about you?

Vincent

Day 31: Understanding your shape

..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
Tough time ahead. Be ready. Pray faithfully.
Qi Hao, you can do it! =)
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Day 31: Understanding your shape

We are the only one who has the same character in ourselves. This is the unique of all of us, created by God. Let’s continue on the SHAPE.

SHAPE: Applying your abilities
Abilities are the natural talents we were born with. A fact is that God gives us various abilities: Some can play good piano (hu hu, don’t dare to be specific – a lot, no? :P), some can give powerful and strong preaches (Steffen, Joash…), some have natural athletic abilities and very outstanding in sports, some are good in studies… and the list goes on.

All of our abilities come from God.
Since they are all from God, they are as important and as “spiritual” as your spiritual gifts. Just that the abilities were given to you at birth.

The common excuse that many give for not serving is “I just don’t have any abilities to offer”. This is not true. We are all given abilities and they are all stored inside you – you need to find them out!

A brain can store 100 trillion facts; a mind can handle 15,000 decisions per second; nose can smell up to 10,000 different odors; your touch can detect an item 1/25000^th of an inch thick; your tongue can taste one part of quinine in 2 million parts of water. Just as amazing as God is, you yourself hold incredible abilities that are given by God.

Every ability can be used for God’s glory.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

In the Bible we see various people of various abilities being used by God for His glory.

There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service.
1 Corinthians 12:6 Today’s English Version

God has prepared in His church where our specialties can shine and we can make a difference. So find that place. If we have business ability to earn a lot, realize your ability came from God and give Him the credit. Use your business to serve a need of others and to share your faith with unbelievers. Return at least a tithe (10%) of the profit to God as an act of worship. Make your goal to be kingdom builder rather than wealth builder.
What I’m able to do, God wants me to do.

You are the only person on earth who can use your abilities.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

No one else can take over your place, because we are all uniquely created by God. Examine what we are good at, and what we are weak at. Only this way we can discover God’s will for our lives. In other words, God will not ask you to do what you have no talent for. God won’t ask you to be a singer if He did not give you the ability to produce wonderful tune. Likewise in studies, if it is not God’s given ability, you won’t be getting scholarship to study abroad. It really motivated me a lot. Well, the thing I am trying to discover now is badminton. I wonder what God wants me to do with it, for His glory. Maybe it is a testimony that God is real and He answers prayers, like in MGSS Badminton Competition? But I will wait for Him patiently. He never comes late.

Whatever you are good at, you should be doing for your church!
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

SHAPE: Using your personality
Studies show that DNA can unite more than 10^{2,400,000,000}. Therefore, there never has been, and never will be, anybody exactly like you.

God made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routine and those who love variety. He made some people “thinkers” and others “feelers”. Some people work best when given an individual assignment while others work better with team.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

But these are not bad things. We need all kinds of personalities to balance the church and give it flavor. Therefore, your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. When you are forced to ministry which is out of character, it creates tension and discomfort, more energy while less productivity. That’s why, mimicking someone else’s ministry never works. You have your own self to be, that God wants you to be. When you minister in a manner consistent with the personality God gave you, you experience fulfillment, satisfaction, and fruitfulness.

SHAPE: Employing your experiences
Our experiences in the past shaped us, no? And mostly they are not something that we can control. There are six kinds of experiences suggested by Rick Warren:
1. Family experiences: What did you learn growing up in your family?
2. Educational experiences: What were your favorite subjects in school?
3. Vocational experiences: What jobs have you been most effective in and enjoyed the most?
4. Spiritual experiences: What have been your most meaningful times with God?
5. Ministry experiences: How have you served God in the past?
6. Painful experiences: What problems, hurts, thorns, and trials have you learned from?

The sixth is the one that God mostly used. In fact, your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt.

Who could better help an alcoholic recover than someone who fought that demon and found freedom?
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

The parable is clear, and God lets us go through painful experiences to equip us for ministry to others.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

We must, therefore, be willing to share all these painful experiences. If we keep covering them up, you are not admitting your faults, failures, and fears. People always more encouraged when we share how God has changed and helped us in weaknesses.

Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you.
Aldous Huxley

Use your experience, especially your pain, to help others.






Vincent

Day 30: Shaped for serving God

Day 30: Shaped for serving God

As we all know, each of us are uniquely designed and shaped to do certain things. Even before we are born, God has designed us so that we have a certain roles on earth to play. He coordinated everything exactly how He wanted you to serve Him. You are created for a specific ministry. Each of us is carefully made: a custom-designed masterpiece.

For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14

Every single day of our lives are planned by God. This means nothing in your life is insignificant. God uses everything – your talents, abilities, gifts, personality, interests, and life experiences – to shape you to service and to his glory. Rick Warren created the acrostic S.H.A.P.E. to help us remember the “wonderfully complex”.
How God shapes you for your ministry:
1. Spiritual gifts
2. Heart
3. Abilities
4. Personality
5. Experience
SHAPE: Unwrapping your spiritual gifts

God gives every believer spiritual gifts to be used in ministry. Everyone has different gifts from God:

I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
1 Corinthians 7:7

You will not have all of His gifts, because God wants us to love and depend on each other. God choose the gifts that He wants you to have; you cannot choose for yourself. And these gifts, as mentioned before, are not for the benefit of yours, but to others. We are commanded to discover and develop our spiritual gifts.

An unopened gift is worthless.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Besides this, we must not forget about the basic truths about these gifts, else the envy of others because the-gifts-that-they-have-but-I-don’t will rise. Remember always that we are serving the same Lord our God.


SHAPE: Listening to your heart

Your heart represents the source of all your motivations – what you love to do and what you care about most.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Your heart tells everything about you:

Your heart determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the way you do, and why you act the way you do.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Find your heartbeat – the care for some things and not for others. This is one of the clues to know where you should be serving. There is another word for heart, which is passion. There is always something that you are very passionate about and it catches your attention easily. For me, I guess my heartbeat lies at worship team; I really enjoy worshiping God through music. Maybe I should consider giving talks about a God who is truly real, all the time? Well, this is another heartbeat that I can think of. We’ll see about it, shall we?
Your this emotional heartbeat is also the key to understanding your shape of worship.

Don’t ignore your interests. Consider how they might be used for God’s glory.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

I guess I need to find a time to settle down and think about this: my interests, my strong points, etc and start to use them for God’s glory. And of course, when we are serving, we serve God passionately, not dutifully. So listen to our inner promptings, which can point us to ministry of which God intends us to be. But sometimes we feel difficult to know if you are serving from your heart. But there are some characteristics of it:

1. Enthusiasm. You are still very motivated to do the thing you love to do, and no one has to motivate you, no one has to check you, no one has to challenge you, you need not rewards nor applause; you just love to serve God this way. When you don’t have this enthusiasm, you are easily discouraged.

2. Effectiveness. We know that passion drives perfection. You will do well because your heart is there.

The highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Serve God in the way that expresses your heart. This is the better life for us. The life which God gave us. The heart that do things for God’s glory.





Vincent

Day 29: Accept your assignment

..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
Deutschland won against Turkey. What say you? =) MediaMarkt will have sales again. LoL.
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Day 29: Accept your assignment

Assignment? Yes. Your life on earth is not just to consume the resources, but to give something back to this world. And God gave the fourth purpose for our life, and it is called service, or ministry.

1. You were created to serve God. In Bible it says:

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

We are being created to serve the God. This is the special work that God assigned us for.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”
Jeremiah 1:5

God told this to Jeremiah, appointing him as the prophet. This is the special work for him. What about you?

2. You were saved to serve God.

…[God] who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.
2 Timothy 1:9

The holy life here means service, and you are saved for it. You have a unique task in heaven to fulfill. This is a great significant for you. Jesus has died on the cross to purchase your salvation. Therefore, we don’t serve God out of guilt or fear, but the deep gratitude for all that He has done for us.

Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Apostle John taught that our loving service to others shows that we are really saved:

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.
1 John 3:14

Most of us don’t understand that “ministry” does not only means pastors, priests, and professional clergy; God means every member of his family is a minister.
This is what we should do:

We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

A thing to remember is that we are not immediately taken up to heaven at the moment we accepted Christ is because God has a ministry for you in His church and a mission for you in the world.

3. You are called to serve God. God calls every child of His to service. “Called?” you might ask.

Anytime you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are fulfilling your calling.
Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life

Something that we must ask ourselves is that how much time are we being useful in the service of God? We need to be connected to a church family to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. There are no significant ministries in church. Some are visible for example the worship team, some are off-stage such as the technical team, but all are valuable. In fact, those behind the curtains are those that most important. Without them, the worship team cannot perform well on stage, no? Every ministry matters because all are connected and dependent on each other.
What happen when a part of your body not functioning as it is supposed to be? You fall sick. Likewise, we should not sit on the sidelines as spectators, while watching the body suffers.

4. You are commanded to serve God. In the Bible it was written:

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28

Holy living consists in doing God’s work with a smile.
Mother Teresa

Jesus taught that spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. We must act on what we know and practice what we believe. We need more serving experiences in which we can exercise our spiritual muscles. The mature follower of Jesus will ask, “Whose needs can I meet?” Do you ever ask that question?

Preparing for eternity
God will evaluate us on the very end of the day. We as Christians don’t want to lose the eternal rewards in heaven, do we?

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Mark 8:35

Therefore, if you are not serving, you just exist. Learn to love and serve others unselfishly – that is what God wants from us.

Service and significance
We will give our lives for serving others unselfishly. It is the pathway to real significance. It is where we discover the real meaning of our lives. We serve together in God’s family, and our lives take on eternal importance. In Bible we saw God used various kinds of people. And of course, God will also use you too, if you stop making excuses not to serve Him.





Vincent