“Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk will make you poor.”
Proverbs 14:23 (CEV) What you say has a direct connection to your heart. Whatever your heart is filled with is going to come out of your mouth. If you’re filled with anger, anger is going to come out of your mouth. If your heart is filled with depression, it’s going to come out of your mouth. If your heart is filled with joy, that’s going to come out of your mouth. The Bible says in Mark 12:30, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT). You could also say it like this: Love God with all your talk, all your feelings, all your thinking, and all your acting. God shaped you to primarily be a talker, feeler, thinker, or doer. Heart people have a hard time being quiet. They’re talkers. When you’re a heart person, you’ve got to let it out. You’ve got to tell other people. Heart people love to tell stories. They love to sit and converse, especially in heart-to-heart conversations. The world needs people who are communicators. We need people who can lead discussions and who can verbalize what the rest of us feel. We need teachers, counselors, and coaches who can teach us and direct us. We need comedians. We need preachers. We need all of these people who are built on verbal skills and who are able to move the world forward. God’s warning for talkers is this: You also have to act. Proverbs 14:23 says, “Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk will make you poor” (CEV). In other words, you’ve got to move ahead. You’ve got to stop only talking about your plans and start making them happen.
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“Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace.”
1 Peter 4:10 (NCV) Whenever we pursue something in life, we do it hoping that it will give us significance. But the only way to really experience significance is to serve with others in ministry. Ministry just means doing good to other people. Significance does not come from status or a hood ornament on your car or a logo on your shirt. Significance does not come from a bigger salary. Significance does not come from sex. Significance comes from service. Significance comes when you start thinking about other people more than you think about yourself and you give your life away. You cannot be selfish and significant at the same time. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others” (NCV). What are your talents? What are the unique skills and abilities God has given you? They were not given for your benefit. God gave them to you for the benefit of the people around you. You are shaped for significance, and you find that significance by using your gifts and talents and abilities to serve other people. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm. An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break” (NCV). You may think it’s easier to do things on your own. You may prefer solitude. You may need your alone time. But you will always get more done when you serve with other people. You’re not meant to serve God by yourself. You’re meant to serve God on a team. You’re meant to serve God in a family, in a small group, in a church. You’re meant to serve God in relationship. Do you want to find significance and give your best to God? Then serve him with your community. “Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.”
Philippians 2:2 (NLT) You serve God when you serve other people. Whenever you use your talents, time, energy, and resources to help other people, that’s called ministry. But God doesn’t want you to minister alone! Philippians 2:2 says, “Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose” (NLT). Why does God require this? Why can’t you just serve God on your own? Because we’re family – The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:9, “We are co-workers in God’s service” (NIV). If you’re in God’s family, God wants you to get along with the other family members. In fact, God is more interested in the relationships you build while serving together than he is in the service that you do. He wants you to learn to get along with the family of God. Because we need each other – We need each other to serve. Nobody has all the talents. Nobody has all the gifts. God did it that way intentionally so that you would need me and I would need you and we would need each other. As the Bible says, “Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of [Christ’s] body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we?” (Romans 12:5 The Message). Because we get more done – Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively” (GNT). Teamwork multiplies effectiveness. God wants to use you in ways you’ve never expected. You may say, “What do I have to offer?” You have something, but you don’t have enough on your own. That’s why you need other people in your life. God wants to use you, but he also wants to use you in a team where you help each other out. God wired us so that we feel most alive when we’re part of a team that’s accomplishing something for his Kingdom. Teams cause us to get closer to each other, to get more done, and to have more fun. When you get together for an eternal purpose, it builds an unstoppable team that can accomplish great things for God. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) Radical gratitude means you’re going to walk through life being grateful in every situation, no matter what—in times of plenty, when times are tight, when times are good, bad, right, wrong, whatever. You can develop an attitude of gratitude by choosing to be grateful in every situation. The attitude of radical gratitude actually serves others; it becomes a ministry. Have you realized that every believer is a minister? You are a minister! Because every Christian is a minister, that means you should be serving other people. In fact, you’re saved to serve. And one ministry you can develop is the ministry of appreciation. Do you know what the word “appreciation” means? If you’ve ever bought a car, you know the meaning of depreciation. The moment you drive it off the lot, it’s worth less than you paid for it, even if it’s a brand-new vehicle. Depreciation means “to decrease in value.” Appreciation is the opposite. It means “to increase in value.” When you appreciate your husband, you raise his value. When you appreciate your wife, you raise her value. When you appreciate your kids, you raise their value. When you appreciate your co-workers, you raise their value to you and to the company. When you appreciate your boss, you raise his or her value. The ministry of appreciation raises the value of people. As you develop radical gratitude, you can make a ministry out of raising the value of people simply by appreciating them. The Bible says it like this: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) You may have discovered that everyone needs massive doses of encouragement. Have you ever met anybody who’s said, “Oh no! I don’t need a compliment! I have too many. Please, stop! I’m too affirmed. Don’t give me anymore.” You have an unqualified need to be affirmed, to be loved, to be appreciated—and so does everybody else. If you want to be used by God, here’s one way: Affirm everyone. Appreciate everyone. Show gratitude to everyone. “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others."
Ephesians 2:10 (TLB) God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. You were put on Earth to make a contribution. God designed you to make a difference with your life. You weren’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. You were created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants you to give something back—to help other people. The Bible says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB). Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God. As Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know he will reward you” (CEV). In one of his parables, Jesus said, “The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me’” (Matthew 25:40 CEV). And the apostle Paul shared the same message: “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Ephesians 6:7 NLT). God said it this way to the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament: “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work” (Jeremiah 1:5 NCV). When most people think of this “special work,” they think of elders, preachers or professional clergy. But God says that he expects every member of his family to minister. In the Bible, the words “servant” and “minister” are synonyms; “service” and “ministry” are synonyms too. If you are a Christian, you are a minister. And when you’re serving, you’re ministering. Have you ever wondered why God didn’t just immediately take you to heaven the moment you accepted his grace? Why does he leave his children in a fallen world? He leaves you here to fulfill his purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for his goals. God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world. “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.”
Mark 8:35 (TLB) Why don’t I feel more fulfilled? Far too many people are asking themselves that question. They’re not happy, they’re not satisfied—in fact, they’re miserable. Here’s a story that illustrates why. Climbing Mount Everest is one of the challenges that inspire people to do something big. Many people try to reach Everest’s summit—but there are also climbers who die in their attempt. Many of the corpses line the path up the mountain. Yet people still want to climb the mountain, though it has no real redeeming social value. A few years back one climber, David Sharp, was clearly in trouble on the mountain. There were at least 40 other climbers who noticed his obvious need but did little to help him. He died on Mount Everest because none of the other climbers were willing to put their personal goals on hold or risk their own safety to help him. The truth is that most people are like that. Your own personal drive to have more, be more, do more—or even to protect yourself—causes you to lose sight of what really matters. But that isn’t how God wired you. Life isn’t about what you make, who you know, what you do, or looking out for yourself. Life is all about love—loving God and loving others. Jesus says in Mark 8:35, “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (TLB). God wired you in such a way that you’ll never be happy unless you’re giving your life away in his work. You were made for something greater than yourself. The Bible calls this your mission in life. Significance doesn’t come from status, salary, or sex. It comes from service. It’s only when you give your life away that you’ll feel fulfilled—like you’re living a life of significance. “Since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.”
2 Corinthians 4:1 (BSB) You were created to make a contribution with your life, not to just exist and live only for yourself. God shaped you to serve him, and it’s all because of his mercy. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:1: “Since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart” (BSB). Some people think “ministry” is a churchy word. It’s something only ministers do. But anytime you use the talents, gifts, and abilities God has given you to help somebody else, you’re doing ministry. Even your job can be your ministry—whether you’re an accountant, teacher, or truck driver! When you understand that everything God does through you is because of his mercy, two things happen: You don’t have to prove your worth. Do you ever try to prove your worth through your work? Maybe you think that the more successful you are, the more valuable you are. But your worth has nothing to do with your work. Instead, your worth is found in the fact that God made you, loves you, and sent Jesus to die for you. Understanding God’s mercy takes you off the performance track. You don’t have to wallow in your mistakes. We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all sinned. But because of God’s mercy, you don’t have to dwell on your past. You can repent and turn away from your sin. Your past doesn’t have to hold you back from doing the work God has given you to do. In fact, God has never used a perfect person—because there aren’t any, except for Jesus Christ. When you look through the Bible, you’ll find all kinds of people who God used despite their mistakes. Jacob was a chronic liar; Rahab was a prostitute; Jonah was fearful and reluctant; Martha worried a lot; the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages; Peter was impulsive; Moses, David, and Paul were all guilty of murder. Yet God used each person in incredible ways. So there’s nothing that would prevent God from using you. Because of God’s great mercy, you can live out God’s purpose for your life. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."
2 Timothy 2:21 (ESV) If you want to be used by God, you don’t have to be a perfect person—but you do need to purify your heart. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (ESV). God uses all kinds of people. He uses shy people and outgoing people. He uses people of different races, ages, stages of life, and backgrounds. He uses men and women. God will use plain vessels, and he’ll use ornate vessels. He’ll use big vessels and small vessels. But there is one thing that God will not use: He will not use a dirty vessel. You have to be clean on the inside. But here’s the good news: No matter who you are or what you’ve done, you can be made clean. How do you do that? How do you become pure? You do it through a simple word: confession. Augustine, a Christian leader who lived a few hundred years after Jesus, said, “The confession of bad works is the beginning of good works.” The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing” (GNT). The word “confess” in Greek is the word homologeo. Homo means “same,” and logeo means “to speak.” So homologeo literally means “to speak the same” as God does about my sin. It means you agree with him: “God, you’re right. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a sin. It was wrong.” It doesn’t mean you bargain with God (“I’ll never do it again”). It doesn’t mean you bribe God (“I promise to read my Bible every day if you’ll forgive me”). You just admit your sin. That may seem too simple to you. You may say, “All I’ve got to do is admit it, and God will forgive me?” Yes! It’s called grace. Here’s what you can do if you really want to be used by God: Take time this week to sit down with a notebook or journal and ask God, “What’s wrong in my life? Show me. I’m going to write it down, and I’m going to admit it. I’m going to confess it to you.” Then, when God gives you an idea, write it down. Make a list, and then write 1 John 1:9 over the list and say, “God, I admit these sins to you. These are wrong. I don’t want them in my life.” Ask God to cleanse your life. God will forgive you! This is the starting point to being used by God. You must purify your heart. “God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”
Ephesians 2:10 (TLB) God did not put you on Earth just to live for yourself. He wants you to make the world a better place! Ephesians 2:10 says, “God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB). There’s a word for this kind of living: ministry. Every Christian is a minister. Not every Christian is a pastor, but every Christian is a minister. That means you use your talents and gifts to make a contribution in life—to be a giver, not a taker. The Bible instructs: Love one another. Care for one another. Pray for one another. Encourage one another. Help one another. Counsel one another. Support one another. And on and on. It is the mutual ministry of every believer in the family of God to every other believer in the family of God. That’s the way God meant for it to be. The truth is, serving God by serving others is not always easy. Sometimes you’ll get discouraged. So what do you do when you start to get discouraged? Remember two things. First, remember the reward you’ll receive that will go on for eternity. The Bible says that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers” (Hebrews 6:10 NLT). He will reward you in eternity. The second thing to remember is that God uses every little thing that happens in your life. Nothing is insignificant when you serve God. None of it is in vain. “Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 GNT). Don’t miss the whole point of your life. Start fulfilling your purpose by living a life of ministry today! “When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed.”
Luke 12:43 (NCV) All of us have unused abilities. Maybe you are still figuring out what your God-given abilities are. Or maybe you have abilities you’ve abandoned or ignored because of life circumstances. But God gave you those abilities for a reason: He wants you to use them to serve him and others! There are three ways you can start engaging your abilities so that they are being used for good and for God’s glory. 1. Estimate your abilities. Do an assessment of your abilities. What are you good at? Make a list. If there’s one thing to say to young people today to prepare for their future, this is it: Know your strengths and weaknesses. Consider the capabilities God has given you. If you have trouble identifying your abilities, ask someone close to you for help! 2. Dedicate your abilities. “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him” (Romans 12:1 GNT). Tell God, “You gave me these abilities. Now I’m going to give them back to you. I want to use them for the purpose for which you gave them to me.” 3. Cultivate your abilities. That means practice, improve, sharpen, and develop. Any ability God has given you can be improved with use. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (NIV). How do you get skill? You practice. You sharpen your ax and work smarter, not harder. Sharpening your abilities—your aptitudes, your skills—is a spiritual responsibility. God has invested enormously in you. First, he created you. Second, he shaped you with spiritual gifts and a unique personality. Then, he sent Jesus to die for you. God has made an incredible investment in your life! And he expects a return on the investment. He’s going to ask you one day, “What did you do with what you were given? How did you use your abilities to honor me, to serve others, to make a living, and to be an example?” Jesus says, “When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed” (Luke 12:43 NCV). God wants to bless your life! When God looks at you, he wants to see you using your abilities in the ways he intended so that you will experience his blessing. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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