Day 21: It Takes Time : )
Phil 1:6
6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Ecc 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
There are no shortcuts to maturity
Spiritual maturity cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth like physical growth, takes time. While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. God views our lives from and for eternity, so he is never in a hurry.
Before Christ is in our lives, he sometimes has to ‘soften us up’ by allowing problems we cant handle. While some open their lives to Christ the first time he knocks on the door, most of us are resistant and defensive.
The moment you open yourself for Christ, you may think that you’ve surrendered ‘all’ your life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot to your life that you aren’t even aware of. Therefore, an expedient would start whereby God will begin to take over more and more territory in your life until all of your life is completely his.
Discipleship is the process of conforming to Christ. Real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Growth is gradual.
Why does it take so long?
♪ We are slow learners.
♪ We have a lot to unlearn
♪ We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves.
♪ Growth is often painful and scary.
♪ Habits take time to develop.
We often have to relearn a single lesson lots of time before we get it. Often times, we forget what we’ve learnt very quickly, and soon revert to our old pattern of behavior. Most of our old habits don’t develop overnight. Thus, its unrealistic to expect them to go away immediately either. Sometimes, the misery of seeing our own flaws keeps us living in the prison of denial, making us unable to advance. It is only when we gradually see the light of truth no our own faults, failure and hang-ups can we begin to work on them. Growth also involves change. There is no growth without change, no change without fear or loss, and there is no loss without pain. You must let go of old ways in order to experience the new. However, this fear of change can definitely slow down your growth. Finally the acquisition of a habit, takes time, and practice.
Therefore, believe that god is working in your life even when you don’t feel it. Be patient with God and with yourself. Remember that god is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity. Great soul s are grown through struggle and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process. Don’t be discouraged! : ) Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. Keep on moving ahead. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering, so will you! ; )
QUESTIONS:
In what areas of my spiritual life do I need to be more patient and persistent?
Day 22: Accepting your assignment
Eph 2:10
10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
John 17:4 (MSG)
4I glorified you on earthBy completing down to the last detailWhat you assigned me to do.
♪ We were created to serve God
Eph 2:10b (MSG)
10No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Jer 1:5
5"Before I shaped you in the womb,I knew all about you.Before you saw the light of day,I had holy plans for you:A prophet to the nations--that's what I had in mind for you."
♪ You were saved to serve God
2 tim 1:9 (MSG)
9who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it.
1 cor 6:20 (CEV)
20God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.
♪ You are called to serve God
2 tim 1:9
9God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.
♪ You are commanded to serve God
Matthew 20:28 (MSG)28That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served--and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."
The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, “Who’s going to meet my needs?” and starts asking, “Whose needs can I meet?” Do you ever ask that question? : )
Evaluate how we’ve used our lives to serve other people and God. Each of us will have to give a personal account to God at the end of our lives. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others!
Do these excuses sound familiar to you?
‘I was too busy’, ‘I had my own goals’ or ‘I was too preoccupied with working, having fun, or preparing for retirement’.
These are all excuses for our self centeredness! : (
God wants to use you to make a difference in this world. He wants to work through you! What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you’ve lived, but how you’ve lived!
QUESTION:
What is holdng me back from accepting God’s call to serve Him’?
Day 23: Using What God gave you
Romans 12:5 (MSG)
5The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body,
What you are is God’s gift to you;
What you do with yourself is your gift to God.
Danish proverb
God deserves your best!
He has shaped you for a purpose and he expects you to make most of what you have been given. He doesn’t want you to worry about or covet abilities you do not have, instead, he wants you to focus on talents he has given you to use! Don’t force yourself to serve God in ways which you’re not shaped to be, discover your shape to serve God, then, learn to accept and enjoy it, letting it develop to its fullest potential.
Eph 5:17 (MSG)
17Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants
Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities. Take a long honest look at what you are good at and what you’re not good at. Ask around for honest opinions and check out where you have seen the fruit in your life that other people confirmed for you. Spiritual gifts and natural abilities are always confirmed by others. The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service. Sometimes, one can only see the results of your gift, and receive confirmation, after one began to accept opportunities to experiment in that area of service. Just start serving, experimenting with different ministries, and then you’ll discover your gifts. Until you’re actually involved in serving, you’re not going to know what you’re good at.
Gal 6:4b (MSG)
4Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others
Consider your heart and your personality, ask yourself questions. Examine your experiences and extract the lessons you have learned. Consider how God has worked in your life and consider how he wants to use those lessons to help others. And Since God knows whats the best for you, you should gratefully accept the way he has fashioned you. : ) Enjoy what you have and never compare yourself with others. We are to cultivate our gifts and abilities, keep our hearts aflame, grow our character and personality and broaden our experiences so we will be increasingly more effective in our service.
2 Tim 1:6 (MSG)
6And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed--keep that ablaze
QUESTION:
How can I make the best use of what God has given me?
Day 24: How Real Servants Act
Mark 10:43 (MSG)
43It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.
Matthew 7:16 (NIV)
16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
We serve God by serving others. God determines our greatness by how many people we serve and not how many people serve you. While knowing your shape (talents and abilities) is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we’re not shaped. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you’re needed at the moment! Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity.
Real servants make themselves available to serve. They don’t fill up their time with pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on. If you only serve when its’ convenient for you, then you’re not a real servant. Real servants do what’s needed, even when it’s inconvenient. Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allow God to interrupt it whenever he needs to. They don’t make excuses, procrastinate or wait for better circumstances. Instead, they seize the opportunity to help others. The size of the task is irrelevant, what they do, servants will work at it with all their heart, to fulfill their responsibilities, keep promises and complete their commitments. They don’t leave a job half undone, and they don’t quit when they get discouraged. They are trustworthy and dependable. : )
Remember, even the smallest service is noticed by God and rewarded. Remember the words of Jesus, “If, as my representatives, you give even a cup of cold water to a little child, you will surely be rewarded.”
QUESTION:
Which of the characteristics of a real servant does it offer the greatest challenge to me?
Day 25: Thinking like a servant
Numbers 14:24 (MSG)
"But my servant Caleb--this is a different story. He has a different spirit; he follows me passionately. I'll bring him into the land that he scouted and his children will inherit it.
Phil 2:5 (MSG)
5Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.
Service starts in your mind. It requires a mental shift, a change in your attitudes to become a servant. God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. Attitudes count more than achievements.
2 chronicles 25:2
2He lived well before GOD doing the right thing for the most part. But he wasn't wholeheartedly devoted to God.
True humility is thinking about others, not of themselves. True humility is losing your life, or forgetting yourself in order to serve others. When we empty ourselves of our own needs, we start to focus on the needs of others.
Servants base their identity in Christ. Because they remember that they are loved and accepted by grace, they don’t have to prove their worth. They willing accept jobs that insecure people would consider ‘beneath them’. One of the most profound examples of serving from a secure self-image is Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples. Washing feet was equivalent of being a shoeshine boy, a job devoid of status. But Jesus knew who he was, so the task didn’t threaten his self-image. : ) Likewise, if you’re going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ. Only secure people can serve as insecure people are always worrying about how they appear to others. The more insecure you are, the more you will want people to serve you, and the more you will need their approval. :
2 cor 10:18
What you say about yourself means nothing in God's work. It's what God says about you that makes the difference.
“The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve’. Albert Schweitzer
QUESTION:Am I usually more concerned about being served or finding ways to serve others?
Day 26: God’s power in your weakness
2 cor 13:4 (NIV)
4For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you.
2 cor 12:9
9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
God loves to use weak people! : ) everyone has their weaknesses. In fact, we have a bundle of flaws and imperfections, physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Usually we deny our weaknesses, defend, excuse, or hide them. This prevents God form using them the way he desires! Like common pottery, we are fragile and flawed and break easily. But God will use us if we allow him to work through our weaknesses. For that to happen, we must follow the model of Paul. : )
♪ Admit your weaknesses.
Own up to your imperfections. Stop pretending to have it all together and be honest about yourself. Make a list of them! If we want God to use us greatly, we have to understand who God is and who we are. We are only human. : ) If it is going to take a crisis for us to admit this, God wont hesitate to allow it, because he loves you. : )
♪ Be content with your weaknesses.
Though we want to be freed from our weaknesses, being content is an expression of faith in the goodness of God. It says, “God I believe you love me and know whats best for me’. Inborn weaknesses cause us to depend on God, whenever we feel weak, God is remind you to depend on Him! : ) Our weaknesses also prevent arrogance. They keep us humble. With weaknesses, we are also far more likely to be compassionate and considerate to the weaknesses of others. God wants you to have a christlike ministry on earth. That means other people are going to find healing on your wounds. : ) Your greatest life messages and most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts. The things you’re most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, and most reluctant to share are the very tools God can use most powerfully to heal others.
♪ Honestly share your weaknesses
Ministry begins with vulnerability. The more you let down your guard, take off your mask and share your struggles the more God will be able to use you in serving others. Vulnerability is emotionally liberating. Opening up relives stress, defuses your fears and is the first step to freedom.
The more honest you are, the more of God’s grace you get.
The most essential quality for leadership is not perfection, but credibility.
How do you build credibility? Not by pretending to be perfect, but by being honest. : )
Sometimes God may even turn our strengths into weaknesses in order to use us more! (eg, Jacobs’ wrestle with the angel)
QUESTION:
Am I limiting God’s power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses? What do I need to be honest about in order to help others?