Day 36 - Made for a Mission

This is our mission:
"Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. (p283)
Tell others about Jesus and disciple them. Baptism is a way of saying that you are a part of God's family now.

You are the only Christian some people will ever know, and your mission is to share Jesus with them. (p283)
Is that a challenging thought? If it causes immobility, ask the Holy Spirit to give you boldness and wisdom to be Jesus' representative.

We're Christ's representatives, God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God." (p283)
God is in the business of bringing people to himself and of closing the gap between people.

You yield your rights, expectations, dreams, plans, and ambitions to him. (p286)
That's a hard one to swallow when you apply it to your life. Count the cost carefully, and remember that the rewards far outweigh the cost.

Day 35 - God's Power in Your Weakness

I grew up with a mindset that it's okay to be strong, but admitting one's weakness was a shame. That's why when I read these phrases, I feel a twang similar to when my funny bone is hit. I don't enjoy sharing my weaknesses or my past mistakes, but I understand that if God wants to use these things, I need to let Him have His way.

Your greatest life messages and your 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. (p275)

God specializes in turning weaknesses into strengths. (p276)

Humility is not putting yourself down or denying your strengths; rather, it is being honest about your weaknesses. (p276)

Day 34 - Thinking Like a Servant

The following extracts speak for themselves and are things I need to meditate upon. I have no means arrived at any of these things. What is said below points out my humanity more than anything else.

God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. (p265)

When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping with the work, she lost her servant's heart. Real servants don't complain of unfairness, don't have pity-parites, and don't resent those not serving. They just trust God and keep serving. (p268)

It is also not our job to defend ourselves against criticism. Let your Master handle it. (p268)

If you're going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ. Only secure people can serve. (p269)

Day 33 - How Real Servants Act

God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we're not shaped.... Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity. (p258)
Usually when you're shaped to do something, you find great pleasure doing it. But when it comes to things that you're not shaped for, it really takes your will to put that serving into action. It's also maturity to serve because you know there is a need and that the person that you're serving may just take it for granted. Well if Jesus did, dare I ask for exemption?

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. (p249)

Just start serving, experimenting with different ministries, and the you'll discover your gifts.... When it doesn't work out, call it an "experiment," not a failure. (p251)
I'd been wondering what a practical way of finding your gifts is, so now you know. Just try and don't use failure as an excuse. You're experimenting.

Part of accepting your shape is recognizing your limitations. (p253)
Sometimes difficult for a perfectionist, but facing reality is a lot healthier. We're not made to do everything. =)

Day 31 - Understanding Your Shape

The very experiences that you have resented or regretted most in life - the ones you've wanted to hide and forget - are the experiences God wants to use to help others. They are our ministry! For God to use your painful experiences, you must be willing to share them. You have to stop covering them up, and you must honestly admit your faults, failures, and fears. Doing this will probably be your most effective ministry. (p247)
This spoke to me as a challenge to speak about the difficult experiences of my life. How will anyone know how to overcome these experiences, if I never share them when they need to hear it?

Day 30 - Shaped for Serving God

Two common problems are "gift-envy" and "gift-projection." the first occurs when we compare our gifts with others', feel dissatisfied with what God gave us, and become resentful or jealous of how God uses others. The second problem happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate about it as we do. (p237)
Silly isn't it, but this is something that I must remind myself not to fall into. God's gifts are to bring him glory and to help others. They are not there for me to become puffed up or ashamed of; it's only pride that causes these reactions.

Don't ignore your interests. Consider how they might be used for God's glory. There is a reason that you love to do these things. (p238)
I look at my love for art and cooking, the passion to be creative, and I ask God to show me how I can better use these talents. Sometimes I feel I'm limited by how I can serve in these areas at church, but I know that God will show me in his time how all of these things fit together. For now he is working on how I relate to others, and for that I am thankful.

Day 29 – Accepting Your Assignment

You’re not saved by service, but you are saved for service. (p228)

Jesus was unmistakable: “Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life…. Serving and giving sum up God’s fourth purpose for your life. (p230-231)

Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. (p231)

If you’re not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was a impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is a quite a variety of misfit, but God used each of them in his service. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses. (p231)
I’ve come up with so many excuse of why God can’t use me and from today’s reading I see that God is growing me to serve. These Bible characters had flaws, so I have really no excuse.

Day 28 – It 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. (p218)
For someone that is growing in patience, I find this extremely difficult. Even so, I know I can’t expect God to change his principles for my preferences, so I just need to accept this.

Only when God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on our faults, failures, and hang-ups can we begin to work on them. This is why you cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude. (p220)
I think for some of us, having God show us our faults, failures, and hang-ups can be quite a shock. I know that as a person gradually trusts God more and more, this person begins to see this process as a blessing in disguise.

There is only one way to develop the habits of Christlike character: You must practice them—and that takes time! There are no instant habits. (p221)
Well let's get on with forming the right habits then.