I recently enjoyed a great conversation with a young woman who asked me how I knew what I had wanted to do in life when I was younger. Well, if you know my story, you know that as a young adult the last thing on my mind was what I was going to do with my life. I’m sure those around me contemplated this question as well, but they were too kind to ask me about my intentions. I can honestly admit in that particular season, my life purpose was not keeping me up at night. And then God shows up!
The turning point in my life was when God showed up – it was a life changing moment! God showed me how to use my pain and my experiences to support and help others. My friend, this is nothing new. We are each called to make a difference. We are called to share our stories and our gifts to encourage one another. Our purpose is to use the gifts we’ve been given to further His kingdom.
Your Assignment
Yes, YOU have been given a calling, an assignment from God. My question for you, are you embracing your God-given calling? In last week’s post, I wrote about our primary calling, which is to share the good news with all of creation Mark 16:15.
To assist us, we are each endowed with spiritual gifts, and it is our gifts that help us carry out our purpose – kingdom building. We don’t earn these gifts, and we do not buy these gifts. As a believer, you receive spiritual gifts through the Holy Spirit and the Bible offers us instructions on how we are to use our gifts as followers of Christ.
“to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues.”
Your Gifts
Your spiritual gifts equip you as you carry out your calling. If God gave you the gift of teaching, use your gift to share God’s truth. If God gave you the gift of hospitality find opportunities to minister to others by opening your home or welcoming guests into your church.
My top two gifts are leadership and administration. The gift of leadership is the ability to lead others in spiritual growth while persons gifted in administration are results oriented and enjoy setting and achieving goals. My spiritual gifts assist me in my ministry as I seek to help women find purpose in the midst of everyday life.
As a Christian mentor and life coach, I serve and minister to women not through my own strengths, but through the strengths gifted to me as a believer. Knowing my strengths gives me the confidence to step out and serve in these areas. I do not compare my gifts with the gifts of others since this can create division and there is not one gift that is more important than the other. As stated in Romans 12:7-8 (MSG)
“So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.”
Serving through Your Seasons
When you speak of your desire to minister and serve, what are you actually seeking? Are you asking God to increase your influence, your wealth, or your position in life? Our purpose is to serve others as Jesus served His followers. When we serve, we benefit others, and when seeking God’s calling, we must be willing to serve where He places us using our God-given gifts.
I love to assist women right where they are in the midst of everyday life. The old cliché (and a favorite of mine) Bloom where you are planted is a beautiful example of serving where God has placed you whether you are a young mother raising children or a college graduate seeking your first job. Your calling and your circumstances will most likely change so be patient and lean on God as you serve in each season of your life.
Honoring God
As I share my story, it’s rather obvious that I wasn’t much of a leader in my early years. My leadership skills laid dormant. It wasn’t until I accepted Christ as my savior that I began to develop the spiritual maturity to serve. It was through God’s grace I was saved, and through His grace, I accepted His call upon my life.
My prayer for you is that you know just how much you are loved by God, and as a believer, you will proclaim His excellence as you use your gifts to serve others and glorify Him. To serve is to
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Leave a Reply