Your Unique Personality: Day 5....

Judges 6:11-16 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. [12] When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."

[13] "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

[14] The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

[15] "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

[16] The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

God sees in us what we often cannot see for ourselves. Sometimes circumstance overwhelms us and we feel defeated, or inadequate or helpless. We feel that the task is for someone else. So we hide or stand aside and wait for that person to show up.

But because He made us, He wired us, He formed us, He knows best. He knows what we are capable of, He knows why we were created and put into our positions. And He will be with us.... what a promise to hold onto today.

Amos 7:12-15 Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. [13] Don't prophesy any more at Bethel, because this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom."

[14] Amos answered Amaziah, "I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. [15] But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

This is another passage about obedience and uniqueness. Amos had been told by God to take his message and travel from one nation to another - and when he got there the people didn't welcome him. I wonder this morning what it would take for God to move me from my situation into another. How clearly and directly (and probably ultimately forcibly!) would he have to speak to me before I moved? Especially if I knew that welcome was not about to come my way. I wonder what tests await my faith in the months and years to come....

Jeremiah 1:4-8 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, [5] "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."

[6] "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

[7] But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. [8] Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.

Here we are again, a reminder that not only has God made us, but he has uniquely crafted us, and for a purpose. But that purpose requires of us obedience and courage. Obedience to fulfill that purpose, obedience to go where he asks us to, to step into situations that we may at first not seem comfortable with. And it requires courage to act on that obedience.

The promise is that if we act in courage and obedience then we get to see God at work, get to see how marvellous and fantastic and amazing it can be when we are living at the centre of God's will.

Your Unique Personality: Day 2....

Job 10:8-12 "Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? [9] Remember that you moulded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? [10] Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, [11] clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? [12] You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.

Whenever I've tried to make things with clay no two items have turned out the same. They are all knobbly in different ways and in different places. each one is unique, unlike the factory produced mugs that I have all round my kitchen. I think Job is hinting at that here. It's not that God is incapable of machine like perfection but when making us he chooses not to make us uniform. He moulds us, he does not mass produce us. He pours his love and affection into us. In this way he has made each of us unique.

Your Unique Personality: Day 1....

Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

[14] "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

A lot of us are familiar with this encouragement to be salt and light wherever we go so that we stand out for the kingdom and point people towards Jesus. But todya I am reflecting on this - God had made me to go places only I can go, to be salt and light in situations that only I can be. With my gifts, heart and passion I will find myself in unique situations. Will I be open enough to God, be confident enough in his faithlfulness to allow myself to be used when I get there?

Discovering your Gifts: Day 5....

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

What an amazing verse to finish this group of devotions on, what an incredible testimony to living a live less ordinary. As I reflect on the verses I have read over the last week and remember them telling me of how my heavenly Father has gifted me, I end with a reflection on why he has gifted me - so that I can live for him.

All that I have, all that I am, all that I will be is his, to be used in his service, because there is no greater task than witnessing for the Kingdom, of sharing the Gospel with those who need it. I think I'll be remembering this a lot today - that he must increase in my life while I must decrease....

Discovering your Gifts: Day 4....

Romans 12:4-8 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. [6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. [7] If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; [8] if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Again a reminder that God is diverse in how he distributes his gifts around his people. But more than that it is an encouragement for us to use our gifts and not sit on them. I need to remember that those gifts he has given me are for his use and I am responsible for how I use, misuse or even neglect them. And it is an encouragement for me to work within my gifts. Too often I have struggled to serve God because I have been trying to work in areas that I am not gifted in. It might have been because I felt that I would like to be gifted in that area, or sometimes it is because there is a pressing need for someone to do that job and I have stepped forward to fill a gap, but quickly run out of energy for the task because I was never equipped or impassioned for it in the first place. Paul here seems to be reminding us that we serve God best when we find an area of ministry that we are equipped and passionate for - wouldn't it be incredible if our churches set up their ministry activities to encourage this? Maybe then the effectiveness of the Church would be enhanced.

Discovering your Gifts: Day 3....

1 Cor. 12:4-11 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. [6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

[7] Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, [10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

There are three things I am grateful that this short passage shows....

The first is the creativity of God. He doesn't make us all the same. The work of his church is varied and diverse and he needs many people to play a part in it, a significant part. So he spreads out his gifts among people, teaching us that we have to work together, because we need each other to fill in the gaps that we cannot do ourselves. When I remind myself that the list given here are just examples then it blows my mind at how diverse God is as I reflect on the gifts that are not here but I know people use....

Second is God's generosity to us, and our responsibility to use these gifts. He gave them. He chose which each of us would have and would use. So we cannot sit on what we have. We have to use them for....

.... the common good: meaning the growth of the Kingdom. Gifts are not about ego but service to others. My gifts should be at the disposal of my church family so that I can help them.

As I discover my gifts and use them more and more reflecting on these three lessons will keep me both humble and involved.

Discovering your Gifts: Day 2....

Ephes. 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [12] to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.

I'm reminded about something fundememtal this morning....

As a leader I have great responsibilty for how I use the gifts that God has entrusted me with. I have been blessed, but it is not for my benefit. I have been gifted, but these gifts have not come from anything I have done - instead they have come from God. My duty is not to build myself up, but to work hard in building up God's work, and I must never stop using them for that. It seems that there will always be people who need to hear about God for the first time, always be people who are hurting and needing shepherding, always be people who need instructed in the word, so I can never rest on my laurels. I can find time to rest and recharge, but I can never say the job is done....

So here is my prayer for today as I reflect on the gifts that I have been given, and how I use them. Once more it is that I must decrease so that He may increase. People will not see me as I use my gifts, rather they see Jesus as I serve with them....

Discovering your gifts: Day 1....

1 Peter 4:10-11 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. [11] If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

We are gifted by God to do the good works he has intended us to do. So in this I must remember two things today.

First God is the giver. Those things he has entrusted me with, he has done so for a purpose. I need to learn to find that purpose.

Second whatever I do with those gifts I owe it to him that I do so for his glory. I am here to build help build his church on earth, not to seek my glory. I must decrease so that He increases, so that through my every action people learn to see the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

A Servant Heart: Day 5....

John 13:12-17 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. [13] "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am. [14] Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. [15] I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. [16] I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. [17] Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

It's funny how ego-centric we are in our thinking. We often see ourselves at the centre of everything, that we are the most important being in the cosmos, that it is there for our benefit. Yet here, as yesterday, we reflect on The Most Important Person Ever not caring about his position and status, but serving out of love.

Let's not get away from this, it was out of love, not duty or obligation. He had poured his life into these people and now as his last act he was giving them a visual illustration about serving them and each other. I wonder if James and John could look him in the eye as he spoke these words - they obviously left a huge impression on John. Actually I wonder if I can....

A Servant Heart: Day 4....

John 13:1-11 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

[2] The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. [3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. [5] After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him.

[6] He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

[7] Jesus replied, "You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

[8] "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."

Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

[9] "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

[10] Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." [11] For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

I love the drama of this passge - the bickering disciples all refusing to do the menial chore, the sight of Jesus bending down and serving his friends, the stunned silence that I always imagine in the room as he goes about it, and maybe the realisation that Jesus is reinforcing the point he made a few days previously when James and John tried to get their mother to secure an advantagous position in the Kingdom.

But as well as the drama it is the simplicity that strikes me - that we will never become too important to serve others. This morning I need to dwell in that thought....

A Servant Heart: Day 3....

Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. [13] But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

As a family man I have discovered that Christmas is an expensive experience. You need to buy presents for your children and your wife because you love them. Same with your parents and siblings. But then comes the extended family and other people that you know. Sometimes I feel obliged to buy small gifts for these people who are further out on the list, and the number of these small gifts soon means that the amount adds up, often just in case they buy me one.... it shouldn't be this way.

Jesus' words here remind us about loving without obligation or expectation. We don't give because we owe or expect something in return. We should love out of love..... often to people who cannot repay us - because they are often those who need to experience love in the first place.

A Servant Heart: Day 2....

Luke 14:7-11 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: [8] "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. [9] If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. [10] But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honoured in the presence of all your fellow guests. [11] For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

It's not about status.... we shouldn't be worried about how we look to others, shouldn't be mentally sizing each other up and trying to work out a pecking order with the intent of making sure we are moving up that ladder, but it is about finding the place that Jesus wants us to be in. I think when I observe believers I know, I see that the ones who are most conent are the ones who have been faithful to the calling and station God has called them too. They don't bother about status because they know who's gaze gives them real affirmation..... I want to find that contentment too. That's my prayer for tonight

A Servant Heart: Day 1....

Matthew 20:20-28 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him.

[21] "What is it you want?" he asked.

She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

[22] "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"

"We can," they answered.

[23] Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

[24] When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. [25] Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. [26] Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— [28] 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."

I've always been amused by this incident. I can understand the ambition of James and John, but I laugh that they sent their Moma to do the asking.... I love how the other disciples are described as indignant, which is probably code for hopping mad, furious, and ready to tear James and John limb from limb....

But I love how Jesus clearly states that serving others, and through that act serving him, is the way to achieve significance and make an impact in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom impact, not power, is what we should seek after, and I wonder if the disciples reflected on this when Jesus rammed this message home to them when he washed their feet a few days later at the Last Supper (John 13). Becoming a servant is becoming someone who mirrors Jesus, who acts, thinks and feels like he would. I can think of no greater way of making an impact in the Kingdom than becoming like Jesus, and this is my prayer today.

God's Masterpiece: Day 5....

Psalm 8:3-9 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
[4] what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
[5] You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honour.

[6] You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
[7] all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
[8] the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

[9] O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

It seems amazing..... that just when you think the Bible cannot do anymore to describe how much God has poured his soul into creating us we find this psalm. It tlaks about finding joy at our unique place in the wonder of God's creation, and on reading it I feel that though sometimes I may feel tarnished and in need of a polish I will never feel worthless again....

God's Masterpiece: Day 4....

Genesis 1:27-31

So God created man

in his own image,

in the image of God

he created him;

male and female

he created them.

[28] God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

[29] Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. [30] And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

[31] God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

When God created people he stood back and wasn't just pleased, but very pleased. In people he has poured out his creativity on us, and it shows....

In v27 the writer talks about the imago dei, the theological term for humans bearing God's likeness - our ability to think, be creative, to love, to understand right from wrong. And in all of creation, God to chose to place that in us.

When I reflect on these two facts, about our unique position in creation and God' pleasure in that, it makes me want to bring pleasure to him, that all I should seek to do is make him smile. God created me so that I could put a smile on his face. I'd rather do that than make him grimace....

God's Masterpiece: Day 3....

Isaiah 45:9-12 "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say, '
He has no hands'?
[10] Woe to him who says to his father,
'What have you begotten?'
or to his mother, '
What have you brought to birth?'
[11] "This is what the Lord says—
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?
[12] It is I who made the earth
and created mankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshalled their starry hosts.

Once again we come to the fact that in us God has poured out his creativity in making us, and fashioned each of us by hand, the way a potter makes jars. But we come at it from a slightly different angle here....

God made each of us for a purpose, and that purpose is unique. We are fashioned to serve him and others for the task HE chose for us. In my life too often I clash with my maker because I forget this fact. I try to live for myself (selfishness) or seek to choose how I will serve him (arrogance). Yet he requires submission and humility from me. As I grow in him, I need to acknowledge his soveriegnty and find the true contentment that comes from finding myself serving him by being at the centre of God's will for my life.

God's Masterpiece: Day 2....

Ephes. 2:4-10 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— [9] not by works, so that no-one can boast. [10] For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It's not that we are God's workmanship that grabs my attention here, though reflecting that we are his creation is an awesome and mind blowing couple of minutes, but that out of his kindness to us God wants to 'show the incomparable riches of his grace' to us.

I always get the impression here that he wants to pour this grace onto us, that it's like water being emptied onto our heads, completely drenching us, and that it never runs out, just keeps on coming. I am amazed that God thinks that I am worth it, that he values me enough to keep lavishing me with his riches.

This relates to us serving him in this way - that we are always under his care, protection and guidance. That even when events and circumstance seem tough and overwhelming the creator of the universe is there for me. Knowing this should make me braver in serving him, to be willing to take bigger risks in front of people for him. So that's my prayer now, to remember that no matter how dark events seem, to keep going, because my heavenly father is lavishing his good things onto me.

God's Masterpiece: Day 1....

1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

Have you ever picked up a bottle of shampoo, smiled to yourself and said “I’m worth it….” That despite all the grime that accumulates in your hair you know that the magic contained in the bottle is going to make everything better?

I feel like that sometimes because of what Jesus has done for me – the verse comes at the end of a long passage about Jesus sacrifice. What he went through, for me, shows me that I was worth it for him. And when I reflect on that I can only respond with gratitude. And to show that, in response to his love for me, I want to work for him and wholeheartedly and without any reservations. I know that at the end of ‘time’ that I want him to be pleased with me, and for me to be able to say to him that I didn’t let him down, that I made the most of the second chance he gave, that I didn’t waste it.

I know that sounds like I’m being motivated by guilt, but actually I hope that it’s love. The closer I get to him, the easier it becomes to serve him – and conversely the further I get from him the harder it becomes. So the note I leave to myself is this – stay close to the one who gave everything for me, because then I’ll be able to show him how grateful I am from love and not from duty….

Learn Contentment....

Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

I very often get restless. I love my technology and my gadgets (as do lots of men around my age) and every time something new comes out I want one. I read Stuff, I read T3, I read PC Pro. I know what’s going on in the world of technology, and I want to be one of those poor fools that consumer electronic companies call ‘early adopters’, people who are stuck with big, clunky, bugged versions of consumer electronics that one day everyone else will be using having bought it much cheaper….

And it’s worse when I take my eyes off the real goals of my life, of worshipping the Lord with all my heart, soul, strength and mind, because when I do that my soul, which is always striving after something, fills the vacuums with the ‘nothings’ those goals which are meaningless. I consume, because my soul is hungry. I consume because I seek after comfort. I consume because I want to be content.

Yet I will only be content, only cease to covet after stuff, when my soul is being satisfied. And that only happens when I am worshipping God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, all my strength. It only happens when I find myself at the centre of God’s will for my life.

Martin Luther King found this contentedness of the soul, even though his life was in danger, and he was sometimes far from comfort. Yet in the middle of the storms of his life he found the only place where any of us will find complete contentment – being in the place, the time, and the situation God wants you to be in. The last words he spoke publicly he expressed this sentiment:

“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. And I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”