USING OUR GIFTS FOR GOD

USING OUR GIFTS FOR GOD
IS ONLY THE BEGINNING – of a life of devotion, out of love for what God has done in us. The famous poem from Teresa of Avila, in yesterday’s blog, is a call to us, to respond to God, and use our gifts. We may think of all gifts as grand and world-changing, but many are simple. For instance, this poem was preserved for well over 500 years. After it left Teresa’s hands someone had to realize it was worth preserving, and took steps to save it for future generations. Many other works did not receive the same treatment and have been lost to us, and all past and future generations. This poem passed through many hands, each making a decision to preserve and protect its message. Each person was pivotal to the next person being able to make the same decision, and so on. Each act was simple, and the gift of an orderly mind, endowed with an ability to see that the poem was God-given, and a blessing to all who have ever read the poem, or will read it in the future.

Such are the gifts of God, given to those who would serve God in simple devotion. God has a plan for us all and a plan for the whole of creation. They work together in ways beyond our ability to understand. Some of the gifts God gives are dramatic in their impact, and others are subtle, but no less powerful. Whenever we think of God’s plans, the words from Jeremiah 29 come to mind. These are words of great hope, once given to Israel :   11 “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.’ ”   For me, it helps to see my day to day decisions to act for God as all part of a plan God has in mind. I am playing my part in using what God has given me. I don’t need to question how important each decision is. As an act of devotion, I just do what God is leading me to do. Many others have done this, and praise be to God, many others will continue to act in love for God. The very simple act of preserving a poem, not throwing it away, listening to God to preserve it, has had a huge impact on the history of God’s people. The poem itself was written out of devotion and love. Preserving it over and over again, has had further impact, perhaps never known to those who saw its value at the time. Such is our own call from God. Many of the simple things we do for God will have far more impact than we can see or know. In God’s wisdom, we do not need to know all that. We only need to do what God asks of us, and accept the love and guidance that comes with it. In the words Micah spoke long ago :   “and this is what God requires of us: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.”   In this complicated world, we are reminded by Teresa and Micah, to focus on God, use our gifts for God, and life will look very different from what most people see. We will be truly privileged by God, truly blessed. Loving and merciful God, we are grateful for the many blessings and gifts we are given. Help us see where you call us to make a difference, no matter how small. Guide us one step at a time to move all of creation closer to your plan of glory.    Amen.       PEACE

Share this:

WE ARE GOD’S HANDS AND FEET
IN AN ACT OF DEVOTION – a response to what God has wrought in our lives, an offering of love.

“Christ has no body but ours, no hands, no feet on earth but ours,
Ours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world,
Ours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Ours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, ours are the eyes, we are his body.
Christ has no body now but ours, No hands, no feet on earth but ours,
Ours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but ours.”

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

PEACE

Share this:

OUT OF THE MULTITUDE
GOD CALLS US, AS ONE AND MANY – as the body of Christ to work in many ways with God. God, through love, will overcome our fear, and unbelief. Of course we are scared of our ability to do what God has called us each to do, if we think of doing it alone. But when we do anything in God’s name, and pray for what we need to fulfill what God is asking us to do, God will provide what we need to get it done. This will include other people in the resources God gives us.   7 “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”    We are never alone, and besides the Holy Spirit – our comforter and guide, there are others around us whom God has called, who will work with us to do even greater things than we could do on our own. Because someone else is doing what God called them to do, it enables us to do more of what God calls us to do. That is the way the body of Christ functions, and does not destroy itself. If everyone were trying to do the same thing, and getting in each others way, what would really be accomplished? So we are each called to do something unique, but in support of the others, not interfering or criticizing each other. God reveals to each of us what God is asking us, but that does not put us in the position of knowing what others are called to do.

²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.   In 1 Corinthians 12 we are all called as individuals to fulfill our calling from God, but we’re also called as members of the body of Christ. This gets very tricky sometimes, but when it doesn’t work it is because we have become self-centered and are forgetting to listen to God. It is God’s church, and as the designer, God is the only one who has a say in how it works. In the verse just before this verse above, we see what kind of care for one another God expects us to demonstrate, and also supports in us.   26 “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.”    Yes God is expecting a lot it seems, but when we remember that we do not do it as unredeemed sinners, not as we might have treated others before we learned how to love one another, it changes the climate completely. At our local church when we had a training for Eucharistic Ministry  for our shut-ins, we were discussing the words of the Communion service. The word “remember” is central to it. We remember why Jesus died for us, to pay for our sins. This act of redemption has changed everything, and it changes the way we love one another.    Redeeming and loving God, help us make room for others in ministry, to accomplish even more deeds in your name.    Amen.       PEACE

FEAR DISAPPEARS

FEAR DISAPPEARS
IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD – and leads us to a much different life. Humans are full of fear, sometimes. The kind of life we have experienced and how we have reacted to unknown or scary situations sets us up for how we will react to similar scenarios in the future. Notice that this description does not include what God may have been doing in the experience. When we let the world’s viewpoint predominate in our thinking, we don’t expect God to be any part of what happens to us, as we struggle to get through our day. It can become a self-perpetuating outlook, to ignore God in the world around us. It is a nose to the grindstone attitude, where we do not expect anything will ever change. We have to work as hard as we can, and what happens will be what we get from the experience. In this kind of thinking, anything good is random, and progress toward a better world is not expected or wanted. As long as things remain as they are, even though they are not great, we at least know what we are dealing with. So don’t go trying to change things. It will upset the balance, and who knows what will happen next. This a the outlook of many folks in our world, and sadly in our churches. Fear blocks us from really hearing the loving message of God.

In a relationship with God, the world looks like a much different place. It is the same world, but we see it through new eyes. We know the love and power of God, and believe that this world can be and is becoming a better place. When we live in the grace of God, and know the unconditional love God offers us, the scary situations in life do not have the hold over us that they do over others. We know we are not alone in facing fear. God gives us resources to overcome the fear, and helps us use powerful tools like love, to get through the scary times, and learn how to work with others. As we go through these kinds of experiences, we become stronger, and gain more gifts to work more powerfully for God. We find new ways of reacting to fear, and learn to overcome it. This is the process of love transforming us into the followers Christ talked about in John 14: 12   “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these”   When we let God work in and through us, we can become this new person, who is not like what we started as, but a person who lets the power of God flow through us to accomplish the kind of great deeds Jesus talks about here. It is exhilarating to let the Spirit flow through us in this way. It is like no thrill ride the world has to offer.    Thrilling God, we pray for the openness to allow great deeds to be done in your name through us. Ground us, and grow us in the power you show through us to change the world. Overcome our fear with love and grace, that we may be your hands and feet.    Amen.       PEACE

Share this:

WE ARE CALLED TO DO
MORE THAN JUST BELIEVE – because we are called to do God’s work in the world. In the church, the statement “I believe” is often spoken. In the beginning of John 14 we hear, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” This is the starting point of our journey with God. When we say “I believe”, we are beginning a trust relationship with God. But there are some of us who say it, but really mean something like, “I believe you exist God” or some other idea about God, without entering into a covenant with God, and asking God to transform our lives.The church throughout history has not done a very good job in making this distinction clear. This is not just an idea in our heads, but a change in our whole being, and a different kind of thinking, a new way of life. We are agreeing to become a part of the process, of “making all things new.”

The church, in complacency and neglect, has missed the point of the gospel message. We are not called as naughty children to behave as the Bible tells us, but to be transformed. Transformation brings a new kind of life, not belief in what proper behavior is.  2 Corinthians 5 helps us see the difference:    17 “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  Yes, this is scary stuff, if we think of doing any of this on our own.    18 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.”    Transforming God, we thank you for all you make possible in us, to live redeemed and purposeful lives, made new through the great sacrifice from your son, Jesus. May we open ourselves to be led in doing what you have called us each to do, in the strength and with the resources you provide.   Amen.       PEACE

IF WE PRAY

IF WE PRAY
IN THE NAME OF JESUS – he will answer our prayers. “14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” Looking at the setting for these words, they also come from the upper room discourse, in John 14, where Jesus is speaking to his followers, the closest companions to Jesus. He was teaching them to be apostles, although they didn’t know that. These words are meant to empower them in the work they will be doing for him and the Father, after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is providing them with a precious resource, a way of helping them overcome the obstacles they will face in their ministry in the world.

Looking at what had occurred up to this time, Jesus had called ordinary people to leave their lives, and come with him, in an entirely new enterprise; one where the messiah would teach them what they needed to know and do, in order to carry on the work of God, and the transformation of the world. We are called to do our part in this same process. Our lives are given to us for a purpose, and we too are empowered to do this work, with the promise that Jesus will also answer our prayers.    In the name of Jesus, our savior, we ask that we may know your trust and love, leading us to an empowered life, and working to help transform the world, one small step at a time. Thank you Jesus, for this promise. May we use it every day, to fulfill our calling.    Amen.       PEACE

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HERE

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HERE
TO HELP US REMEMBER – all that Jesus taught while he was with us on earth. The 14th chapter of John is full of beautiful and familiar quotes from the discourse Jesus gave his disciples on their last night together, after the foot washing and their final meal. Near the end of the chapter is this quote, that helps us put all that happened in perspective. “ the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Through our lives, as we follow the way Jesus has patterned for us, we are constantly helped by the Holy Spirit, who is in effect our memory of what Jesus has asked us to do. As we walk each day in the path Jesus set before us, the Holy Spirit will whisper clues and prompt us, to make the choices that will keep us on this path. The key point is to listen for these promptings from the Spirit. They may come as ideas we didn’t think or urgings from an unknown source. However they come, it will feel supportive and loving.

I just finished reading a wonderful book about a pastor’s wife, that closely mirrors what I went through as a young bride. She even talks about singing at the top of her voice in the car, [just as I did] when her frustration was great. She struggled for a way to follow Jesus in an authentic way for who she was as a person, with the talents and abilities God had given her. This is a struggle we all have, if we are even willing to go through it. It is not an easy road, but when we have gone through it, we come out the other side a stronger more confident follower of Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who walks with us, reminding us of all Jesus talked about, in order to live a life pleasing to God, and one that fulfills our calling. Loving Father, we thank you for the teachings and example of Jesus, and the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit in our lives, that we may be guided to faithfully living out all you call us to be and do. Lead us to our real selves, where we will fully share your love and peace with everyone we meet.   Amen.       PEACE

AS WE FIND OUR GIFTS

AS WE FIND OUR GIFTS
GOD WILL HELP US LEARN – how to use them. This is not an instantaneous happening, but a life-long process. We will discover our gifts, with God’s help, as we live and serve God. This isn’t anything we are able to do on our own. If we do have an obvious talent, it will take help from God to learn how to best use that talent for God’s glory and our joy. Many in history have been driven mad by the overwhelming feeling of having such a great gift bestowed on them, without understanding how to share it with others. God gives us gifts, not with strings attached, but with the promise that we will be led and supported in using them for God’s purposes, not our own. As we grow in our relationship with God, we will discover more gifts, that we were not ready for previously.

When we read about the gifts of the spirit, in Galatians 5, what we hear is the result of living every day in a relationship with God, doing what God needs us to do, living out our lives using our gifts. When we have done this, we will also realize – “ the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. ”   We will be transforming into a person who is aware and able to enjoy these gifts. If we are trying to get these things in our own diligence, we will not get there. These are the result of the kind of life we live with God. The one I love to think about in this way is self-control. As part of our transformation process, we suddenly one day realize that we are able to have some self-control, where we were not able to before. We are receiving it as a gift from God. The other things listed work in the same way. It is not as a result of our effort, but because we let go of trying so hard, and rely on God to show us our way.   Lead us, loving God, in the paths you have shown us, and we will know the grace and gifts you will bestow. Thank you for your generous spirit, and may we learn to be as generous with others.    Amen.       PEACE

Share this:

OUR GIFTS ARE MANY AND SURPRISING
AND GOD WILL HELP US FIND THEM – as we each seek to know how we can serve our God. As I described a ministry yesterday, some may have wondered about it. Phone calling seems like a very simple thing, but not everyone is able to do it, and communicate love and grace to the person on the other end. That is the real gift, and it comes through her from God, by way of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 we hear that the source of the gifts is the important point to understand.
 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”    ESV    We all are given gifts, and if not these then different ones.

It is imperative that we understand why we are given our gifts in the first place. Many have suffered much with extraordinary gifts that were not shared, and they caused great anguish. We are meant to give of our gifts freely, and with love, not grudgingly. The story of the manna, a very early gift given to God’s people, was meant to be used as it was intended. When the people tried to hoard it, it rotted. It became unusable for food, its original intended use. When we use our gifts, as they were intended – as a blessing for us and others, they will be just that. If we never acknowledge the gifts that we have been given, they will molder and cause suffering, for we have chosen to ignore God, and ignore the idea that we are blessed by being given gifts, and blessed again when we use them with love for others. What joy there will be in heaven, when we each fulfill who we are meant to be, by discovering how God has blessed us with the particular gifts we have been given.    We thank you loving God, for each gift we are given. May we receive insight through the Holy Spirit, to discover what all of our gifts are, and how we may use them to glorify you and your kingdom.   Amen.       PEACE

Share this:

THE GIFTS OF GOD
BOTH PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL – are unique, and designed to enrich our lives, and as a loving gift to pass on to others.   “ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”   Romans 12:4-8

In a nearby local church, there is a ministry happening that illustrates the above passage. This person, out of great compassion, and some trepidation too, has developed, with a strength she gets directly from God, a service of compassion and support for those in need. She calls people who have come home from the hospital. She is also able to connect them to a prayer chain and rides to the doctors. It is something unique and gives her many blessings, even though it is hard to do. Many thank her, and are grateful that someone from their church thought to call them. Any of us who have been in the hospital, or have family that have, know that there is usually great change to cope with, besides other needs to sort through. It can be a very confusing time, when a call from a loving person can chase away fear. Love comes directly from God, and through us to others around us. How do we pass on the love? God will help all of us figure out how we each can do it in our own unique way. The Holy Spirit is a force within each of us, ready to help us perform gifts of love for others. We are not so different from those who felt the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. It is the same spirit, and the same will of God and we, through the grace that comes to us, will do wondrous things in and through us too.    Amazing God, who makes all things possible, we are grateful for how you equip us to do ministry. Open us to the great possibilities of gifts you give us, so that we may respond to the needs of your children. Help us imagine how we might help others around us in need of your loving help, through the gifts you give us.    Amen.       PEACE