Yesterday, we talked about God gave us a unique SHAPE in order to serve His church. This word SHAPE is a simple acronym.
S-SPIRITUAL GIFTS
H-HEART
A-ABILITIES
P-PERSONALITY
E-EXPERIENCES
When we fully discover our SHAPE, then we will know the what, where, and how we are supposed to serve. But what about the why? Why does God want us to serve His church, His kingdom?
The answer can be found in Ephesians 4:9-14. Take a moment now and read it for yourself...
Christ gave us our SHAPE so that the body of Christ "may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God and become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
When we discover our SHAPE and commit to serve instead of sit, it helps the whole church body become strong, mature and unified. When our church consists of followers of Jesus who are committed to growing to maturity in Him, then we can no longer be "tossed back and forth by the waves" but rather, we will become the "mature body of Christ" as each one "does its work."
Sounds like a very powerful reason to discover our SHAPE and stat serving the body of Christ!! Commit today to discover your SHAPE and to find your place of service in our fellowship. You will be more fulfilled than you can imagine.
Heavenly Father, help me today to have desire to serve your church. Help me discover the SHAPE you have given me and to find the ministry that fits my SHAPE. In Jesus name, Amen.
I wanted to check out the devotional blog this week (for the first time) and have a quick read at the beginning of my day. What I found instead was a passage of scripture that jumped off the screen, grabbed and held my attention. The message in this verse is so simple on the surface, but has tons of depth to it.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't born disciples any more than a cow is born a hamburger. We have to be made, SHAPEd into God's design for our lives. We are SHAPEd by the effort that we put into our faith, but also by the works of other believers who are actively living out their call, and of course most importantly by the Holy Spirit working inside us.
I appreciate how Paul ties Faith and Works together in this passage, as the two are inseparable (though many may try to separate them), and I eagerly push forward toward the full measure of Christ.
I hope everyone else was as blessed by this reading as I was!