Monday, March 14, 2011

You are a gift! God has a plan and purpose for your life!

Romans 12

Many people who come into my office battle one key thing, a lack of self worth that results in living a life of rejection. Everyone reading this devotion either has felt that way or knows someone that does. I believe it is that prevalent in our world today. Sometimes it shows up as the person who wants to hide and not be noticed but many more times the manifestation is just the opposite it is arrogance or anger, an over compensation of a lack of self worth or value.

There is a part of scripture that we often gloss over or pass by without really dealing with it. We are told to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving ourselves is not about pride (Romans 12:3), which would be a violation of the presence of God in our lives; it is about recognizing the value that God has placed in each one of us. To not love what God has created is to reject God and his plan for your life. He has created each one of us uniquely for his purpose. Paul brings to light in this chapter how uniquely we are created.

Paul states that we have all been given a measure of faith. I believe it is part of God’s unique creation for every person that we are all born with a measure of faith. With that measure of faith we will fulfill our purpose on earth. I have preached a sermon about the particulars of the gifts listed here in Romans 12 how they work and how naturally supernatural they are. If you would like a copy of those notes respond to this blog, I will not post your response so as not to give your e-mail address away. Every person born is a unique creation of God. He has a plan and a purpose for each one, part of that plan requires us to use the unique measure of faith and the gifting that goes along with it.

So how do we use these unique gifts? Paul sets that up at the very beginning of this chapter. The first two verses explain to us that we are to give back to God what He has given us, ourselves. If we want to be “godly” men and women we must realize that this world system we are living in is anti-god so we must not be like this present age but surrender completely to God.

If you surrender to God, begin to understand and function in your gifts, then you will begin to act Christ-like. Paul establishes, like he does in 1 Corinthians 13, that all that we do must be love-based. We can not live or walk godly apart from love. At the same time we can not walk in love apart from surrendering to God, God is love! God’s love pouring through us enables us to act out this love through honor, patience, generosity, mercy, and grace to name a few of the attributes of a godly Christian.

Our Godly attitude must not only be extended to our friends and those that are like-minded, but toward all people. Paul extends this conversation further as we will read tomorrow in Chapter 13.

What about you today? Do you see yourself the way that God sees you? You are created with unique gifts, personality, and calling. Your value is very high in God’s eyes. You are the only one just like you. It doesn’t matter how you may feel about you, you need to apply the “measure of faith” that god has placed in you and believe what God sees and says about you. You are a gift! You are a blessing! You have a plan and a purpose. God created you uniquely to fulfill that purpose. Press into Him. Talk with Him. Let Him talk to you, Yes God will speak to His people. He does this directly through our thoughts, His Word, and through other Godly people. Occasionally, He has been known to talk audibly to people. Get to know Him and your will know your calling. You are a gift. You are extremely valuable. Don’t give up on yourself. God will never give up on you.

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