Making A Difference in the World
4/2/2008
Really, Really, Really Make a Difference
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40).
Someone in your family or someone who you know well may be a carpenter. Or perhaps they are just handy with tools. And they probably have their equipment stored in a toolbox with things like a hammer and nails, and maybe a saw.
My grandfather was a carpenter and one of my favorite childhood memories was being with him in his workshop as he allowed me to “fix” a board. Basically I would hammer nails into it. He was very patient as he instructed me how to do it right and safely. His workshop was full of tools -planes, chisels, saws and sharpeners. I loved the smell of the sawdust that his power saw released as it moved through a piece of wood. Most of grandpa’s tools were well-used but were well-cared for also.
I have a small hammer that he gave me once. It doesn’t get nearly the use that he gave it... in fact, I’m pretty sure I don’t use it in the way that Grandpa did. One thing I learned from him in his workshop was that every tool has a specific job and if you know what you are doing, the right tool will get the job done right. For instance, a screwdriver isn’t made to be a chisel, and a plane doesn’t make a very good hammer. And if you use a tool the way it was intended you get the best of it.
God has a plan for you and me that is similar to my Grandpa’s use of tools. He made us all differently and prepared us to do some specific jobs. It is His plan for each of us to carry out His plan. Since we are prepared by the Master, we have the potential to do amazing things for God.
How can God use you to do the specific job that He planned for you?
This may be one of the most important and powerful prayers that one can pray. “Use me, Dear Lord. Show me what my part is in changing the world. Take my hands, my head and my heart and use me for Your glory.” What would happen if God’s people faithfully prayed this prayer?
That prayer pretty much sums up God’s purpose for you and me. It means that we must trust God to use our talents and time for His will. It really isn’t about our behavior or our attitude. It’s about a relationship with Him. ---And our relationship with each other. It’s about trusting Him and serving one another.
A Skill Set
God has given each one of us a particular set of skills. The tools that we are in His hands may be the tool of encouraging, or the tool of hard work, or the tool of teaching. If you feel guilty or worried that you aren’t doing enough for God or aren’t doing something that someone else is doing well, it may be useful to you to understand that your particular gift or tool is something specifically given to you by God. You may not ever be a teacher or someone who leads a group at church, or even a good hostess, but you may be a person who faithfully prays, or gives needed financial support to a missionary, or comforts someone in their loss of a loved one.
Does God have a purpose for your life? You can bet He does! Jesus said it best in Matthew 22.
The apostle Paul summarized it for us in this one verse.
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.’ (Galatians 5:13).
This is God’s purpose for you and I.
1. To love God with everything within us.
2. To love each other.
3. To serve each other in love.
The only difference for each of us, is how we will carry this purpose out in our individual ways of loving and serving. God has created and designed each of us as unique. None of us are the same. We are each made by Him to care more about some things more than others. We each have a passion for something that gets us going more than others. And we each have spiritual gifts that makes us better at doing certain things.
TO DO:
Be committed this week, to serving God in a way that is uniquely you. Make your service be your passionate and loving response to God’s love for you.
Posted By: jonealkirby | 102 views
Tags: difference, direction, Purpose, service, serving, spiritual gifts, tools