Do What You Were Created To Do

You give God glory when you lean into your giftedness.  Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.  – C.S. Lewis

An old hymn says that if the ocean were made of ink and the sky were made of paper, then it still would not be sufficient to record the amount of God’s love for us. The Lord gives us so much, BUT one thing that He does not share with us is His glory. This is because He is the creator and we are the created. He has made us and He has lavished us with talents, skills and blessings that He desires for us to use for His good.  When...
the purpose of something God has created is fulfilled, God is glorified. We can see this in nature, especially at this time of year. The trees are in bloom and new life is awakening around us. The earth is changing its seasons as God has set it to do. Conversely, if something is used for a purpose contrary to its God-given nature, God is not glorified. This is one reason sin is so damaging in our lives. Sin will waste your life and move you away from God’s purposes. When we do the things God created us to do, we ascribe Him the glory and we point out the greatness of God to the world.

As we get to know God more and more, our love for Him and understanding of who He is leads us to respect, honor and glorify Him. That’s why we start at home base every day and finish there after third base results, to give Him the glory. One way to be mentally prepared for this is to meditate on who God is. Consider the following ABC list of descriptions of God’s character: Able; Beloved; Creator; Deliverer; Everlasting; Faithful; Giver; Holy; Infinite; Just; Kind; Light; Merciful; Nurturer; Omnipotent; Protector; Quiet; Rock; Shepherd; Teacher; Unchangeable; Vindicator; Willing; X-cellent; Yours; Zealous.

This list is just a start for how to focus your thankfulness to the Lord. That’s where glory starts, with our gratitude. He is ALL of these almighty things and we can use our talents to point to His glory.

READ and THINK… What does the Bible say?

1. At this point in Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas have been thrown out of several towns for preaching the gospel. In Lystra, however, when they healed a crippled man, the townsfolk decided that Paul and Barnabas were gods and wanted to worship and offer sacrifices to them.

Questions:

1.What is Paul and Barnabas’ reaction to being worshiped?

Acts 14:14-15 (New Living Translation)

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, ¹⁵ “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

Answer: 

2. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reviews some history about the dangers of Israel’s idolatry and who they were living their life for. He then offers instructions for Christians on how they can do it differently.

Question: What activities does Paul point to that can give glory to God? What is the significance of the word “all”?

1 Corinthians 10:31 (New Living Translation)

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Answer:

In 1 Peter 4, Peter assures us that we all have been granted spiritual gifts and urges us to use them for the glory of God.

Question: What is the main goal to keep in mind when using our spiritual gifts? 

1 Peter 4:11 (New Living Translation)

Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Answer:

LIVE… What will you do now?

From the Paul and Barnabas story, we see how important it is to ensure we are using our gifts for God and not for our own gain. What mindset or attitude is needed in order to focus on God’s glory and not on our own? 

What are your current activities that are done for the glory of God? Which activities are driven by selfish motivation? What’s the difference? 

CHALLENGE: Today, challenge yourself to start every task with the goal of honoring God through how you speak and think. Then, glorify God at the end of the task by acknowledging His presence while you work. 

PRAY… God, what do you want me to know and do?

Spend some time in prayer with the list of God’s attributes. Find a word or two that could represent what God means to you and meditate on it in prayer and then keep the prayer in your heart throughout your day and week.