When God knitted us together in our mother’s womb, He created our physical bodies and unique gifts and callings and put them together for a specific purpose.
Last week, we examined God’s image and how we are to reflect Him. This week, I wanted to explore some of the gifts God gives us, the callings He places in our hearts, and how we use them to fulfill our purpose.
Now, there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they come from the same Spirit. There are different kinds of ministries, but they come from the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but they come from the same God, who is at work in all of them. The Spirit is given to each of us and is revealed for the good of all. One person is given by the Spirit the ability to speak words of wisdom. The same Spirit gives another a message of knowledge. One receives the gift of strongly trusting in God by the same Spirit. Another receives gifts of healing from that one Spirit. Then another is given the ability to perform miracles. One receives the gift of prophecy. Another is given the gift of spiritual discernment. Another receives the ability to speak different languages, while another is given the gift of interpreting languages. But all of these gifts are the work of the one and the same Spirit, sharing with each person as he alone chooses.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
‘We each have different gifts that vary according to the grace given to us. So, if it’s speaking for God, then you should do so depending on how much you trust in God. If it’s the ministry of service, then you should serve; if teaching, then you should teach; if encouragement, then you should encourage; if giving, then you should give generously; if leadership, then you should lead with commitment; if being merciful, then you should do so gladly. Romans 12:6-8
These verses highlight the unique gifts that He has given to each of us. We will use these gifts to build up and encourage the church body. Because our bodies are made up of many parts, each with a specific purpose that makes it work, the same is true of the church. The church has many parts, and they all need to work together.
We are to discover and develop these gifts. Assessments are available online to help you identify your gifts and suggest ways to use them. I encourage you to discover your unique gifts, which were divinely given to you!
Remember when you were little, and your family asked what you wanted to be when you grew up? Some of our answers were: a doctor, a lawyer, a mommy, or an astronaut! Sometimes, we pretended to be one or all of those.
But deep down inside, we are good at something; things come easily to us. Because we find certain things easy or we are good at doing them, they will lead us to our calling. God’s Word is full of people to whom He gave unique callings. Let’s look at a few!
‘The Lord told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, your family home, and travel to the land I’m going to show you. ‘Genesis 12:1
God called Abram to leave his family and home and go to a new place where he would become a great nation, and many blessings would come to him.
Abram said “yes,” left all he knew, and followed God. He was old, so he had no idea how a nation would come from him, but he trusted God and had faith.
Now you must leave because I’m sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people, Israel, out of Egypt. Exodus 3:10
Through a burning bush, God gave Moses a gift of leadership and told him to return to Egypt to lead His people to the Promised Land.
At first, Moses argued that he had a speech impediment and wasn’t good at speaking, but he ultimately accepted God’s call to become a new leader.
The Lord spoke to Jonah, the son of Amittai, telling him, “Go immediately to the great city of Nineveh and condemn it because I have seen the wickedness of its people. Jonah 1:1-2
God had a plan to destroy Nineveh because they were wicked people, but He called Jonah to warn them of the plan.
So what does Jonah do? Runs! After a three-day, three-night stay inside a great fish, Jonah obeys and delivers God’s message to the Ninevites, who repent and are saved.
You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You shall call him Jesus. Luke 1:31
God had an extraordinary call for Mary to fulfill. She was going to be the mother of His Only Son.
Mary accepted the call and gave birth to the Messiah. She raised Him, watched Him grow into a man who taught and healed people, and then stood at the foot of the cross as He answered His calling to give His life for her.
There are so many examples, but I shared these stories to show us that God has a unique call for each one of us. Although God may not be calling us to leave our homes and become a great nation, or to save our people from destruction, He is calling us to do something for Him!
Maybe you’re starting a new job, designing a new product to help people, or maybe God calls you to start a blog! Whatever it is, trust God. He created you with gifts and a calling to fulfill a unique purpose.
Now that we have an idea of our gifts and callings, we must combine them and find our purpose.
When you have a purpose, you have a reason to do something. If you work, you have a reason to get up in the morning. If you have a family, you have a reason to provide for them.
We can’t see “purpose,” but it defines what we do, drives us, motivates us, and moves us in a specific direction. You have a unique purpose that God created in you. Sometimes, it is easy to know what it is, and other times, not so much! We must seek God’s guidance to discover our purpose.
In November, I began asking God for a word for the new year. I had picked out a few and started praying over them. Then, in December, our life group pastor challenged us to pick a word for the year!
The word purpose began popping up everywhere: in verses, on TV, in books I read, and even in a sermon I heard.
So, I looked up the definitions and verses that accompanied my new word. As I think about my purpose, it has changed over the years, but now it is to focus on my hubby. We are empty nesters, so it has been fun and challenging to fulfill this unique purpose! Another purpose I have is to worship Jesus and to seek Him!
By the end of January, I felt a nudge to start doing what my kids had been encouraging me to do. But writing a book sounds so scary and hard. Though I know God has taught me many things in my fifty-plus years, I’m just not ready to commit to writing a book!
I started researching blogs, how to start one, why you should start one, and all the tips and tricks. It seemed easy enough, so I prayed and asked others to pray, and on February 6th, I published my first blog post!
I have learned that writing is so much more than just sitting down to put my thoughts on paper. There is social media, newsletter articles, and scheduling everything. But I’m enjoying this new purpose so much! As I write these posts, I think about and pray for YOU!
I shared the I AM statements Jesus taught in the Book of John this month. The next one was about the lies we believe and replacing them with who God says we are in Jesus. Last week, we looked into a mirror and saw God’s reflection and how we arefearfully and wonderfully made.
My friend, God has given us unique gifts and callings, each with a specific purpose. Take a moment and think about that. Before you took your first breath, God placed these things in your heart and then waited for you to step into them!
Are you using your gifts? Are you walking in your calling? Do you know your purpose? Ask God to reveal His plan for you, then praise Him by using your unique gifts, walking in your calling, and fulfilling your purpose!
Hey friend! I created a study guide to help you find your purpose! To check it out, fill out the form below, and I will send it to you!
Resources:
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/LUK.1.31
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/JON.1.1-2
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/EST.2.17
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/EXO.3.10
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/GEN.12.1
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/ROM.12.6-8
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/1CO.12.5-11
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/1CO.12.4
