Chapter 36 The Thirty Day Is Shaped to Serve God

The Thirty Day Is Shaped to Serve God Your hands shape me and shape me. (Job 10:8) the people I made for myself, so that they may speak my praise. (Isaiah 43:21) You were made to serve God. When God created every creature on the earth, he endowed it with special skills.Some animals can run, some can jump, some can swim, some can burrow, and some can fly.Each creature has a unique role in the world as shaped by God.The same is true of God's creation of human beings. Each of us is carefully designed, or "shaped" by the Heavenly Father, to perform our duties. Before architects design a building, they will first ask: "What is the purpose of this building? What is the use for?" Often the purpose of this building will become the main factor in determining the form.Before God created you, He determined your role in the world and then shaped you so that you can do the work He wants you to do.

The Bible says: "We were originally his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." The English word "poem" (poetry) comes from the Greek word "workmanship" (work).You are a work of art carefully crafted by God himself, not a mass-assembled product of factory machines, but a tailor-made and unique creation. God purposely shaped you to serve Him with a uniquely personal ministry.He carefully mixed your genes to create you. "My heart was made by you, and you shaped me in my mother's womb. I want to thank you, because my creation is wonderful and awesome, and your deeds are wonderful..." Just like Weitt (Ethel Waters) said: "God does not make waste."

God not only molded you when you were not born, He also made a plan for your life every day to complete the process of your being molded.David said: "The days you have set for me are fully written in your book before I pass one." That is to say: nothing that happens in your life is unimportant, God uses these things to mold you so that you can serve him and serve others. God never wastes anything.He will not give you talents, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences for no reason, because He intends to be glorified in them.Therefore, knowing and understanding these factors can help you discover God's will in your life.

The Bible says you are a "wonderful union" because you are made of different elements.To help you remember these five elements, I have created a monogram "SHAPE" (feature).In this chapter and the next one, we will discuss these five elements, and I will also explain how to discover your characteristic "SHAPE". How God Shapes You For Your Ministry Whenever God gives you a task, He always equips you for the task you need to complete.This combination of talents tailored for you becomes your characteristic (SHAPE). Spiritual Gifts HEART heart Abilities Personality

experience experience Features: Discover your spiritual gifts God gives every believer spiritual gifts to use in ministry.These are the special gifts of God, given only to believers, for the service of Him.The Bible says, "He who does not have the Spirit of God cannot receive the gift of the Spirit of God." You can neither earn nor deserve a spiritual gift - a gift is God's grace to you. "How rich is the grace that he (God) has given us in Christ Jesus." You can't choose the gifts you like to have, it's God's decision.Paul explained, "All this is done by the same Holy Spirit, who distributes to each individually as he wills."

Because God loves diversity, He wants us to be unique, so there is no one gift that everyone has, and no one person has all the gifts.If you have all the gifts, you don't need anyone, and that would go against God's will - which is for us to love and depend on each other. Use your gifts not for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others, just as others have been given gifts to use for your benefit.The Bible says, "Spiritual gifts are given to each one for the benefit of the whole church." God's plan is that we depend on each other to use our gifts together for the benefit of all.You will feel cheated if others don’t use their gifts, and others will feel cheated if you don’t use your gifts, so the Lord commands us to discover and develop spiritual gifts.Are you using your time wisely to discover your spiritual gifts?An unopened gift (gift) is worthless.

Whenever we forget these truths about gifts, problems arise in the church.Two common problems are: "gift envy" and "gift projection".The former refers to our comparing our gifts with others, feeling dissatisfied with the gifts God has given us, and feeling disgusted and jealous of God's use of others.The latter refers to our assuming that others share our gifts and do what we are called to do, with the same enthusiasm we feel.The Bible records: "There are many services and offices, but the same Lord." Sometimes we place so much emphasis on spiritual gifts that we overlook other factors that God uses to shape you.In fact, gifts are just one of the keys to seeking the work God wants you to do, and God will use other four methods to reveal His will.

Features: listen to your heart The Bible uses the word "heart" to describe your wishes, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams and what you love.Your heart is the source of your life force—that is, what you love to do and what you care about most.Even today, we still use this word to say, "I love you with all my heart." The Bible says, "As the water reflects the face, so the mind reflects the man." Your mind reveals your true self—the real you, not what other people imagine you are or can't help you.Your mind determines why you talk the way you do, why you feel the way you do, and why you do the things you do.

Each of our bodies has a unique heartbeat, and just as we each have unique fingerprints, eye masks, and voices, our heartbeats are slightly different from others.What is surprising is that among the hundreds of millions of people in the world, no one has the same heartbeat as you!Similarly, God has given each of us a unique "emotional pulse". When encountering a subject, activity or environment that interests us, we will unconsciously pay special attention to these things. This is the clue to seek the scope of our service . Another meaning of "heart" is enthusiasm.You feel passionate about some things, but indifferent to others; some experiences attract your attention and make you excited;These experiences also reflect your inner nature.

When you were growing up, you may find that you are particularly interested in certain things, but the rest of the family is indifferent to it. Where did these interests come from?In fact, they are from God.God has a purpose for giving you innate interest, and your "emotional pulse" is the second indicator, allowing you to understand the characteristics of your service.Instead of neglecting your interests, consider how they can be used to glorify God; you love doing them for a reason. The Bible says over and over to "serve God with all your heart." God wants us to serve Him with zeal, not duty; very few people excel or are passionate about something that doesn't interest them.God wants you to serve Him and others with your natural interests.Listening carefully to your inner cues can point to the ministry God has in store for you.

How do you know that you are serving God from the bottom of your heart?The first indicator is your passion for this ministry.When you do what you love, you don't need others to motivate you, challenge you, or monitor you.Your motivation is your total enjoyment of this work, you don't need rewards, applause or payment because you love this kind of service.Conversely, if you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will easily feel discouraged. Every second indicator of serving God is effectiveness.Whenever you do what you love to do according to God's design for you, you will get better at it.Passion drives the pursuit of perfection.If you don't like a task, you can't excel at it. In any profession, the most accomplished people are those who do it out of passion rather than duty or profit.We often hear people say, "In order to make money, I have to work at a job I hate so that one day I can quit and do something I love." Big mistake!Don't waste your life on a job that doesn't convey your heart.Please remember: the greatest thing in life is not maintained in material things, meaningful things are more important than money.One of the richest people in the world once said: "It is better to live a simple life and fear God than to live a rich life with many headaches." You don't want to settle for "comfortable life" because "comfortable life" is not good enough and in the end it is not satisfying.You can have many things to live with, but not one thing you can live for.Instead of pursuing a "comfortable life," aim to serve God in a way that expresses your heart.Find out what you love to do - what interests God has given you, and do it for God's glory.