Day 40 – Living with Purpose

Living on purpose is the only way to really live – everything else is just existing!

People struggle with basic issues in life (examples):

IDENTITY – ‘Who am I?’

IMPORTANCE – ‘Do I matter?’

IMPACT – ‘What is my place in life?’

The answers are in God’s purposes for our lives…

As we come to the end of this 40 day journey, God’s purposes for your life should now be evident – you will be blessed if you do them! To prevent getting distracted and drifting off course, develop a PURPOSE STATEMENT for your life.

WHAT IS A LIFE PURPOSE STATEMENT?

It summarizes God’s purposes for your life.

It points the direction of your life

It defines ‘success’ for you

It clarifies your roles

It expresses your shape

Take time writing your statement; don’t aim for perfection at once, it’s a work in progress – just write down your thoughts as fast as they come to you.

Consider these questions as you prepare it:

+ What will be the centre of my life? – The question of worship.

You need an unshakable centre. Pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart. When God’s at the centre, you worship; when He’s not, you worry.

+ What will be the character of my life? – The question of discipleship.

Remember, you will take your character into eternity, not your career. Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching with spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness and generous love.

 

+ What will be the contribution of my life? – The question of service.

Fashion a combination out of your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences to establish your best role in the family of God. (Ministry) You have to choose whom and how you can best help, based on your ‘shape’.

+ What will be the communication of my life? – The question of your mission.

Your mission should be aimed mainly at non-believers; it is the commitment to share your testimony and the Good News with others. Our lives must support and validate the message we communicate - before unbelievers accept the Bible as credible they will need to know that we are credible – therefore be sure to live in a way that brings honour to the Good News of Christ.

+ What will be the community of my life? – The question of fellowship.

Where you genuinely practice with other believers and express your love for God’s church.

Now consider your answers to these questions.

Pray, think about it, talk with close friends and reflect on Scripture. What matters most is that it fulfills God’s eternal purposes regardless of where you live or work or whom you associate with.

{There exists a suggestion that you develop your life purpose statement based on what you would like other people to say about you at your funeral – your perfect eulogy – actually it’s a very bad plan… Our purpose is to please God, not people.}

Put Jesus at the centre of your life, develop His character, devote your life to serving others, communicate His message and fulfill His mission and love and participate in His family – following these tenets will almost certainly give you the  basis for a phenomenal statement. Our goal is to measure up to God’s plan for us...

The ultimate definition of a life well lived would prove to be:

Doing the eternal and timeless (God’s purposes) in a contemporary and timely way (in your generation)

– That is what the Purpose Driven Life is all about.

Only we can serve God’s purpose in this generation. God is constantly looking for people to use; it’s our job to assist Him. One day history will come to an end, but eternity will go on forever. When fulfilling your purposes seems tough, don’t give in to discouragement. Remember your reward, which will last forever...

PRAISE HIM FOR HIS PLAN AND LIVE FOR HIS PURPOSES FOREVER!

Start living on purpose today… Love you all ~ Stafford

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” -2 Corinthians 5:21

Day 39 – Balancing your life

Blessed are the balanced; they shall outlast everyone

Your life in Christ’s Body has purposes, which you must keep in balance. These purposes are summarized in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Jesus:

Mark 12:30 - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

 Matthew 28:19-20 - “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Main purposes in a nutshell:

Love God with all your heart – worship

Love your neighbour as you love yourself – ministry

Go make disciples – evangelism or e-vangelism

Baptize everyone – fellowship

Teach them the way – discipleship

We all tend to overemphasize the purposes we feel more passionate about and neglect the others. Keep your life balanced by:

(i)                 Joining a small group (“Where two or three are gathered…”)

(ii)               Regularly evaluating your spiritual health

(iii)             Recording your progress

(iv)              Passing on what you learn

+ Talk it through with a spiritual partner or small group.

We learn best in a sharing community. Our minds are sharpened and our convictions are deepened through conversion. We can give and receive feedback and discuss real-life examples (we trust close relationships). We can pray for, encourage and support each other as we begin to live out these purposes.

+ Give yourself regular spiritual check-ups.

God places high value on the habit of self-evaluation. (Questioning our motives, commitment, etc.) Regularly check the vital signs and health of your worship, fellowship, growth in character, ministry and mission.

+ Write down your progress in a journal.

This journal shouldn’t be a diary of daily events (you may in addition keep one of those), but a record of the life lessons you don’t want to forget. Writing helps clarify what God is doing in your life. Your life is a journey, and a journey deserves a journal. Don’t just write down the pleasant things; record your doubts, fears and struggles with God – our greatest lessons come out of pain. You owe it to future generations to preserve the testimony of how God helped you to fulfill His purposes on earth.

+ Pass on what you know to others.

It is your responsibility to carry the message of our purpose on earth to others. You probably know hundreds of people who do not know the purpose of life. Share these truths with your children, your friends, your neighbours and those you work with. Passing it on is more than an obligation; it’s one of life’s greatest privileges – how different the world would be if everyone knew their purpose!

IT’S ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

The reason we pass on what we learn is for the glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom. Not only does He want us to live out His purposes, He also wants us to help others do the same – bring them into His fellowship, help them grow to maturity and discover their place in His service; and then send them out to reach others, too.

The rest of your life can be the best of your life – START LIVING ON PURPOSE TODAY!

Come take my hand…Much love ~ Stafford

“My salvation and my honour depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.” -Psalm 62:7

Day 38 – Becoming a World-Class Christian

The Great Commission is your commission – either be a world-class believer or a worldly believer…

As a world-class believer God invites you to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse and most significant cause in history – His kingdom. Someday the Great Commission will be the Great Completion. It is a small world after all – every corner of the globe is available to you (ask any travel agent) – we have no excuse not to spread the Good News. And with Internet access we can personally communicate with people in virtually every country on earth. It has never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world. To be a world-class believer, all you have to do is change your perspective and attitude.

+ Shift from self-centred to other-centred thinking.

Children only think of themselves; grownups think of others. This is a difficult mental shift because we’re naturally self-absorbed. The only way we can make this paradigm switch is by a moment-by-moment dependence on God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to think of the spiritual need of unbelievers whenever you talk to them – develop the habit of praying silent ‘breath prayers’ for those you encounter. (Something like, “Father help me fathom what is keeping this person from knowing You.”

+ Shift from local to global thinking.

God has always cared about the entire world. Our lives are increasingly intertwined with those in other nations as we share fashions, entertainment, music, sports and even fast-food. (Not to mention wars, sanctions, poverty, arms trade, etc) These are exciting days to be alive. There are more believers on earth right now than ever before! World-class believers pray for the whole world, country by country. (So keep abreast with international news media)

Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. (I JUST LOVE THE POWERFUL FEELING THIS GIVES ME!) People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers! The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message and for more field-workers.

+ Shift from ‘here and now’ to eternal thinking.

Maintain an eternal perspective – distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s ultimate. So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things. (‘GOD created us an original, don't die a copy’) You can’t take it with you – but you can send it on ahead by investing it in people who are going to be there!

+ Shift from making excuses to creating solutions to fulfill your commission.

Common excuses are: ‘I only speak English’, ‘I don’t have anything to offer’, and ‘I’m too old {or too young}’ God doesn’t want to use just some of His people; He wants to use all of His people. Many believers have missed God’s plan for their lives because them have never even asked God where and how He wants them to serve. (You can’t sit around waiting for some supernatural feeling or an epiphany) Seriously pray and ask God what He wants from you in the years ahead – there are over 7 billion people on earth, and Jesus wants all His lost children to be found.

The Great Commission is your commission, and doing your part is the secret to living a life of significance.

Let’s go mission together…Much love ~ Stafford

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” -James 1:12

Day 37 – Sharing your Life Mission

God has given you a Life Message to share

As a believer you become God’s messenger on earth. You have a storehouse of experiences that God wants to use to bring others into His family:

+ Your testimony - the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus

+ Your life lessons - important lessons God has taught you

+ Your Godly passions – the issues God has shaped you to care about

+ The Good News – the message of salvation

YOUR TESTIMONY

This is the essence of witnessing – simply sharing your personal experiences regarding the Lord. There is no other story just like yours (similar maybe), so only you can share it. It’s hard to argue with personal experience, so they give you more credibility when sharing them with unbelievers. Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart into the hearts of non-believers. Many people who won’t accept the authority of the Bible will listen to a humble, personal story. And you have a story for every experience in which God has helped you - different situations will call for different testimonies.

YOUR LIFE LESSONS

These are lessons and insights you have learned about God, relationships, temptations, and other aspects of life. There isn’t enough time to learn everything in life by trial and error (although I know of many who are happily prone to pursue all manner of trials and errors), so it makes sense to learn from the life lessons of one another. (Much reluctance, prejustice and sceptism often prevents us from doing so) Much needless frustration can be avoided if we learn from each other’s life lessons; extracted from everyday experiences.

YOUR GODLY PASSIONS

It may be a passion about a problem, a purpose, a principle, or a group of people. You cannot keep yourself from talking about that which you are passionate and care about most. God gives some people a Godly passion to champion a cause – often a personally experienced difficulty (abuse, addiction, depression, etc); or a passion to speak up for groups of others who can’t speak for themselves – the Bible is filled with commands to defend the defenseless; and so forth… God gives us different passions so that everything He wants done in the world will get done (no one human can do it all!) – listen to and value each other’s life message.

THE GOOD NEWS

 

The Good News is this that when we trust in God’s grace to save us through what Jesus did, our sins are forgiven, we get a purpose for living, and we are promised a future home in Heaven. God never made a person He didn’t love – everybody matters to Him. We must care about unbelievers because God does; love leaves no choice. (Not saying you have to marry them…)

 Ask God to fill your heart with His love for them. As long as you know even one person who doesn’t know Christ, you must keep praying for them, serving them in love, and sharing the Good News with them. Imagine the joy of greeting people in Heaven whom you helped get there. The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important than anything else you will ever achieve in life. Only people are going to last forever.

GOD MADE YOU TO BE:

+ A member of His family

+ A model of His character

+ A magnifier of His glory

+ A minister of His grace

+ A messenger of His Good News – this purpose can only be done on earth (the others you will keep doing into eternity)

 So spread the Good News; you only have a short time to share your message and fulfill your mission. ‘Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once.’ - Anon

Gives me hope and resolve in my patience…Love you ~ Stafford

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” -Ephesians 6:10-11

Day 36 – Made for a Mission

You were made for a mission

God wants you to have both a ministry in the Body of Christ and a mission in the world. Ministry is your service to believers. Your Mission is your service to non-believers – and it is unique to you. That mission is introducing people to God! God wants to redeem human beings from Satan and reconcile them to Himself. We are the messengers of God’s love and purposes to the world – ambassadors at large.

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR MISSION

+ Your mission is a continuation of Jesus’ mission on earth.

In the GREAT COMMISSION Jesus said, “Go to the people of all nations and make them my Disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you.” This is your commission from Jesus, and it is not optional. You may be unaware that God holds you responsible for the unbelievers who live around you – your mission is to share Jesus with them.

+ Your mission is a wonderful privilege.

It is an incredible honour to be used by God – working with Him and representing Him. Jesus has secured our salvation, put us in His family, given us the Spirit, and He made us His agents in the world.

+ Telling others how to gain eternal life is the greatest thing you can do for them.

We have the greatest news in the world, and sharing it is the greatest kindness you can show to anyone. (This is an amazing mindset to adopt!) We must remember that no matter how contented or successful people may appear to be, without Christ they are hopelessly lost and headed for eternal separation from God.

+ Your mission has eternal significance.

The consequences of your mission will last forever – that being, helping people establish an eternal relationship with God. We have all of eternity to celebrate bringing people to God; but we have only our lifetime in which to reach them! (So there is no time for delay; there is actually urgency!) No need to change your current job or move elsewhere; share the Good News where you are. Continually look for people God places in your path with whom you can share the gospel.

+ Your mission gives your life meaning.

‘The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.’ – William James. Live Purpose Driven lives committed to worship, fellowship, spiritual growth, ministry, and fulfilling your mission on earth. There are people on this planet that only you will be able to reach. If just one person will be in Heaven because of you, your life will have made a difference for eternity. (Caution: this does not afford you any guarantee of a place in Heaven!)

+ God’s timetable for history’s conclusion is connected to the completion of our commission.

Speculating on the exact timing of Christ’s return is futile. JESUS said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (The end of the world – The end of days – “…likes a thief in the night…”) Only fulfilling your mission can get Jesus to return sooner. It is easy to get distracted and sidelined from your mission because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith – even all kinds of good things as long as you don’t take anyone to Heaven with you.

WHAT IT COSTS TO FULFILL YOUR MISSION

To fulfill your mission will require that you abandon your agenda and accept God’s agenda for your life. If you will commit to fulfilling your mission in life no matter what it costs, you will experience the blessing of God. There is almost nothing God won’t do for those who are committed to serving the Kingdom of God. (You will want for nothing)

ONE MORE FOR JESUS

If you want to be used by God, you must care about what God cares about - the redemption of the people He made. May you always be on the lookout to reach ‘one more for Jesus’ so that when you stand before God one day, you can say, ‘Mission accomplished, Lord!’

Can’t wait to see you there… Love you ~ Stafford

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23

Day 35 – God’s power in your weakness

God loves to use weak people

We are all flawed and imperfect - baggaged with physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, financial and relational limiting weaknesses. Usually we deny our weaknesses, defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them. We think that God only wants to use our strengths; but He also wants to use our weaknesses for His glory. God loves to use imperfect, ordinary people to do the extraordinary things in spite of their frailties or any other inherited limitations; or that which they are powerless to change – God is never limited by our limitations!

+ Admit your weaknesses.

Instead of living in denial or making excuses, take the time to identify your personal weaknesses – make a list. You are only human; surely you can admit your shortcomings to yourself?

+ Be content with your weaknesses.

Being content with weakness doesn’t seem to make sense – don’t you think? But this contentment is an expression of faith in the goodness of God. Whenever you feel weak, God is reminding you to depend on Him – weaknesses prevent arrogance, keep us humble, keep our egos in check and govern us from going too fast and running ahead of God – He deliberately allows them in your life for the purpose of demonstrating His power through you. Furthermore; our weaknesses encourage fellowship between believers and increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts – the things you’re most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, and most reluctant to share – the very tools God can use most powerfully to heal others.

+ Honestly share your weaknesses. (Saw this one coming, eh?)

The more you let down your guard, take off your mask, and share your struggles, the more God will be able to use you in serving others. When you do reveal your failures, feelings, frustrations and fears; you risk rejection – but the benefits are worth the risk. Humility is not putting yourself down or denying your strengths; rather it is being honest about your weaknesses. 

Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts, and the vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy. Our strengths create competition, but our weaknesses create community. You can impress people from a distance, but you must get close to influence them – the most essential quality for leadership is not perfection, but credibility.

 

+ Glory in your weaknesses.

Instead of posing as self-confident and invincible, see yourself as a trophy of grace – fill your heart with praise for Jesus, who understands every weakness and for the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our weakness. If you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must be willing to ‘walk with a limp’ for the rest of your life, because God uses weak people; and none of us can be perfect!

Come share in my imperfection… Love ~ Stafford

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” -Romans 15:13 

Day 34 – Thinking like a servant

Service starts in your mind (As does temptation – remember?)

Attitudes count more than achievements. God is always more interested in why we do something than what we do.

+ Servants think more about others than about themselves.

This is what it means to ‘lose your life’ – forgetting yourself in service to others. It’s only when we forget ourselves that we do the things that deserve to be remembered. Unfortunately, we serve to get others to like us, to be admired, or to achieve our own goals – that is manipulation, not ministry. Humility is a daily struggle, a lesson we must relearn over and over. Self-denial is the core of servanthood.

+ Servants think like stewards, not owners.

Servants remember that GOD OWNS IT ALL! Servanthood and stewardship go together, since God expects us to be trustworthy in both. To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life…You CANNOT serve both God and Money... Living for your ministry and living for money are mutually exclusive goals. Money and materialism has the greatest potential to replace GOD in your life. God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant. How you manage your money affects how much God can bless your life – use wealth and riches to fund God’s church and its mission in the world. (My tithing philosophy rings clear here; how you further God’s work with your excess funds and goods is a personal choice between donating to an organized body and going out and doing it yourself – I don’t think God minds; as long as you are doing it with the right attitude of heart)

+ Servants think about their work, not what others are doing.

Competition between God’s servants is illogical – we’ve all been given different assignments; and we’re all uniquely shaped. It is not our job to evaluate the Master’s other servants – let the Master handle it. Your service for Christ is never wasted regardless of what others say.

+ Servants base their identity in Christ.

They remember that they are loved and accepted by grace; and accordingly don’t have to prove their worth. If you’re going to be a servant, you must settle your identity in Christ – only secure people can truly serve God. When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best. Servants find status symbols unnecessary, and they don’t measure their worth by their achievements. The closer you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself.

+ Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.

“Serve the Lord with gladness” the Bible tells us. Because we love the Lord, we’re grateful for His grace, and we know that serving is the highest use of life, and know that God has promised a reward. Jesus promised: “The Father will honour and reward anyone who serves me” – and now we know how…

‘The only really happy people are those who have learned to serve’ – Albert Schweitzer

Gottaluvit..! Much love ~ Stafford

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” -Colossians 3:12

Day 33 – How real servants act

We serve God by serving others

In our self-serving culture with its ‘me-first’ mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. Remember God shaped you for service, not for self-centredness. Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity.

+ Real servants make themselves available to serve.

If you only serve when it’s convenient for you, you’re not a real servant. Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever He needs to. Servants see interruptions as divine appointments for ministry and are happy for the opportunity to practice serving.

+ Real servants pay attention to needs.

Always be on the lookout for ways to help others. When God puts someone in need right in front of you, He is giving you the opportunity to grow in servant-hood. You may only get one chance to serve that person, so take advantage of the moment.

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can” – John Wesley

+ Real servants do their best with what they have.

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. One reason many people never serve is that they fear they are not good enough to serve. It doesn’t have to be perfect for God to use and bless it.

+ Real servants do every task with equal dedication.

The size of the task is irrelevant – God will never exempt you from the menial and mundane. Small tasks often show a big heart. Your servant’s heart is revealed in little acts that others don’t think of doing. No task is beneath you when you have a servant’s heart – before attempting the extraordinary, try serving in ordinary ways. Sometimes you serve upward to those in authority, and sometimes you serve downward to those in need – you develop a servant’s heart when you’re willing to do anything needed.

+ Real servants are faithful to their ministry.

Good servants finish their tasks, fulfill responsibilities, keep promises and complete commitments – they don’t quit when feeling discouraged and are trustworthy and dependable. Faithfulness has always been a rare quality – you need to keep promises, fulfill vows and honour commitments to be a faithful servant – work at it constantly. Imagine what it will feel like when you get to Heaven one day and God says to you, “Well done, my good and faithful servant…” Faithful servants never retire. They serve faithfully as long as they’re alive!

+ Real servants maintain a low profile.

“Put on the apron of humility, to serve one another.” When real servants are given recognition for their service, they humbly accept it but don’t allow the acclamation to distract them from their work. Don’t turn helping others, giving, and even prayer into a performance for others – Jesus hated this attitude. Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix! You won’t find many real servants in the limelight; in truth they avoid it when possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows. [Unfortunately, many leaders today start off as servants but end up as celebrities. They become addicted to attention, unaware that always being in the spotlight blinds you!]

You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. LISTEN: God put you where you are for a purpose! – stay put, He will let you know if He wants you somewhere else – your ministry matters to the Kingdom of God. In Heaven God is going to openly reward some of His most obscure and unknown servants. Knowing this, don’t be discouraged when your service is unnoticed or taken for granted. Keep on serving God. Even the smallest service is noticed by God and will be rewarded.

Let us continue to pray and serve together... Love you ~ Stafford

“It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” -Acts 4:10, 12

Day 32 – Using What God gave you

God deserves your best.

The best use of your life is to serve God out of your unique shape; discover your shape, learn to accept and enjoy it, and then develop it to its fullest potential. What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God…

DISCOVER YOUR SHAPE

+ BEGIN by assessing your gifts and abilities.

Take a long, honest look at what you’re good at and what you aren't good at. Make a list. Ask other people for their candid opinion. Be wary of serving or teaching or giving generously out of maturity rather than because it is your spiritual gift. The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service – by experimenting with different ministries you will uncover your true gifts. You have dozens of hidden abilities and gifts. No matter how old you are, never stop experimenting. You will never know what you’re good at until you try it out.

+ CONSIDER your heart and your personality.

Again, it helps to get feedback from those who know you best. (Doing this discovery into ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ was prompted by someone who knew me well {didn’t fully realise it at the time} challenging the mettle of my spiritual commitment)

+ EXAMINE your experiences and extract the lessons you have learned.

Review your life and think about how it has shaped you – forgotten experiences are worthless; and a good reason for keeping a spiritual journal. (I store a lot of my personal life and reflections online; in blogs, emails and enotes great for remote portable access via my mobile phone – a writing journal is also always at my bedside)

We rarely see God’s good purpose in pain or failure or embarrassment while it is happening – only in hindsight do we understand how God intended a problem for good.

ACCEPT AND ENJOY YOUR SHAPE

God knows what’s best for you – gratefully accept the way He has fashioned and wired you. Your shape was sovereignly determined by God for His purpose – celebrate the shape God has given only to you – recognizing your limitations. Nobody is good at everything, and no one is called to be everything. God wants you to enjoy the shape He has given you. Don’t overextend your ministry; your goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for you.

Satan will try to steal the joy of service from you; by tempting you to compare your ministry with others and by tempting you to conform your ministry to the expectations of others – avoid comparisons, resist exaggeration, and seek only God’s commendation.

‘If my life is fruitless it doesn’t matter who praises me; and if my life is fruitful it doesn’t matter who criticizes me.’ – John Bunyan

KEEP DEVELOPING YOUR SHAPE

Cultivate your gifts and abilities, keep your heart aflame, grow your character and personality and broaden your experiences – in so doing you will be increasingly more effective in your service. (So much easier said than done – keep persevering to your life’s end, I guess) Whatever gifts you have been given can be enlarged and developed through practice. Don’t settle for a half-developed gift, stretch yourself and learn all you can. In Heaven we are going to serve God forever; so prepare you for that eternal service by practicing on earth; thereby readying yourself for eternal responsibilities and rewards.

Let’s do this together... Love you ~ Stafford

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1:5-8