Highly Favored

God Deserves My Best

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

Question to Consider:
How can I make the best use of what God has given me?
I went to Bible Study last night, and before I even made it into the church, a member who had taken my T-shirt Painting class greeted me and was proudly wearing the T-shirt she had painted. Even though that class was about a year ago, her shirt was still in new-like shape, the glitter accents still intact. This was the same woman who claimed she had no artistic ability – yet her shirt was gorgeous.

Moments later, inside the church a youth member asks if I will be teaching arts and crafts again now that school is out, because she wants to paint a T-shirt for the Cedar Point trip. I finally just accepted God’s tug in the right direction and worked out which day would be more convenient for her and other interested youth. We decided on Tuesdays after Youth Bible Study and Choir Practice.

As if that wasn’t enough confirmation, after Adult Bible Study was over, I was informed by yet another member, that if I wanted to change the format and start teaching the Children’s Class with art instead of using the Sunday School Books, I was given the “okay” to go ahead and do so.

So there you have it…I will use my artistic ability; pair it with my teaching ability and teach others how to praise God creatively with art.

Important Quotes:
“The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service…Until you’re actually involved in serving, you’re not going to know what you’re good at. You have dozens of hidden abilities and gifts you don’t know you’ve got because you’ve never tried them out.” (Warren, 250-1)

“Part of accepting your shape is recognizing your limitations. Nobody is good at everything, and no one is called to be everything. We all have defined roles.” (Warren, 253)

“Satan will try to steal the joy of service from you in a couple of ways: by tempting you to compare your ministry with others, and by tempting you to conform your ministry to the expectations of others. Both are deadly traps that will distract you from serving in the ways God intended. Whenever you lose your joy in ministry, start by considering if either one of these temptations is the cause.” (Warren, 253)

“There are two reasons why you should never compare your shape, ministry, or the results of your ministry with anyone else. First, you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you and you will become discouraged. Or you will always be able to find someone who doesn’t seem as effective as you and you will get full of pride. Either attitude will take you out of service and rob you of your joy.” (Warren, 254)

“You will find that people who do not understand your shape for ministry will criticize you and try to get you to conform to what they think you should be doing. Ignore them.” (Warren, 254)

“Whatever gifts you hve been given can be enlarged and developed through practice. For instance, no one gets the gift of teaching fully developed. But with study, feedback, and practice, a ‘good’ teacher can become a better teacher, and with time, grow to be a master teacher. Don’t settle for a half-developed gift. Stretch yourself and learn all you can…Take advantage of every training opportunity to develop your shape and sharpen your serving skills.” (Warren, 255)

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