Day 30 - Shaped For Serving (The Purpose Driven Life)

Your hands shaped me and made me.
○ Job 10:8

The people I have shaped for myself will broadcast my praises
○ Isaiah 43:21

You were shaped to serve God.
○ Each of us was uniquely designed to do certain things
○ You are the way you are because you were made for a specific ministry
§ We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works - Eph. 2:10
□ You aren't an assembly-line product, mass produced w/o thought. You're a custom designed, one-of-a kind, original masterpiece.
□ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body & knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous. - Psalm 139:13-14
○ Not only did God shaped you before your birth he planned every day of your life to support his shaping process
§ Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. - Psalm 139:16
□ This means nothing in your life is insignificant, God uses it all to mold you for your ministry
○ God never wastes anything. He wouldn't give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences UNLESS he intended to use them for his glory.
§ By identifying and understanding these factors you can discover God's will for your life
§ You're a combination of many different factors. S.H.A.P.E

HOW GOD SHAPES YOU FOR YOUR MINISTRY
· Whenever God gives you an assignment, he ALWAYS equips you with what you need to accomplish it. This custom combo of capabilities is your S.H.A.P.E:
○ Spiritual gifts
○ Heart
○ Abilities
○ Personality
○ Experience

· SHAPE: UNWRAPPING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS
○ God gives every believer spiritual gifts to be used in ministry (Rms 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:8-15; 1 Cor. 7:7)
§ You can't earn your SG or deserve them - that's why they're gifts!
§ Neither do you get to choose which gifts you'd like to have. God determines that
□ It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have - 1 Cor. 12:11
§ Your spiritual gifts weren't given for your own benefits but for the benefit of others!
□ A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church - 1 Cor. 12:7
· SHAPE: LISTENING TO YOUR HEART
○ Heart is used in the Bible to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have.
§ Your heart represents the source of all your motivations - what you love to do and what you care most about.
○ As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person - Prov. 27:19
§ Your heart reveals the real you - what you truly are, not what others think you are or what circumstances force you to be.
§ Your heart determines why you say the things you do, feel the way you do, & act the way you do (Matt. 12:34; Psalm 34:7; Pro. 4:23)
○ God has given you a unique emotional "heartbeat" that races when you think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. Instinctively we care about some things and not others and these are clues to where you should be serving.
§ Another word for heart is passion.
□ There are certain subjects you feel passionate about, some experiences turn you on. These reveal the nature of your heart
○ Don't ignore your interests. Consider how they might be used for God's glory!
○ Repeatedly the Bible says "serve the Lord with all your heart" -Deu 11:13; 1 Sam. 12:20; Rms 1:9; Eph. 6:6
§ God wants you to serve him passionately not dutifully.
§ People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or feel passionate about.
□ God wants you to use your natural interests to serve Him and others
○ How do you know you're serving God from your heart?
§ Enthusiasm - no one has to motivate or challenge or check on you. You do it for the sheer enjoyment!
§ Effectiveness - passion drives perfection. Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart

DAY 30
P2P: I was shaped for serving God

V2R: God works thru different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purpose through them all - 1 Corinthians 12:6

Q2C: In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?