GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NIV)

Dear one, you were started as an idea in the mind of God! You exist because the God of the universe thought you up!

The God who spoke the world into existence, the God who hung the moon and the stars, the God who set the sun in the sky – this creative Creator thought about you, was pleased by his thoughts and so he spoke you into your mother’s womb in the same way that he spoke the world into existence.

As my friend, Rick Warren, says in The Purpose Driven Life, you are not an accident. You were created by God at just the right time, in just the right place, with just the right S.H.A.P.E. to serve God in this moment (“… for such a time as this …” Esther 4:14 NIV).

You are not a product of God’s assembly line; rather you are a unique creation, like a priceless painting from a grand master: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

What does this mean?

• You are God’s masterwork – God carefully and lovingly selected your eyes, your hair color, your nose, your intellect, your personality. None of this is an accident, so, if you’ve been rejecting God’s design (of you), talk to him about your frustrations, disappointments, or confusion. And when you’re ready, thank God for his design of you.
• You are not an after-thought – In fact, you were a fore-thought of God, one wrapped in infinite love and grace. God accepts you; God even likes you!
• You were born at the right time – You were born at just the right time to fulfill your unique role in human history. There will never be anyone else like you, and no one else is competing with you for God’s will for your life.
• Who did God have in mind? – Ask God to help you live as the person he designed you to be. Ask him to give you a clear and present vision of your purpose in life, then, ask him to be your strength and wisdom as you live it out.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you ….” (1 Peter 2:9 MSG)

Here’s the snapshot: As I write this, I’m sitting in a restaurant, pre-dawn, sipping on Southern sweet tea. (Who needs coffee when you can have the nectar of God? Ha!)

The restaurant is a chain you would recognize if I gave the name, and in a booth a few feet away from me is a group of employees, mostly college age. Some of them are on-duty and in uniform; some are just getting off the night shift and, although still in uniform, shirt-tails are coming out and ties are coming off, and – a third category appears present – employees who evidently don’t work this morning, but have just come in to hang-out.

It is a slow time; I am the only customer in the place.

As the group talks, one young man in particular punctuates his conversation with four-letter words, salted with a generous dose of seven-letter phrases. Following his conversational leadership, others in the group contribute their own forms of profanity to the mix.

Far from being a prude, I could have been one of these kids, in my youth, about 227 years ago, but I still thought, “If this moment were captured for the next commercial for such a family-oriented restaurant, would the corporate office be pleased?”

Some of these employees were “off the clock,” some of them were out of uniform, but within this context, all of them were representing the restaurant.

Snapshot point: There are no “off the clock” moments as a Christian, where you can “dis-identify” yourself from Christ. As a believer, you are a representative of Christ – but more so – you are a minister sent and authorized by God.

The Bible teaches that every Christian is:

Created for ministry (Ephesians 2:10)
Saved for ministry (2 Timothy 1:9)
Called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10)
Authorized for ministry (Matthew 28:18-20)
Commanded to minister (Matthew 20:26-28)
Prepared for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Needed for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:27)
Accountable for and rewarded according to his or her ministry (Colossians 3:23-24).

This means ordinary people with children and jobs and mortgages and really, really full calendars — in other words, people just like you — are called to be ministers from God.

A fifth grade teacher writes, “I come from a very traditional Christian home. We believed missionaries had to be trained in seminaries and receive ‘the calling.’

“When the opportunity came to go with a mission team to Nigeria, I was concerned that I wasn’t ‘properly’ trained, nor did I have enough theological knowledge,” she says. “But my experience in Nigeria totally challenged my beliefs about missions. I became more aware of God’s sovereignty and his ability to use anyone, even those who are ‘unworthy.’ We just have to make ourselves available.”

God doesn’t want you to waste your talents; he wants you to make a difference with your life. He created you to make a contribution to the world now – in your lifetime.
 
What does this mean?

• You are shaped for this – The God of the universe shaped you uniquely to make a contribution, to make a difference – as you take steps of faith toward going on mission and completing your mission on earth.
• God will support you – There is no way you can fail in your mission –unless you fail to accept the calling of ministry that comes with being a believer in Jesus Christ or fail to follow in faith God’s direction.
• Just ask God – Ask him how he wants you to contribute. Ask him how he wants to use your SHAPE to make a difference in the world. Ask God, “Where can I make the greatest contribution for your glory? What kind of God-legacy do you want me to leave?”

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12-19 (NIV)

We need people in our lives who will love us enough to warn us when necessary. Just as “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV), we’re to push each other toward Christ-like behavior and protect one another from failing in our faith.

God calls us to “tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body” (Ephesians 4:25 NCV). The basis for warning each other in loving truth is that “we all belong to each other.”

Our warnings are not to be mere rebukes; they should be positive and redemptive – calling us to a higher place and reminding each other of our godly purpose. They are exhortations for restoration, and are given as loving corrections with a humble heart and compassionate words.

The apostle Paul said, “So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:31 NIV). Can you hear the passion and compassion in his voice? When our warnings are motivated by love and based on committed relationships, they rarely come across as harsh or mean.

In fact, when we warn others, we tell them how much we love them.

And as part of a Christian community, we also should be ready and willing to receive warnings from others. The fact is, we all have blind spots. Just like a driver sometimes needs help to see what’s in a car’s blind spot, we need friends to help us see things in us or near us that we don’t see ourselves. And in the same way we would warn a driver, the point is not to tear down the other person, but to keep him safely on the road.

Paul also says the warning should be immediate – “as long as it is called ‘today.’” We should seize the moment because waiting to warn only leads to disaster.

What does this mean?

• Take a loving risk – You show your love for others by lovingly letting them know of blind spots. It takes a risk to show love in this way, but what will it cost if you don’t warn your friend? Who in your life needs to hear a word of warning?
• Loving restoration – When you point out a blind spot, it should not be done in anger. Your motive should be to restore your friend to a strong Christian walk and witness. Ask, “How can I make this warning tender?”
• Listen, don’t defend – Are you willing and prepared to receive a similar warning? When someone points out a blind spot in your life, listen – and don’t defend yourself. Take it to God and ask if it is true. If it is, ask him what you should do about it.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

“Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2b NLT)

Humorist Dave Barry says, “A perfect parent is a person with excellent child-rearing theories and no actual children.”

The same could be said of a perfect world or the perfect family. Created by God and guided by his perfect instructions, there’s only one way to mess things up: People!

The fact is, living with imperfect people requires patience. And I say this as a friend, but you are one of the imperfect people who require patience! Unfortunately, I keep learning that I’m an imperfect person too.

The Bible teaches that patience is the solution for living with someone else’s imperfections. This patience is to flow from the kindness God shows us, so we’re (not so simply) following God’s love.

Colossians 3:12-13 says: “As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (GW)

The word translated “patience” also could be rendered “longsuffering.” Patience means putting up with one another when we’d rather lose our temper; it means forgiving one another when we’d rather hold a grudge.

It is love in action, for “love is patient.” (1 Corinthians 13:14a NIV)

In addition, patience muzzles our mouths, stopping the murmuring and complaining that so naturally flow from the human tongue. Paul says, “Let us stop criticizing each other. Instead, we should decide never to do anything that would make other Christians have doubts or lose their faith.” (Romans 14:13 GW).

With patience ruling the day, we become stronger through our differences and we develop a godly diversity in our relationships. We no longer require that everyone act and look and think exactly the same way.

Paul saw this as an exciting model of God’s Church: “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with – even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.” (Romans 14:1 MSG)

What does this mean?

• Patience and a critical spirit are mutually exclusive – Even when your complaints are justified, patience pushes and pulls you toward forgiving and forgetting: “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV)
• You are imperfect – Living with an imperfect person requires patience. You, my friend, are an imperfect person, and there are some people who require patience to live with you! (Think about who they are and thank them today.)
• Let love lead – “Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony.”  (Colossians 3:14 LB) How open are you to other believers who don’t see things the way you do?

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.