New Insight (for me:)) into Spiritual Gifts & Serving

I really hope this doesn't sound "anti-serving" or anything of the sort.  This was a freeing lesson for me, so maybe you put your own gifts or callings in place of mine or maybe you had this figured out already...


One of the spiritual gifts that shows up when I take a "spiritual gifts test" is the gift of teaching.  I feel a sense of energy when I have the opportunity to use that gifting and receive affirmation when used also.  It is my understanding that those two aspects can be confirmation of gifting, so for the purpose of this post I will claim the spiritual gift of teaching (and no level of quality is pronounced in that claim:)).  In fact, last week I had an opportunity to teach on "Heart Needs" in which I used material from a recent post and I had to humbly cling to the  LORD as the enemy plagued me with doubt after my message - a good exercise in not looking for man's approval and trusting that God was still choosing to speak this message through me. (1 Cor. 2:4-6)


Anyway, the passages on Spiritual Gifts (Romans 12:3 ff, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:7ff make it clear that some have the gift of teaching, some the gift of serving, etc.  And yet there is also a calling in scripture to all Christ's followers to serve as He did, right? 

"Have this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who...taking the form of a servant..." (Philippians 2: 5-7)


"...But whoever would be great among you must be your servant..." (Matthew 20:26ff)


"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)


This message in scripture (then presented in the form of messages from the "pulpit" through my college ministry years and beyond) have left me with the belief that I should be serving in sacrificial ways as Christ did.  Which I think is true, but I also am realizing that what I have internalized is that "to serve" means to help the church with all those "hands on needs."  I have been so impressed with people that seem to serve the church tirelessly and realized that I carry a weight of guilt that I don't feel like I serve as much as I should.  I have looked at the women a stage or so ahead of me in life as an inspirational model to be like one day and given myself grace that I'm in a stage of life that demands a great deal of my time and energy with two young, highly dependent children.  But then I look at the women in my stage of life - specifically the two with one or two more young children than I have and both homeschool and yet still seem to on the front lines of serving the church.  I spent a weekend fighting the burden of comparison - such an ugly, godless activity.  And yes, I can know the truth that I am not to compare and try to dwell on that truth, but it was my reading of Acts 13:1-4 that brought this new insight and the sense of freedom...


Barnabus and Saul were set apart by the Holy Spirit for the work to which He had called them.  Also, I was reminded that in Acts 6 those disciples preaching the word appointed 7 men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom (honorable description, not lesser because not preachers) to serve the physical needs of people.  Yet, those who preached, preached as God opened doors for them and those who preached, served physical needs of people as God opened doors for them - yet they were called to spend a majority of their time and energy preaching and therefore God opened more doors for those opportunities He wanted them to be faithful with.  Priscilla and Aquila were a neat example to me of this in Acts 18.  They were tentmakers by professional (their vocational calling-where they spent a majority of their time & energy) who served Paul by opening their home to him (fulfilled the need of hospitality as God opened that door) and then taught Apollos The Way more accurately (as God opened that door). 


As I have been wrestling with my calling (of being a wife and mother) and my gifting (teaching) and my duty? to serve the church, my God Whispers had repeatedly been something like "be faithful with the little or big task I am asking of you in the here and now.  That is serving Me in faith.  I will open doors for you to serve Me - serve in the form of teaching, serving in the form of hospitality, serving by mercy, OR even an open door to serve Me with those 'hands on service opportunities' by setting up tables and chairs or helping with food for a church gathering."  


So, I am NOT at all saying only those with the "gift of serving" should serve the church, just as not only those with the "gift of hospitality" should be hospitable (Romans 12:13). I think what I'm learning is that the call to serve means to serve with the "grace given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift" (Eph. 4:7).  I may have that grace in a larger measure for teaching and the grace in a smaller measure for serving, hospitality, mercy, exhortation, etc.  


For me, who wants to be a good servant, is learning the blessing of saying, "No" and living within my God-given capacity, and who does like to be helpful, this lesson from the LORD was a refreshing one of freedom.  I am just asked to seek the LORD for what He wants me to do and be faithful to that and not follow some imagined, phantom "scripture perscribed" servant.  My being a faithful servant of the LORD (and specifically being faithful in serving the church) doesn't always have to be the front lines help I see my friends doing.  Maybe they are called to that and maybe they are in the process of learning the calling vs. the duty of serving? I have seen people burn themselves out by trying to do it all to a great measure - hospitality, serving, giving, teaching, exhorting, leading, shepherding.  And I have seen people hurt because they expect those in leadership to be doing these all to a great measure.  And I have seen people wear the burden of failure because they aren't all these things.


I am faithful if I take time and energy and obediently write a letter of encouragement that the Holy Spirit is prompting me to or take the time to really listen to and give someone biblical counsel or go out of my way to generously giving in order to meet a physical need.  I'm not being faithful to God's working in my heart if I'm comparing myself to people, nor shall others compare themselves to my opportunities "to teach" (public or private) or whatever other spiritual gift I may be living out in whatever measure of grace I have.  Am I responding to God's promptings with the measure of grace, time, and energy He is providing?  


"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." (Romans 12:11)
"Whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)
"to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ," (Ephesians 4:12)  To serve the church = to build up the church (body of Christ).


Serving the Lord means serving the Church and serving the Church better be done with a heart attitude of serving the Lord. And serving the Church sometimes means serving the hands on "kitchen duty" needs of the church, but serving the Church should always mean building up the Body of Christ.


What am I doing, what are you doing to serve the Church; what are we doing to build up the Church - each day, on a regular basis, according to each God prompting!?!  To be faithful to this IS being a faithful servant of God's spiritual gifts, all in His grace.

Surrender Productivity Refreshed (and some Selahs, too!)

40 Days of Surrender - Day 100 - Surrender Productivity
Year of Selah - *Holiness, Godliness*

Ironically, today is 100 days after I committed to a 40 day fast of surrendering sinful habits in my life (arguing, depression, self-sufficiency, perfectionism, harsh tongue, etc, etc.)

Today, actually it was yesterday, (see other post for "Today's Lesson") the LORD opened a door for a refreshed surrender of productivity in my heart (and hopefully it will become a habit in my life!)  Productivity is an idol that I have had identified for a few years now.  And as the battle of the flesh and spirit works (my spirit is willing but my flesh is so weak - Mt. 26:41; cf. Gal. 5:16,17), I've taken two steps forward, one step back for a lot of those years.  And yesterday was a new chiseling in my heart and breaking away of a thought process that has been justifying my bending the knee to the temptation of productivity so many times.

You see, I learned in a (respectable) bible study back in 2002 that God calls us to "Rule, subdue, and produce".   I was in 2 Peter 3:11-13 yesterday when I was struck - "we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells".  And Peter exhorts his readers: "...what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness...."  Righteousness, holiness, godliness...this is so much the message of Peter in both his letters as well as an apparent goal THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE!!!  Why then does my mind/heart so quickly seek to "rule (have the authority/have "The Say"), subdue (have control), and produce (be productive, accomplish)"!?!  Are we really called to that; how does holiness and godliness fit into the goals of ruling, subduing, and producing that often lead to my sinful expressions of pride, control, and "fulfillment" through "doing"?

This is what I was able to articulate yesterday:

Rule, Subdue, Produce --> God's instructional goals in Genesis 1 PRIOR TO THE FALL


Now living POST FALL, we need to FIGHT FOR that COMMUNION WITH GOD we automatically had with Him in The Garden, PRIOR to THE FALL.


It seems accurate to say "Rule, Subdue, Produce" is now trumped by (not having replaced, but is more of a priority): Submit (to God's Authority as our fleshly nature now strives for self-sufficiency), Surrender (Giving up the striving to be in control, the striving to be God (Eve's ultimate sin!)), Be Sanctified (Add to Faith, Virtue (2 Peter 1:5); Be holy (1 Peter 1:14-16); allow God to make you look more like Him (2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:22-24).

So, thankfully, the LORD brought to mind a few times yesterday the goal of "holiness and godliness" over my current innate goal for productivity (especially during this time that I am overwhelmed by downsizing to prepare for my father-in-law to move in).  Not a perfect day, but I think a successful one - One in which God might say, "Well done, my faithful daughter.  I'm proud of you for remembering that your heart attitude and your tone with your children and husband and staying communed with Me and them is more important than getting irritated that the laundry is not put away in a week, the paperwork pile is still full, and the dust on the tops and the crumbs on the floor are painfully obvious."

And that is a faithfulness to my Year of Selah as well!  Pausing and reflecting on things above; not being swept away my the overwhelmingness of the things on earth.


Thank you, LORD Jesus, Thank YOU.


Conclusion of Part 1
See Here for Part 2

The Year of Selah - *Faithful*

* You don't ask me to do big things...you just ask me to be faithful.

Resonating...

I read three things this afternoon during my Sabbath Rest and those three things READ ME:

1) Gary Thomas' "Sacred Parenting" - Sacrifice: How Raising Children Teaches Us to Sacrifice - pgs. 178-188
~ "While we find it easy to "open up" a spiritual gift, it's not so easy to lay one down on God's behalf."
~ "Christianity was birthed in sacrifice and calls us to many acts of sacrifice."..."On the back of Christ's sacrifice"
~ "How do kids get nurtured with the active love, available counsel, and prayerful presence they so desperately need?  On the backs of their mothers' sacrifices, that's how."
~ "Sometimes responsibility, loyalty, and maturity call us to willingly lay down our dreams for the sake of those we love - and in the hope that hose who come after us can accomplish even more than we could."
~ "However 'important' we may think we are, we should expect that God can do even more important things through our children.  It is our duty to give them our full attention and our best effort, hoping that they can build on this to become influential Christians themselves..." (not becoming so busy with their "own ministries")
~ Matthew 14

A Post To Come to explain how reading this chapter read me...

2) John Eldredge's "Walking with God" - 'Learning How to Listen', 'Whole and Holy', 'Making Room for Joy' -  pgs. 25 - 41
~ Since being introduced to "God Guides", I have entered the adventure of *Listening to God*.  Not as immediately, regularly, or well as I would like, but a desire fulfilled more in the last year than ever before...and I call that Spiritual Growth.  To read Eldredge's explanation of how he "Learned to Listen" resonates with me.  I am encouraged to know I am not alone in Learning to be a Listener and that he's teaching others too!
~ Whole and Holy - Holiness is a calling I am so conscious to strive for and again I sometimes feel alone is my intensity of that striving.  Wholeness/healing is also a drumbeat in my heart (connected to "Post To Come" above).  And Eldredge articulates it in a way that I say, "YES!"  "You can't find the holiness you want without deep wholeness.  And you can't find the wholeness you want without deep holiness."  Holiness of Christ --> Healing -->  Wholeness --> Holiness
~ Eldredge heard from God on "Making Room for Joy" and this brought tears to my eyes - again, I am not alone in my struggle to experience the Christian Joy... that Joy that is just supposed to overflow from me because I Know Christ!?!?

3) Ann Voskamp's website "A Holy Experience"
One post on how she feels like she's "just not getting it all right".  Again, brought tears to my eyes...this is a woman I do not know personally, but I have been ministered to deeply through her website writings.  I admire her walk with God, being a decade or so down the road from me.  I want to learn from her, because what she writes about resonates with what I want to grow in.  And then to read that she feels inadequate "just like me."  I am not alone - in my striving for holiness and God's sweet reminders to rely humbly on Him!  In Ann Voskamp's own words, "Praise not Perfection; Grace not Grindstone."  And what perfect timing as I am flailing in getting life back to "normal" after three weeks of upheaval due to my mother-in-law's illness and death, return home from a funeral, and decide on, buy, wrap, and mail Christmas presents!  And then to read her next post...and cry more...this too is my heart's cry for a radical Christmas.


40 Days of Surrender - Day 61 - Surrender "Getting it all right" NOW - For a list of the "Daily Lesson" titles in the 40 Days of Surrender in one place, Click Here.

1 Peter - Old Testament Quotations

As I studied 1 Peter, a structure of the Old Testament quotations stuck out to me.  I am not educated in Greek and Hebrew enough to know if there is any significant merit to my observation.  If per chance there was a scholar educated in this topic who happens across this blog, I would be interested in your humble and gentle (Matt. 11:29) critique.

My observation is that in each of the four chapters of the body of the letter (chapters 1 through 4, omitting chapter 5 as a final farewell) Peter uses a direct Old Testament quotation.  It then seems that after each one there is one sentence and then the text moves on to a new thought.  It seems to me that the sentence following each OT quotation is a summary of not only the quotation, but possibly pointing out His main theme of the chapter, then echoed in the “summary statement” after the quotation in chapter 4. 

Our Sunday school class’s outline structure, Grudem’s break down and my ESV bible has chapters 1, 2, & 4 with a sentence after the quotations and then starts a new paragraph or chapter.  However, in chapter 3 it seems the common break down is before verse 13.  Verse 13 seems to be used as the start of a new thought.  Now I am not claiming to divine authority on this matter, but if the other three chapters have this one sentence afterward that seems to highlight the theme of those quotations or even the whole preceding chapter, when one chapter differs, it makes me ask, “Why?” and “Maybe it shouldn’t break there before the verse?” 

So, this is my best attempt at unpacking my thoughts in written form, whereas verbal explanation might be more concise or “smooth.”  The words used in the OT quotations are highlighted in yellow and then the corresponding words of the “summary sentence” are then highlighted in green with my explanation following in red.

CHAPTER ONE

 24 for

“All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

One theme of chapter one is Peter establishing the imperishable word of God as the foundation to build one’s hope and life on.  So he uses an OT quotation to emphasize that and summarizes the quotation and chapter with that theme.

CHAPTER TWO

 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,” [fn1]

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

The quotation of verse 6 seems to be summarized by highlighting the honor (no shame) being the one who believes the chosen cornerstone (who is the WORD (cf. 1:25) of God, Jesus).

The quotation of verse 7, in contrast, describes the one who rejects the cornerstone as the one who disobeys the word.  Thus, this disobeyer will not be honored and by inference “be put to shame” and therefore the one who believes the word should obey the word. (cf. James 2:19).

So, thus far Peter has established and highlighted – believe and obey the imperishable Word of God, Jesus!

CHAPTER THREE

 10 For

“Whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

let him keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit;

11 let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 

It seems this question may be bringing up the idea that suffering causes harm – what harm will you really suffer if God’s eyes are on you and His ears open to your prayers and His face being against those evil doers who are trying to cause you harm you with suffering? 

“Now” seems to be an acceptable follow-up word to this paragraph and not necessarily a word that starts a new thought.  One may argue that verse 14 starts with “but” and therefore would be a conjunction with verse 13 rather than starting a new thought.  However, the new paragraphs succeeding the quotations of chapter 1, 2, & 4 start with the words “so”, “but”, and “so” respectively, so verse 14 starting the new thought with “but” after the OT quotation and potential summary statement would even mirror the other transitions.

So as a summary thus far we would have something like: Believe and obey the imperishable Word of God to do good, for none can harm you as you suffer

CHAPTER FOUR

18 And

“If the righteous is scarcely saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” [fn3]

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

“Righteous” reiterates “doing good/right” (which is portrayed in the context especially of suffering) and “saved” underscores “salvation”.  And thus the summary statement that summarizes the summary statements essentially says: Believe and obey (entrust; cf. Ch. 2:6-8 – believe, not reject/disobey) God’s will (His imperishable Word, Jesus; cf. Ch. 1:24,25) to do good in the midst of your suffering unto salvation (cf. Ch. 3:10-13; 4:18,19 - “saved”, “souls”).

And to tie it with the previous summary statement we were building: Believe and obey the imperishable Word of God to do good, for none can harm you as you suffer unto salvation.

And with one side note (because detail oriented people can rarely be briefJ) to include the phrase “God’s will”: Believe and obey the imperishable Word of God: (which is God’s will, which is to be like Jesus, the Word of God who did good while suffering unjustly) do good, for none can harm you as you suffer unto salvation.

Unpacked and repacked for your summary pleasure.  I still like my original overview based on the “calls” of 1 Peter ("Be holy while you suffer and bless with the hope of eternal glory!"), but they complement each other, so I’ll “proclaim” them both!

Strength of a Stallion

I heard a blurb on the radio that really stuck with me.  It was about:

GENTLENESS.

What was profound to me was that the speaker said that Gentleness is not weakness but strength.

He used the illustration of a stallion.  He said that the strength of a stallion under control can produce and beautiful, gentle animal, but unrestrained that strength is just dangerous.

He paralleled that to gentleness by saying that gentleness is strength under control.  But that same strength (of conviction, etc.) unrestrained can produce the dangerous harshness of words, attitudes, and actions.  His context was the defense of your hope in 1 Peter 3: 15,16 being shared with gentleness and respect.  But I think we can apply that gentleness, that strength under control in an abundance of circumstances.  I know my strong feelings on something too often come out in unrestrained harsh, disrespectful, hurtful words instead of the influential words of strength under control expressed through gentleness.

May our words, attitudes, and actions be expressed gently and be as captivating as a beautiful, strong stallion!

Perfect is the enemy of...

...Good Enough.

My husband is a structural engineer - he puts complicated math equations to big hunks of concrete to make buildings stand up.  He lives by the motto: "Perfect is the enemy of good enough."  As he's calculating, he could spend lots of time (and time = money) to come up with the strongEST, cheapEST, most "perfect" combination when a strong enough, cost effective calculation is "good enough."  People are safe without costing too much on the manufacturer; to spend more time to make it perfect could cost enough more money that it's NOT worth it to be "perfect."

My dear husband has helped me apply this principle on the home front as well.  As a recovering perfectionist, I'm learning when good enough is good enough.

I was journaling yesterday morning.  I was processing with the LORD about something specific. It related to timing on when to do something and how best to go about it.  I was thinking of how there is what I consider the "right way," which would be the "perfect" way, following the plan to the "T."  But for this recovering perfectionist who has followed a similar plan to the "T" before, that was quite overwhelming and I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to THAT.  I wrote in my journal, "I guess if I am spending money to do it, I might as well 'do it right' or at least 'do it well.'"  And then my mind (a.k.a the Holy Spirit, sometimes:)) took me on a rabbit trail (the thought processes that are exactly why this blog outlet is a blessing to me:))...Writing the word "Well" made me think of Matthew 25:21,23 "Well done, good and faithful servant...."

No where in that passage is the master asking for perfection.  The servant is commended for being faithful, for being good, for "doing well."

This specific instance I was processing with the LORD is not connected to an area of sin or even a character issue.  It does involve staying in step with the Spirit, a heart of obedience, and a sensitivity to the LORD, but shouldn't all things!?!

It made me think of the process of sanctification that we are all in.  The word "process" implies in and of itself that there is going to be imperfection.  How freeing!  Not that that is an excuse TO sin (Romans 6:1,2), but in the instances where we step out on our own strength instead of walking with the Spirit, when our rebellious hearts choose our own way instead of submitting in obedience, when I am not being sensitive to the LORD's presence - in those times of the PROCESS, I can cling to GRACE instead of feeling defeated by the enemy of perfectionism.  I can pause, take a deep breath in the present presence of The Great I AM and get back in step with the Spirit, remembering Titus 3:5.