So
many people struggle with the concept of who they are and why they are on this
earth. God has a perfect plan for our life, which He put into place before we
were even born. We are His creation, and the apple of His eye (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm
17:8).
His
plans include every aspect of our life: what we will look like, what genes we
will inherit from our parents, where we are born, where we will live, whom we
will marry or if we marry, what vocation we will serve Him in, how many
children we will have, etc.
They
also include the ministry/ministries in which He will use us to further His
Kingdom on the earth. He gives us the spiritual gifts that we need in order to
function in our service to Him, even when these gifts change over the years of
our life (1 Corinthians 12:4-28).
These
spiritual talents give us the ability, direction and motivation to be a viable
part of a local church; to serve as a missionary in our community, country or
abroad; to effect lives in positives ways; and to increase the number of those
with whom we will spend eternity.
We
discover an interest in certain ministries, a passion for their success, the
abilities to successfully work with others to perform the work involved in
them, and the desire to continually pray for God to send even more harvesters
out into the fields, which are ripe for harvest (John 4:35).
When
I was single, evangelism was my passion, and it still is. When I married a
Pastor, God equipped me to serve in an administrative role in the Inreach and
Outreach ministries. When I had children, I served as Children's Church
director and a teacher.
Although
I never finished college and had no teaching degree, God even opened a door for
me to teach in a public Alternative School when my children were teenagers. My
favorite memory there is that God used me to lead a young man to Christ, and to
be with him a year later, as he went Home to be with the Lord. I look forward
to spending eternity with Him and all of God's Saints.
As
I matured in my faith, God used me to teach women (Titus 2:3-5). In addition, I
served in the ministry of hospitality - we had an open home to help those
arriving at our local Bible college to have a place to stay until they found a
home of their own.
Now,
in my "Golden Years" my passion is for prayer and praise. I am a bit
of a recluse, but I do not mind. All day and night long, I worship and praise
our Father God, and I pray for everyone that He puts on my mind.
I
also assist in a children's Sunday School class, and I wash dishes in the
church kitchen. Writing a devotion every day, and posting it on my online blog,
is another ministry and passion of mine right now (https://wordpress.com/post/kathleenbrdly.wordpress.com).
God
will use all of us in His perfect plan for our life. As we trust Him with all
of our heart, and consult His will for everything that we do, He will direct
our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). We will help to grow God's Kingdom and to find fulfillment
in our life.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for drawing us to Your heart for salvation, gifting us for the
calling You place on our heart, and using us in Your perfect plans for our life
(Ephesians 2:10). Your Spirit transforms our mind to the mind of Christ (Titus
3:5), and changes our personality with Your divine character and nature (2
Peter 1:4).
Continually
help us to discern Your purpose for us through every season of our life. Living
in the center of Your will for us is the happiest place on earth. Keep us on
the path that You intend for us to walk, and correct our course when we tend to
stray from Your perfect plans for us. Thank You for working in us and through
us, and for giving us the gifts and talents to minister for You all the days of
our life.
Thought
for the Day:
God
gives us a passion to serve Him in our vocation, our family, our local church,
our community, our state, and our world - in the areas in which He gifts us to
serve Him with our whole spirit, soul and body through every season of our life.
