Why Aren’t You More Like You?
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
NIV
Go with me on an imaginary trip to heaven. Suppose for a moment, the Lord has called you home of many years serving Him on earth. You stand before God and He begins to review and recall the many different things you’ve done for Him. As He reads them off one by one, He stops after awhile and looks to you and says, “Why weren’t you more like you? I created a very unique individual when I made you. I see over the years that you didn’t turn out the way I intended. You kept a wall around yourself and never let anyone see the real you. You were incredibly made! I see here that there were many times that you pretended to be someone else. That was a lie. You had such promise and experience. I put you through a lot of training to be the wonderful person others would learn from, but you took all that experience and hid it away. Why couldn’t you be more like the real you?”
Back to reality. As we examine a life of service, let’s look a few truths from our passage.
I. You are a chosen people
God has specifically chosen you – each and everyone of you, to fulfill His purpose. Each of us as the body of Christ has different purposes.
II. You belong to God
Scripture tells us that we have been bought with a price (I Cor. 6:20). We want control of our life. Most of us aren’t comfortable in the midst of chaos. We want security. We want control. Understand that when everything is in control, we are not living by faith, we are living by assurance. (Mother Theresa story).
III. We are to declare His praises
The life you live, the experiences you go through are to declare His glory. Every good thing, every bad thing can be used to glorify God.
IV. He has called us out of darkness, into the light
Many people don’t feel qualified to serve God. We think it is only for the special people called into “ministry”. There are many ways to minister. Your qualifications are numerous. The good experiences and the bad qualify you to minister to others. There are circumstances you’ve gone through that others have not. There are people all around us in need of that experience. No one can minister to them like you can…..
Your training and vocation qualify you to serve…..computers, writing, craftsmanship, typing, etc.
Often times, God uses the least likely person to do His work – Moses, Jonah, Disciples, Paul, even me!
A. Heart (your passion)
Write down three things that you are passionate about – those things that when you’re doing them, you feel really confident and happy. It could be things like: teaching, cooking, writing, working with others, working for a cause, etc.
B. Soul (The inner most things that make you who you are)
Write down the three things you would consider to be your “spiritual gifts” – such as: administration, craftsmanship, discernment, encouragement, evangelism, helps, hospitality, leadership, teaching, wisdom, etc.
C. Strength (Your talents, abilities, and personality)
Write down three things you feel you are really good at.
Are you an asker, or a teller?
Are you task-oriented or Relationship Oriented?
D. Mind (Your experiences)
Write down one experience you’ve gone through that you think God could use in ministry. It could be a good experience or a bad one.
Conclusion:
Each of us is a wonderful creature. God has given you tremendous experiences to share with others in ministry. We are called to a life of service. It takes very special training to be involved in ministry – the good news is; You’re qualified. Just be yourself.
