Move Spiritual Gifts from Stress to Strengths
1 Peter 4:10-11 (New International Version)
10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
INTRODUCTION: Feeling God’s pleasure.
In the movie Chariots of Fire runner Eric Liddell knows he has been called to be a missionary to China, and his sister Jenny confronts him about his love for running instead of already going to China to serve. Eric Liddel responds, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel God’s pleasure." Even something like running can be done to God’s pleasure if we are using our God-given abilities for His glory.
The God who knows our frailty, who allowed his own bones to be broken and his blood bled is the God who gave us the ability to run and the ability to serve and the ability to feel His pleasure. As Eric Liddle said, "When I run I feel God’s pleasure." So where do you fill in the blank, “When I ___________, I feel God’s pleasure.”? For many it is "When I serve, I feel God’s pleasure.” Or, “When I do what God shaped me to do, I feel God’s pleasure."
The key for Eric Liddle to say, “When I run I feel God’s pleasure” was his next statement, “I run for Him.” Yet many people don’t feel that pleasure or haven’t experienced that exhilaration that comes in finding the strength God desires for their lives. Life for them is more filled with stress than pleasure.
Sometimes it’s an issue of holding your gifts from God in contempt. He gave the gift, and not only has the thank you note not been sent, you haven’t even opened the gift and put it to use.
Sometimes the stress comes from using God’s spiritual gifts for the wrong reason, thinking what can I get out of this instead of what does God want me to bring to this circumstance can cause such stress. Sometimes the stress is overwhelming because we know our gifts, we are putting them to use, but it feels more like running on empty than running to feel God’s pleasure. Today let’s look at 3 moves to Move Spiritual Gifts from Stress to Strengths.
MOVE 1. Use the gift(s) God has given you to serve others. Remember this great bit of theological insight from childhood. “Here’s the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors, and see all the people.” And how great it is to see God’s people gathered in worship.
But the version I learned had a second verse, “Here’s the church. Here’s the steeple. Open the doors, and where are all the people.” Hopefully, out serving God.
As you walk to your car at VONS today and exit out first level parking you will notice a sign that says, “Entering the mission field.” The church as the family of God and the Body of Christ is meant to gather together in worship and to scatter as we enter the mission field.
Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.” -- (New Living Translation)
I have discovered a great difference in serving the area of my giftedness and serving outside of my gifts that occasionally I have to do. Serving in your area of giftedness feels like being in the zone in sports. When I am there, I have found my divine sweet spot, and using such gifts is sweet.
I have also served others outside of my gifts, and then I am working on my sour spot, and using such gifts is sour. Back in February, we had the Concordia Irvine Bell Choir here, and I was not in the zone. First, I helped out as an usher with the offering. I have occasionally done that before but only with 2 plates per side. That night we started with 4 on my side. We started with 4 but somehow I lost 2 of them. This is not good for an usher to lose 2 offering plates. Fortunately, someone gave them back.
If that wasn’t sour enough, I was volunteered for a first time bell ringers choir. I thought all bells sound good when you ring them, I discovered this is not necessarily true. I missed my cue, went home with a sore arm, and realized the bell I play best is the doorbell on my front door.
The key to using spiritual gifts with strength is to use the gifts that God has given and not the ones perhaps that I have coveted on my own. The spiritual gifts God gives, the relationship with His Son that He provides, that is the key to strength. When Jesus comes, He gives life fullness and power. Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” -- (New Living Translation).
MOVE 2. Draw on the strength God provides through His grace. Ever heard of the business term the Peter Principle? The Peter Principle makes two conclusions. First, in time, every job tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties. Second, work is accomplished by those employees that have not yet reached their level of incompetence.
The Peter Principle developed from every employee’s frustration with management. Today let me share the other Peter Principle from what Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:11, “Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.” -- (New Century Version) Circle the phrase with the strength God gives. The other Peter Principle teaches the strength I need for a life of service is not found in me, but the strength God provides through His grace in me.
In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. The satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target. But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter’s immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At 1 billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some 2 billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly 3 billion miles; Pluto at almost 4 billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than 6 billion miles from the sun.
And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. Signals beamed from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than 9 hours to reach Earth. The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of 3 years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible.
So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits. So where do we tap into God’s power. Paul is clear that power comes from God’s Word in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “16Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. 17Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us”. -- (The Message)
When it comes to making your life a gift of service, of using the spiritual gifts God has given you, where do fuel up to serve in life? What keeps your motor running to reach out to help others? And what’s the gauge on you tank saying today?
The Bible explains how motivation for Christian service starts with our salvation experience in Jesus Christ. Out of the realization of what Jesus has done for me that I could not do for myself, I respond with loving service. Out of that relationship with God’s gift of salvation, an experience of His grace and love in Jesus Christ, an unquenchable divine energy is diffused into the spirit of a new believer. Such divine energy fuels up an insatiable desire to love God. Such fuel burns purely on God’s love and makes a tremendous impact on our world. But if an unhealthy fuel supply seeps in, it’s a different story. The gauge moves down and eventually may run on empty. Though service may continue on the outside, the heart energy begins to freeze up on the inside. So how do you detect an unhealthy fuel supply? Bill Hybels gives a few clues.
One source of an unhealthy fuel supply is signs of brownie point living. Service becomes an opportunity to seek God’s favor for my benefit instead of a response to God’s love for the benefit of others. For many it is easier to be saved by grace than to live by grace. And if you remove God’s grace, service is a duty that wears down instead of energy that lifts off. Do you believe God will love you more if you serve more? Is that why you serve? If it is, then you have detected an unhealthy fuel source.
Another source of an unhealthy fuel supply is approval seeking. Let’s face it when service gets noticed, it feels good. That’s not a bad thing. Paul often notices those who serve and commends them for their service to the Lord, and we should do the same. The warning light shines when the words of praise are received, and I remind God how thankful He should be to have some one as wonderful as me on the team, instead of thanking God for the opportunity He gives me to serve.
So how is your fuel gauge? Where is your fuel supply? What propels you? What motivates you to serve? What keeps you going in a life of service? Or are you running on empty, and you need to fuel up again? If your fuel supply is a worship response to the grace and goodness of God in Jesus Christ that’s a renewable supply that will last. If you are taking Sabbath rest time to recharge your mind, your soul and your body, that’s a renewable supply. If you’re trying to run on any other kind of fuel, you will be disappointed and eventually your body may be in motion but your soul will be empty. Draw on the strength God provides through His grace.
MOVE 3. Find where God is working in your life and join Him there. Our typical prayer is God bless what I am doing. Instead our prayer should be, “God, help me to see and do what you are blessing.” David says in Psalm 23:3, “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” -- (New King James Version) Notice the connection between soul restoration and God leading me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, not my name’s sake.
Patrick Morley of Man in the Mirror shares that our two principle tasks in joining God in His work are found in the Great Commission to make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, “19So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” -- (GOD’S WORD)
And to care for our world, that goes all the way back to Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.” -- (Today’s English Version)
Morley says that for most of us 80-99% of our time will be spent caring for the world through our work, civic duties, and community life. Some of us will have more opportunities than others to share our faith at work, but we can all demonstrate the reality, relevance and presence of Jesus through the way we work.
If you are a waiter, ever customer is an occasion to demonstrate the character of Jesus Christ. If you are a salesman, every appointment is holy, and every sale is sacred. If you are a manager, every conflict between two employees presents an opportunity to model the love of Christ. St. Francis of Assisi put it like this, “Go into all the world, preach the gospel, if necessary use words.”
CONCLUSION: Islands of Opportunity.
In each of our lives, there are islands of opportunity. Some of the islands we are called to serve and help others. And some of the islands, we are called to receive service and have others discover the joy of serving. Several years ago 2 teenage boys tried to come into a church service at night, and they couldn’t find any seats. So they turned around and decided to leave because they couldn’t find a seat. But one usher said “Come on, guys. I’ll find you a seat”. And that usher personally escorted them down to the center and set them in the middle and found them 2 seats. That night both of those boys accepted Christ and became Christians. One of them was Billy Graham who has now led tens of millions of people to Christ. Do you think that usher made an eternal difference?
We have no idea of the significance of small acts. Yet every day offers an island of opportunity to serve and to make a difference. This week I invite you to look out for and pursue such islands of opportunity. Each day ask yourself, “What Opportunities of Service Did You Seize? What Happened When You Did?” as you Get in the Game!
