The Purpose Driven Life(76)
If you don’t exercise your muscles, they weaken and atrophy. In the same way, if you don’t utilize the abilities and skills God has given you, you will lose them. Jesus taught the parable of the talents to emphasize this truth. Referring to the servant who failed to use his one talent, the master said, “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.”20 Fail to use what you’ve been given and you’ll lose it. Use the ability you’ve got and God will increase it. Paul told Timothy, “Be sure to use the abilities God has given you…Put these abilities to work.”21
Whatever gifts you have been given can be enlarged and developed through practice. For instance, no one gets the gift of teaching fully developed. But with study, feedback, and practice, a “good” teacher can become a better teacher, and with time, grow to be a master teacher. Don’t settle for a half-developed gift. Stretch yourself and learn all you can. “Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of.”22 Take advantage of every training opportunity to develop your shape and sharpen your serving skills.
In heaven we are going to serve God forever. Right now, we can prepare for that eternal service by practicing on earth. Like athletes preparing for the Olympics, we keep training for that big day: “They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.”23
We’re getting ready for eternal responsibilities and rewards.
DAY THIRTY-TWO
THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE
Point to Ponder: God deserves my best.
Verse to Remember: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
Question to Consider: How can I make the best use of what God has given me?
33
How Real Servants Act
Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.”
Mark 10:43 (Msg)
You can tell what they are by what they do.
Matthew 7:16 (CEV)
We serve God by serving others.
The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.
Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it. The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence in churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries.
Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be “servant-leaders,” not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That’s what he called himself.
While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness. Without a servant’s heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity.
God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we’re not shaped. If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to help him out, not say, “I don’t have the gift of mercy or service.” While you may not be gifted for a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you’re needed at the moment.
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity. No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.
It is possible to serve in church for a lifetime without ever being a servant. You must have a servant’s heart. How can you know if you have the heart of a servant? Jesus said, “You can tell what they are by what they do.”1
Real servants make themselves available to serve. Servants don’t fill up their time with other pursuits that could limit their availability. They want to be ready to jump into service when called on. Much like a soldier, a servant must always be standing by for duty: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.”2 If you only serve when it’s convenient for you, you’re not a real servant. Real servants do what’s needed, even when it’s inconvenient.