What Do You Offer?

by | Oct 2, 2014 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Photo by Lee Hays

Photo by Lee Hays

The El Salvador mission story I blogged about on Tuesday really has had me thinking lately about what God really wants me to be doing.

Not that I’m going to pack up and move to a far off land and build schools, hospitals and orphanages, but it does have me wondering what I bring to God’s table.

We could all make a list of the things that we like, do well, or feel like are our gifts.  However, the real question is:  Are we answering God’s call and doing what He wants us to.  If not, what do we really have to offer?

I’m not even going to pretend that I understand what God’s plan is, why He made us, or why we are here.  However, I will say that if we aren’t living out our purpose…WE LOSE.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

As I said on Tuesday, the way to find out what our individual purpose is to pray!!

Once we find our purpose, we then are required to ACT!!

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Interestingly, our purpose may change along the way.

For example, the guy who packed up everything and moved to El Salvador was 52-years-old.  Not a youngster by a long shot!!  He had already gone to school, gotten married, had a family, patented something he created (guess I wasn’t listening during this part of the sermon because I cannot for the life of me remember what he patented), and was a successful businessman.

The story would end here for many of us, but not for this guy.  No, he moved on to the next task that God placed before him.

I think this is where many of us would have sat back and said, “No thanks, God.  I think I’d rather sit back and enjoy the rest of my life.  Find someone else to do your will, please.”

It’s fascinating to me that this guy did what we SHOULD be doing.  He prayed, he prayed some more and then he made plans to accomplish God’s will and put those plans into ACTION.

I don’t know many people personally who have offered God THIS MUCH.

More times than not, we’d prefer to be petted on and not the ones doing the petting.  We’d like to be served instead of the one serving.  And we’d definitely like to have more than less.

The kicker is that we are missing the point.

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2Corinthians 9:6

Jesus says himself, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Than why do we hold back what we could offer to God?  Why aren’t we rushing to do the will of God and serving Him in every capacity?  Why aren’t we giving more to the less fortunate and worrying less about what we WANT?!?!?!

The reason is that we are human and very selfish.

Clearly, if it was easy, we wouldn’t have a HUGE book (The Bible) with ways to help us be who we were created to be!!

I’m SO not judging what others might be doing.  What I am is saying that I could do way better.

I could and should be praying, steeped in scripture and serving others.  I ought to be living out God’s purpose and TRUSTING Him in all things.  I should take a good look at what I have to offer and then…wait for it….

OFFER IT!!!!

What do you offer?

Some Wisdom for Today:  Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

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