Veteran's Remembrance (Hebrews 11:1-12:3)

As we honor of our American veterans today, I feel like it would be a shame not to remember the veterans who paved the way for Christ’s kingdom. Please hear these words from Hebrews.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Able still speaks, even though he his dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country: he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because when considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

All these people were still living b faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; the only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasured of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not tough the firstborn of Israel.

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; by when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning is shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Fight of our Lives, Matthew 18:6-9

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

To begin, I AM NOT AN ADVOCATE OF SELF-MUTILATION. Even with that being the case, though, this command from Jesus still brings me to wonder, did He really mean that?

 

This is actually the second time in Matthew that these instructions come. The first is in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and follows teaching on murder/anger and adultery/lust. Considering the penalties in the Law about murder and adultery, removing of body parts was actually a calmer judgment. Exodus 21:12 says, “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death,” and Leviticus 20:10 says “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.” For those of us who have ever been angry with or lusted after someone, we wouldn’t be here anymore, which means the human race would no longer exist.

What about the beginning of the passage, when Jesus talks about causing a little child (which is standing right beside him, by the way) to sin? Are we really supposed to have a large millstone hung around our necks and be drowned in the depths of the sea? Luckily, Jesus says, “it would be better for them to…” which lets us know that, on the positive side, He’s being metaphorical. On the negative side, though, the millstone is “better”, which is kind of unsettling. Causing a young believer to sin seems far worse than simply sinning yourself.

“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” Things that cause us to stumble must be here so God can forgive us. If we didn’t sin, we wouldn’t need grace or forgiveness. Jesus says that sin must exist, and in the following verses, He shows how hard we have to fight.

I’m blessed to say that it’s been a very long time since I’ve visited a friend or family member in the hospital or hospice care as they were nearing the end. However, one of my friends (Jill), along with her mom and grandmother, stayed right beside her great-grandmother (D) as she went into Heaven from hospice care. Jill and her family would swap stories and share memories along with her great-grandmother until the last few days. D had stopped eating and drinking and would anger quickly. She was ready for Heaven, but still wanted to be around her family. Periodically she would say a few words, at which point everyone would huddle around, listening intently. If she continued talking, it was slow and laborious, fighting to get words out.

On the last day, Jill’s grandmother sat right by the bed of her mother talking, sharing, hoping for a response. Jill was holding D’s hand and checking her pulse. When she lost the pulse, she checked a few more places, with no success. Her grandmother kept talking. D had fought hard to the very end, but went to Heaven in peace.

She was fighting for her life. She wanted to stay and talk with her family, especially with so many of them being there. She fought to speak, to open her eyes, to stay present. 

We, too, must fight for our spiritual lives every day. That is what Jesus means by these words. Have the will to do everything possible to avoid and remove sin, which leads to death. Do all that we can, and trust God to do everything we can’t. We must remove distractions, barriers, stumbling blocks, temptations in our life to be open to God’s commands. 

And there is hope. Jesus talks about grace and forgiveness of debt later in Matthew 18, verses 23-27. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.”

To put this in perspective, take a quick guess at your annual salary (minimum wage is $15,080) and put 5 zeroes behind it. Now double that. Congratulations, you just multiplied your salary by 200,000. That’s close to the personal equivalent of what this servant owed. Minimum wage, that’s $3.016 trillion, all demanded at once by the king, which is why he was going to take the servant, his wife and children, and all he had. The servant, recognizing his debt, begged for time and patience so that he could work enough to pay back everything. Suddenly, the king took pity on him, and cancelled 200,000 years worth of labor debt.

How in the world did the servant rack up that much debt? What did he need all of that money for? And how generous was the king in letting him have all of that?

Well, when we look at it in the broader context, this is part of a parable Jesus uses to explain how many times we should forgive. Jesus talks about money, even though that wasn’t the original question. Peter asked how many times he should forgive a brother or sister who sins against him. That really puts a new meaning on the servant’s debt.

How many times do we sin against God, the King? Short answer: more times than we can count. Any anger, any greed, any lust, any time we put ourselves before God, is sin. We have a huge debt of sin, but God is gracious to forgive us when we believe in His sacrifice and model our lives around His life.

The servant in the parable doesn’t remember the king’s grace. Instead he demands repayment from a fellow servant. When the other servant makes the exact same plea, the one who is owed throws him in prison because he can’t repay the debt. The king finds out about this, and has the servant tortured until he can repay his huge debt, which is never.

The servant didn’t learn. He didn’t keep forgiveness in mind when he approached his fellow servant. He didn’t fight with all he had to prevent sinning again and rebuilding his debt. The part of him causing the sin, his pride, wasn’t removed.

We have to fight every day, removing what causes sin, whether a metaphorical hand or eye, or literal pride. Is removing an eye going to keep someone from lusting? Not necessarily, because the other eye will still work. Removing both? Again, not necessarily, because we have really good picture memory. What about greed, the lust of things? Same answers. 

What Jesus is targeting is the heart. “Out of the heart the mouth speaks,” Luke 6:45. Our inner being, our id, is what needs to change. We fight to change who we really and truly are. Through the fight, we see the power of grace. We can remove all the barriers, obstacles, etc., but we’re still going to sin. Grace covers every sin, yes, but we can’t be passively acceptant of it. It leads to action.

Please join me prayer.

God, as we recognize our sin and the extent and magnitude of it, please help us to fight. Clothe us in Your armor that we find in Ephesians 6. Please be our sword and shield in every battle. Every time we don’t fight, please help us to be mindful of grace and to see Your kingdom growing in spite of our loss. I pray that it would not be something we take lightly, but hold firmly to. Help us to have a full realization of the demand You place on our lives. Lead us as we become more like You. Bring Your kingdom. Come, Lord Jesus.

Amen

Nothing (Romans 8:31-39)

31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psalm 44:22)

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ever had a rough day? Me, too. Week? Yep. Year? I guess so. Life? I sure hope not. When trouble comes, where do we turn? When we're being burdened on all sides, to whom do we look? When feeling like we're being tromped down into a bottomless pit, by whom are we rescued?

This is not a “cheer up; it's Christmas,” writing. I hope this reaches much deeper than that. Everyone has had a bad day at least once; it's just one of those things we have to shrug off. I'm talking about when we feel surrounded by darkness, when every ounce of ourselves wants to scream out, “GO AWAY!” to whomever comes around or calls. We feel isolated, depressed, beat down, exhausted.........banished. It's in those moments when these words from God ring most true. If God is for us, then truly nothing can be against us.

God is the one who judges, who calls us all to answer. Paul emphasizes that Christ didn't just die; he was raised to life again! He is at God's right hand! In trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword, WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM! Philippians 4:13, the main point in context is not “I can,” it's, “through Christ.” Praise be to God the Father for His grace for allowing us sinners to crawl towards Him and find rest in His strength. Praise God for His love for accepting us in all of our transgressions and weakness. Praise God for His justice and righteousness in always holding true to who He is and judging the world (us included) in all rightness and truth.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Does this answer the question of once-saved-always-saved? No. But it does mean that God will love us no matter what, and we can always turn to Him for peace, love, and discipline, a very important part of love. That is a true gift of God.

Praise be to God our Father for who He is: Savior, Judge, unchanging, righteous, holy, powerful, light.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~John 1:5

Thank You, God, for Your light. Thank You for Your hand, and might, and power in rescuing us from ourselves. You sent Christ to be a willing and perfect sacrifice. To live with us here on Your footstool, and to die for us by our selfish, unloving hands. It is only by Your grace that we can live. Only by Your power that we can breathe. Your love, Your righteousness is truly amazing. Thank You for You. Amen.

I Will Be Exalted, Psalm 46

1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations He has brought on the earth. 9He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

11The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Most people can agree that we are currently in a time of tumult. Elections, storms, jobs, schedules all keep our attention from focusing on God. For most of us, it’s simply a state of busyness trying to get from one place to another to do this thing or see this person. For some (currently the eastern coastline) there is actually some fear involved. A threat to safety and well-being is quite obviously present with the next step outside or the next howl of the wind. For others, every day comes filled with questions that don’t have answers: how am I going to stay warm today; where am I going to sleep tonight; what am I even going to eat to quiet my stomach down? There really is no break to rejuvenate, to relax, to rest.

The authors (the Sons of Korah) paint a morbid picture of the world: mountains falling into the sea, waters roaring, mountains quaking. Granted, with as much natural phenomenon craziness that has happened in the last few years, they’re really not that far off. But still, many of us have only seen it on TV, the internet, etc.

In the middle of everything, there is a place to go. “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall.” Phew. I can easily picture a quiet, babbling brook on a beautiful summer day with no clouds in the sky and the softest grass anyone could ever imagine. I just lay back into the grass, soaking everything in. “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Fortress? Wait, that’s a little different from the mountains and natural disasters. That has a different connotation…

Unfortunately for understanding, we (read: most of us) don’t really have physical wars going on in our own home turf on a daily basis. About the most danger I run into in a daily basis is the commute to and from work, not really a reason to fear for my life. These authors really knew what war was. Israel had been through significant expansion, division, subjugation, rule, and militaristic force over the course of history, even to this point. And God led them into and through all the different battles.

Yet the author makes a switch in verse 9 when He says that God makes wars cease. God: the peacemaker. How does He do it? “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields with fire.” Hmmm…that seems awfully oxymoronic. Break, shatter, burn. That’s exactly what everyone else is doing, but God does it bigger, better, and for a greater purpose.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Read verses 9 and 10 again to yourself, and really try to see and hear and feel everything that’s happening around you when you read. Everything builds, and builds, and crescendos, to the final clang!



Silence



All our weapons have been destroyed. Everything attacking us has been ceased. Stop fighting. It’s not gaining anything. And the only one who can bring peace is God. And when He brings it, it’s awesome. Anyone who has ever dealt with spiritual warfare knows this. I have personally heard demons and angels yelling at each other, louder, and louder, and LOUDER until God yelled, “YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....................................................................

No words can describe that peace. God is the only one who can bring that peace. God is truly, truly the only source of anything good (James 1:17). What do we do when something that incredible happens? We talk about it.
God is Almighty, greater than anything we can ever face, and when He says, “Be still.” Everything listens. Then we go and talk about His love, peace, power, and justice to everyone we meet. God says, “I will be exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Everyone will praise God, especially if we talk about Him. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I pray that every one of you would find that peace today. Rest in God. And, in doing so, glorify Him among the earth.

Aliens, Hebrews 11:13-16

(13)All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. (14)People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. (15)If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. (16)Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

This passage comes from the so-named “Hall of Fame of Faith.” The passage before this talks about the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it is followed by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. Hence the name “Hall of Fame.” Any story presently used in Sunday school (and some that aren’t) is referenced in this passage. Every single explanation the author of Hebrews uses begins with the phrase “by faith.” And at the end of the chapter, he says that the people mentioned didn’t receive what was promised because God had provided something better.

Did the people mentioned stay true to God the entire time? Not everyone. But the focus of their life, their faith, was centered around their relationship with God. They kept their eyes on what is unseen, not what is seen.

This particular section really speaks about the heart of every single person mentioned. Abel was focused on God when he presented his offering from his flock. Enoch walked with God, which is a huge complement in the Jewish culture, and God actually took him to heaven directly. Noah didn’t know what sort of a world he was going to find after the flood, or even what would happen during it. But he kept his faith in God and his eyes on God’s kingdom. Abraham simply left where he had lived for a land that God promised Him.

They all knew that they were made for God and His kingdom and searched for it with all they had. Do we? I, unfortunately, forget this all the time. Despite all the messages, songs, and blunt reminders, I still forget that I’m not meant to live for this world, but for God and His kingdom. This encouragement goes out to everyone: living for God’s kingdom is the only way to truly find a home, and when home is found in God’s kingdom, life means so much more!

Here are a few songs about this. Feel free to pick your genre.

We're all the Same, Romans 3:21-31

(21)But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.(22)This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,(23)for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,(24)and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.(25)God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—(26)he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
(27)Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.(28)For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.(29)Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,(30)since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.(31)Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Most of you have probably heard verse 23 in this passage. However, I’d like to look at the broader context to see how it plays in with the rest of its sentence and paragraph. Paul is speaking to his Jewish readers at this point in the letter, and his purpose in verses 21-24 is to say that they aren’t any different from the Gentiles. It is faith in God that saves, not the Law. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. There’s no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. It really gives a new meaning to verse 23 than how I’ve always heard it used. Instead of “YOU have sinned, and YOU have sinned, and so have YOU!” It’s actually “You’ve sinned, but so have I. We’re no different because we both sin and we’re both saved through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Verses 25-26 add some additional explanation of Paul’s message that his Jewish audience would have understood. They were well familiar with the sin offering that was set up in Leviticus 16:15-16 where a goat would be sacrificed in lieu of the people bearing the brunt of God’s wrath (hence the word scapegoat). God waited and “passed over” (sound familiar from the plagues on Egypt?) the sins of the people so that Christ could be the sin sacrifice once for all. Then and only then would the sacrifice be accomplished. God and God alone judges because only through God are we saved.
Paul ends this section with a Q&A session with himself. He refutes some arguments that people may choose to use against Him. The law is about faith, not works. God is the God of everyone. We declare the law by keeping the faith. That last part can be a tad confusing, but we proclaim God’s love and forgiveness when we uphold the way and demonstrate our faith, so law and faith go hand-in-hand.
We are not alone in our sin. Even though we all sin, we are all also justified freely and equally through Jesus’ blood on the cross. Christ is the once-for-all sacrifice for us. Walk by faith. In doing so, uphold the law. Christ is our righteousness.

Gifts and Passions, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NIV)

(7) Now to each one of the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (8)To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, (9)to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, (10)to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. (11)All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

This is probably a familiar passage to a lot of us. Those of us who have grown up in the church have heard several sermons about how to find your gift and how to best use it in the church. For the record, this is not nearly a complete list, but it is the longest contiguous list in Scripture. The second longest comes at the end of the same chapter, just in case you were curious.

I don’t intend to try to define and dissect every spiritual gift in Scripture or even here. There are several additional resources available if you’d like to look around some more. The Bible talks a lot about when/when gifts are to be used within a church service, and it also provides examples throughout of people who display those gifts. Solomon is promised in 1 Kings 3 that he will essentially be the wisest person to ever walk the earth. Jesus was called Rabbi/Teacher (was that too easy of a reference?). Genesis is full of people who walked faithfully with God. Peter and John are healing people all through the book of Acts. Moses and Aaron performed incredible miracles in front of Pharaoh. Aaron did most of the actions (staff turning into a snake, the Nile turning into blood), and Moses actually did most of the prophesying. God placed prophets like Samuel in Israel to judge the people and get them back on track. Acts 2 records the primary example of tongues at Pentecost, when people from all around the region with different languages suddenly heard the Word of God being spoken in their own language.

So the Spirit was definitely active in the Old Testament as well as the New, and the people were using their gifts outside the church/synagogue as well as in, and that’s my primary focus this week. Finding where each person’s spiritual gifts are to be used outside the church. As many gifts as God has given, He has also given passions to individuals. The question is how do your gifts come into play with your passions?

For example, I think my primary gifts are service, hospitality, encouragement, and teaching. If anyone disagrees, please let me know. Those are the activities that really get my juices flowing; I love making sure people feel welcome and comfortable when I’m around and will go out of the way to make sure they’re ok. If they’re not, I like to encourage them and teach them some ways to be more comfortable, whether it’s people’s names or how to do an activity better. That plays out in my job a lot on a day-to-day basis by going into random people’s houses to work on their U-Verse services. I’m there to serve; they have to want to invite me in; I help them know that everything’s going to be ok, and I explain in words they understand what I did and what the problem might have been. Outside of work, I love having people over (hint, hint) and hosting anyone and everyone. Even with Frisbee, whenever people are nervous about playing, I get a huge rush from helping them get comfortable with other people first, then the sport by teaching them how to adjust what they are or aren’t doing. That is a primary method of interaction for me and a primary mission field because that is my passion. Helping people feel welcome and wanted brings the biggest smile to my face and warmth to my heart because that’s how God has wired me to be. Those are my gifts. That is what God pushes me to use for His kingdom.

My encouragement and challenge to everyone this week is to find your gifts through prayer, action, and reflection. I have learned that administration is a weak area, and only through prayer and God’s grace can that be strengthened. Once you have a hint towards your gifts, look for opportunities to use them in the church, as that is their primary purpose. God’s kingdom comes first. Then look for ways to use those gifts outside of the church body. How can your gifts be used within your passions to bring people to God?