Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Joy Williams once again singing her song … Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing of a question we all should ask ourselves everyday …
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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Peter 4:10 [NLT] …
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
… A straight-forward exhortation to serve one another (and first, God) by using the great variety of gifts/talents we Christians have been given.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st Peter 4:7-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Peter, exhorts Christians to use our Spirit-given gifts and talents to honor God.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 14:21 [NLT] …
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
… Jesus on showing His love to others thru our obedience to His words/commands.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] …
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
… Jesus’ command to His disciples to become His witnesses to this world.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Ephesians 4:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A1-17&version=NLT … God, thru Paul, preaches for Christians to use their diverse gifts to unify the Church and to show our worthiness, called as Christians.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David Branon, used a personal story to illustrate how we must use our varied, God-given, talents/gifts for God’s Glory. The ODB author wrote: While on vacation recently, I gave my razor a rest and grew a beard. Various responses came from friends and co-workers—and most were complimentary. One day, however, I looked at the beard and decided, “It’s not me.” So out came the razor [see photo]. I’ve been thinking about the idea of who we are and why one thing or another does not fit our personality. Primarily, it’s because God has bestowed us with individual differences and preferences. It’s okay that we don’t all like the same hobbies, eat the same foods, or worship in the same church. …
Jesus’s disciples didn’t check their characteristics at the door before entering His world. Peter was so impulsive that he cut off a servant’s ear the night Jesus was arrested. Thomas insisted on evidence before believing Christ had risen. The Lord didn’t reject them simply because they had some growing to do. He molded and shaped them for His service.
No, Paul and Peter (see passages referenced above) used their varied personalities/gifts/talents to teach about how we Christians should let our diversity of gifts bring unity in His Church and glorify God with how we live. And Jesus, taught strongly to show that true Christians show His love to others by how we live in obedience to Him as His disciples [see John 14:21].
Question #1 from these thoughts is: Do we know what are God-given gifts/talents are? … And ?#2 … you guessed it! … Are we using those gifts/talents for God’s glory? … Yes, today … and all days?
Perhaps it would be productive for us to do this self-inventory; and then get busy, … as Paul exhorted in Ephesians 4 [see above], showing our worthiness to the calling we have as Christians (see also Acts 1:8).
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … LORD, … Convict and empower me, thru Your grace, to use my gifts/talents for Your glory today. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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