January 13, 2021
Dear Praying Friends,
We appreciate your willingness to continue in prayer each Wednesday for our prodigals and for revival. Prayer is not easy - it requires the sacrifice of both your time and energy for the spiritual well-being of others. But it is worth it! Thank you.
Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, your abilities, your spiritual gifts, your desires, and your mission are vital factors in knowing where God can best use you.
In his book, Follow The Leader, John Maxwell speaks to leaders about the importance of proper positioning. When you are running a company, it is one thing to get good, honest, hardworking, talented, people in the front door, but it is equally essential to place them in appropriate and suitable positions. If a construction company sends all its front desk workers to fill trade positions on the high-rise building project, not only will the building fail to go up, the company itself will flounder.
Think about the National Hockey League (NHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs have many talented players. Imagine the disaster if their players were put out of position: with the center in goal, and defenseman as a forward. You can rightly assume that they will be at the bottom of the charts. Proper positioning is essential.
I am currently reading in Mark’s Gospel about the sad story of the demon-possessed man who lived in caves and tombs, away from his friends and family. A captive of Satan, he was a danger to himself and others. One day, without warning or announcement, Jesus arrived. Casting out the demons, Jesus freed the man and restored his dignity. Mark five gives the full account of the pigs, the stampede, the townspeople, etc… After the miracle, the words of Jesus to this man are striking: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mk. 5:19).
I would have thought that Jesus might have let the healed man return with Him to Galilee but no. He told him to return to his home in the Decapolis region to tell others the good news. It would have been difficult. It wasn’t what the man initially wanted. Yet it was what was best for the man himself, for others to whom he gave testimony, and for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
These illustrations give us valuable insight on discovering how and where God desires to use us. In first Corinthians three, Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” In Titus two, Paul gives instruction to young and old, male and female, with the intention of everyone serving in their God-giving areas of enabling. God has given each of us necessary and important spheres in which to work for Him. We need to be conscious of where He wants us to focus our attention.
Take time to assess your life. Are you where the Lord wants you? Are you doing what God wants you to? Are you funneling your talents, your gifts, and your resources into the areas that are most beneficial to you, to others, and to God’s plan? Talk it over with those you trust and seek God’s help in all you do.
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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