It's been a hectic week getting ready for Christmas. We had our final practice tonight and the kids performed their best during tonight's run through. I think we've timed it perfectly again this year, having the kids peak right at the time of their performance. I just hope that their message comes through tomorrow night. I know that no matter what the message is, the innocence of the night and the wonder of the birth of Christ can be best brought out by the kids voices when they sing.
Points to Ponder: Nobody else can be me.
Verse to Remember: "God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings." 1 Peter 4:10
Question to Consider: What God-given ability or personal experience can I offer to my church?
My response:
This was such a poignant chapter. It speaks of the last three letters of the acrostic SHAPE, which we use to remind us about service. The A stands for ability, the P for personality and the E for experience.
We should use whatever abilities we're given to serve God. No ability is unimportant. We should use whatever gifts we're given to glorify Him and to help in the different ministries. God can use ALL our talents. The same thing with your personality. We're all made and molded in different ways. Don't try and change yourself to try and fit into a personality type that isn't you just so that you could serve.
I remember growing up in Samoa and going to Sunday School and church. There was always an old lady assigned to watch us. When we talked in church or misbehaved. she'd hit us with a fan or a songbook. (This was obviously before Child Protective Services came to the island.) And in our church, there's a lady that all the kids think is mean. In fact, I know just how mean she is because I'm married to her. LOL I always laugh at my wife when she scolds the kids and then I have to come in and play good cop. I told her, man I reap all the love from the kids because I get to come in and play the good guy. She said, somebody has to play the bad guy. But for all her yelling and scolding of the kids, they still seem to gravitate to her. That's just her personality, to be the stern disciplinarian. My personality is to be the nice guy. If we switched, it wouldn't work. It would be funny to watch, but ineffective.
The last part of the acrostic is experiences. What struck me about this was using painful experiences to help others. We're going to go through painful experiences, so we might as well use them to benefit others. Who better to comfort grieving parents than someone who's lost a child themselves? Who better to help a drunk than a recovering alcoholic? In order to use those experiences, you must share them. Only shared experiences help others. Never waste a painful experience. Be blessed.
You know the old saying "look in the mirror"? This chapter reminds me of the day when i first did some soul searching. Well, i found myself reflecting and pondering over one question...... who am i? And slowly but surely i found myself realizing my true form or shape. its as if i knew it all along -deep within me, but it was buried by layers upon layers of masks and costumes. i found that my old shape was built by my surroundings and other people, and not me! Don't get me wrong, i still made the final decision to become that person, but i chose to have that outside influence control me and direct me. make sense? also, i was blind to that fact and that was my biggest problem. i am so thankful to have that experience because its allowed me to look at alot of things from a third person point of view and see that there is so much to learn and so much to share. remember who you are and who you WILL not be. Once you are in tune(well atleast for me anyway) you will see how you can use those masks and costumes again because you are a different person underneath. Each situation needs its own unique form of you present to allow the situation and those it effects to tend to God's purpose! lol! sorry about keeping you and thankyou for allowing me to share. Praise and Love.......
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