You Are Unique

“My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.” (Acts 20:24 NIV)

You’re the only person in the world who can live your life. No one else can live your life for you, and no one else is in competition with you to complete the task Jesus gave you.

Take a deep breath, and rest in the truth that God created you with such a unique mix of spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences that only you can be you. No one else can duplicate you, and you cannot, should not, imitate another. You are an original masterpiece from the Master’s hand.

Your uniqueness means you’re the only one who can fulfill the mission that God assigned for you to complete.

God’s graduate assistant, Paul, says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace” (Acts 20:24 NIV).

We shouldn’t waste a precious minute of life doing things that don’t matter if that means the most important thing we can do is left undone.

It’s never too late to start faithfully pursuing the mission God has set before you — the one he designed you to complete.

You may think you don’t have skills God can use, but the truth is, God designed you with the very skills he needs in you to do what he asks of you. You are uniquely, wonderfully, and fearfully made.

-by Jon Walker

Jon Walker is author of “Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer’s ‘The Cost of Discipleship’” and “In Visible Fellowship: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's Classic Work ‘Life Together.’”

Tear Down The Fence

"Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!"
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 nkjv

Jabez was a guy who was limited from birth.  His name alone, which meant "pain", created limitations that had the potential to fence him in for life.  But as his prayer shows us, he wanted to destroy those limitations and live the life that God truly intended for him to live.  He wanted to live a life with no limits!  But a no limits life is a choice.  You have to choose to break through the limitations that you or others have placed on you.  Only you can choose to tear down the the fences that are locking you in to your current life.  And ONLY THROUGH JESUS is it possible to do that!

This week as you pray, ask God to reveal the limits that are currently controlling your life and keeping you from God's plans & dreams for you.  Then with God's help, tear down those fences that have blocked you for far too long.

Have a great week!

Open The Gift

In all the years I've been around kids, I've never had to force them to open a gift.  For some reason they know how to open a gift without anyone even showing them how.  They love to rip through the paper and get to what's inside (even though they don't care about the gift in 10 minutes).

So what's wrong with adults?  The Holy Spirit is a generous gift giver but for some reason we aren't too excited to open the gifts and receive them. (1 Cor. 12, Romans 12, Eph. 4, 1 Peter 4)  These gifts won't lose their usefulness in a few minutes, days, or years.  These are gifts that you could use the rest of your lives.

So let me challenge you, what are you waiting for?  Why aren't you using the gifts the Holy Spirit's given you?  There's no better day than today to open the gifts and use them in your life.

Grab A Tool!

The faucet breaks, the door handle doesn't work, a picture needs to be hung.....what do we reach for?  The toolbox!  Why do we run tot he toolbox?  Because we know that contained inside are all the tools we'll need to successfully address the situation at hand and fix the problem.

Life is funny, there are a lot of situations that a hammer, wrench, or screwdriver can't fix.  Those tools can't fix a marriage, can't fix a financial struggle, and can't fix a a hard life problem.  But the Holy Spirit toolbox has all the tools necessary to fix those problems and so much more.  Marriage problem, maybe you need the tool of wisdom.  Financial problem, maybe you need the tool of discernment.  Whatever you are facing, the Holy Spirit is prepared to provide you with every tool necessary to succeed and grow.

As you read 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, & 1 Peter 4 this week, take a few minutes and ask the Holy Spirit for the help you need in your life.

This Is The Day

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

What does your week look like?  Do you have a full plate at work?  Does your calendar look filled up?  Do the kids have more sports practices & games than you can count?  When we look at all our busyness it's easy to view the day or week as simply something to be conquered or endured instead of something to be lived to it's fullest.

What would happen if every day you flipped your feet out of bed and once you came to your senses (after a shower or several cups of coffee) you quoted this verse from Psalm 118 like you mean it?  What if you truly believed that the day you were beginning was give to you by God?  I often personalize the second sentence of this verse by saying, "I will CHOOSE to rejoice & be glad in it."

Choose to make today and every day a great day!  It really is your choice!

Simplified Lives

"So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us." (Hebrews 12:1b TEV)

If we’re going to be used for God’s purposes, we have to focus our lives. The Bible compares life to a marathon, and that means we have to simplify our lives. 

The Bible says, “So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us” (Hebrews 12:1b TEV). 

This means we should remove anything from our lives that would get in the way and hold us back. If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. He’ll even keep you so busy doing good things that you won’t have time for the best things. 

That’s why the Bible tells you to simplify your life. You have to get rid of the unnecessary baggage in life. Don’t try to do it all. Do what matters most. A serious runner focuses on the race.  

I’ve heard people say, “I would love to live my life for God’s purpose, but I just don’t have time.” The reason they don’t have time is they haven’t taken the time to simplify their life. 

Talk About It

 

There are all sorts of things that can keep us from simplifying our lives. How do any of the following distract you and keep you from simplifying your life?

1. Trying to be like others instead of being who God created you to be
2. Trying to make everybody happy
3. Trying to meet the arbitrary expectations of others
4. Too many hobbies or too much time with a hobby
5. Social media, movies, or television
6. The wrong kinds of relationships
7. The mistakes of your past 

This devotional © 2012 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

2012 Next Steps Relaunch

We are only a few days away from our Next Steps Relaunch Sunday on April 22^nd. Since launching our Next Steps vision expansion campaign 1 year ago we’ve been able to launch & complete our phase 1 Student Center and raise $200,000 but our work is not done. At our current rate of giving we will pay off the Student Center remodel in 58 weeks; just over 1 year. But I believe with everyone’s help we can get our phase 1 remodel paid off early and get started on phase 2, the worship center sanctuary.

I want to challenge you to stay focused and join me as we boldly move forward to our Next Step. Now isn’t the time to glory in our successes. Right now is the time to use that success to catapult us forward. Enclosed you will find a commitment card that we will collect on April 22^nd. I want to challenge everyone to consider 3 steps as you prepare for Relaunch Sunday.

REVIEW: If you made a 3-year commitment a year ago, I’d like to ask you to pray and review that commitment once again. As you pray, ask God if he wants you to increase your commitment over the next 2 years. After prayer, if you feel confident that your commitment should remain the same, simply complete your commitment card.

REVISE: If after prayer you believe God is challenging you to take a greater step of faith, then revise your commitment for the remainder of our 2-year Next Steps campaign and complete your commitment card.

RESPOND: If you didn’t make a commitment last year, this is your chance to respond to God’s vision & plans for Central by diligently seeking God for the financial commitment he wants you to make in helping us take our Next Steps. As God gives you clarity on your commitment, please complete your commitment card for Sunday.

On Sunday morning you will bring your 2-year commitment forward and we will receive a Relaunch Offering. We’re asking everyone to bring an offering of 10% of your next 12 months commitment ($500 = $50, $1000 = $100, $2500 = $250, $5000 = $500). Join Tricia and I as we take these Next Steps together and let’s watch as God comes through again.