Hi! I am reading this morning in 1 Timothy 4. Paul gives Timothy some wonderful advice. Let's check it out: "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you."
What really has caught my attention this morning is to not let anyone look down on you because you are young and do not neglect your gift. I had someone tell me the other day "Oh...you are so young" I understood the comment was meant to say "You are young and can't possibly get what I am saying to you!" I laughed and let it go but I have to take the advice Paul was giving to Timothy seriously, "DO NOT let ANYONE look down on you because you are young!"
I can honestly say I have let others look down on me because I was young. I can honestly say I have been neglecting to use my gifts and have pushed certain giftings down. With my marriage break up it is time for me to not push down anymore giftings but to just be who God created me to be.
Some of my giftings are: encouraging, caring, listening to others when they are struggling, being with those who are elderly, being with those dying, being with those hurting, being with those who are broken. I have the gift of prayer, intercessory prayer, gift of faith, gift of prophecy, gift of distinguishing between the different spirits, gift of tongues and I have been praying for the gift of knowledge. This summer was a time when I was doing some research into the gifts of the spirit and noticed in Corinthians that we can ask God for these giftings so I did and am continuing to do so. I started to pray for a prophetic gifting and know God answered that prayer this fall but I want more so I am continuing on my prayer for a gift of knowledge to go along with the prophetic.
I am starting to really enjoy writing and writing what I am learning from studying scripture in the Greek and Hebrew. I love seeing what the original Greek means. It makes the Word come alive!
I love using my gifts of music to serve others. I played and sang at a funeral last week and know this is a place where God wants me. I have not sung in years as I pushed down so much of who I was because of a difficult relationship but now I feel free to be who I am. I love to sing praises to God on the top of my lungs and have praise music going continually in my home.
I have been afraid to come out and talk about my giftings in the spirit for fear of being misunderstood, for fear of being ridiculed in my faith circles, for fear of judgement that people will say "She thinks she is so much better than the rest of us", "Who does she think she is?" I want to be perfectly clear, I do not think I am better than anyone else but what I think is I have been living a lie. I have not been completely open to who I am, what I have been through to get where I am and I have been grieving the spirit in me when I have been afraid of coming out to share what God has done in me.
I want to encourage those who are also afraid of coming out to use the gifts God has given them. I love when Paul said to Timothy not to neglect the gift given him. I am wondering if I am the only one who has neglected giftings given them. I probably am not. So my prayer of blessing today is for us to use what we have for his glory...
I pray a prayer of Blessing over my brothers and sisters today, Lord may we not neglect the giftings you have given us to use for your glory. Lord may we not LET anyone look down on us because we are young, old, too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny, whatever anyone may be able to look down on us for may we not LET them look down on us. Take our focus!! Help us to focus not on what others say of us but on what you say of us. Help us to use whatever we have, if we have two sticks may we bang them together in praise, if we have two legs help us to dance for you, if we have two hands help us to clap for you, if we have many gifts or limited gifts may we USE them ALL and not keep them hidden in secret. Lord I pray blessing for the light of your prescence to bring those things which are hidden in the dark to light. Lord separate the darkness from us and bring us into the light. May we walk with you,The Only True Light of the World....Amen...I bless you today, get out there and use what God has given you. I need to get going and do the same (I am still in my pajamas!) Blessings...
No comments:
Post a Comment