Ronald A. Beers - Divine Moments for Men: Everyday Inspiration from Gods Word

How do I maximize my God-given abilities?

Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period when the Philistines dominated the land.... One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.... Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him. Then she cried out, Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you! When he woke up, he thought, I will do as before and shake myself free. But he didnt realize the L ord had left him.

J UDGES 15:20; 16:1, 19-20

W ith a man like Samson, Israel should have been ruling the Philistines, not the other way around. How ironic that a woman certainly smaller than Samson brought him down! The strongest do not always prevail, the fastest do not always win, the smartest do not always finish at the top of their class. God-given abilities are only maximized when they are used for God-given purposes. A dollar bill is useless if a vending machine takes only coins. Samsons great strength became useless when he used it to do something that didnt fit Gods plan. Do you know what your God-given abilities are? These are sometimes called spiritual gifts. One of the first breakthroughs in the Christian life is discovering the abilities God has given you. Then when you learn how to use those gifts for him, not just for yourself, you will experience a profound divine moment. Fit your God-given abilities into Gods plan, and watch your life produce great results.

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. Luke 12:48

Accomplishments

M Y Q UESTION for G OD

Im just an ordinary person; theres nothing special about me. Can God accomplish anything through me?

A M OMENT with G OD

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

A CTS 4:13

Live in harmony with each other. Dont be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.

R OMANS 12:16

This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah.

A MOS 1:1

Samuel asked, Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest, Jesse replied. But hes out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.... The L ord said, This is the one; anoint him.

1 S AMUEL 16:11-12

A lthough God sometimes uses miracles and angels to accomplish his plans, he more often chooses ordinary people doing ordinary things to accomplish something extraordinary. One day God may call you to do something extraordinary, but meanwhile get to work serving and obeying him today. Then youll be ready when he calls.

D IVINE P ROMISE

God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 1 Corinthians 1:27

Accomplishments

M Y Q UESTION for G OD

How do I accomplish things that will last?

A M OMENT with G OD

They began saying to each other, Lets make bricks and harden them with fire.... Then they said, Come, lets build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world. But the L ord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. Look! he said. The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, lets go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they wont be able to understand each other. In that way, the L ord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.

G ENESIS 11:3-8

D eep within the human heart lies a God-given longing for significance and lasting accomplishment. But too often we have much lower ambitions. Its easy to look out for ourselves. Its more difficult, more costly, more significant to look out for others. If our ambition is merely to look out for ourselves, we waste the opportunity for our accomplishments to last into eternity. Sadly, we become like ants who build their hill on a sidewalk and proudly proclaim, Look! It will stand forever. We must always be asking ourselves if our passion and purpose is to accomplish things that (a) glorify ourselves, which are only temporary and do not last beyond this life, or (b) glorify God by serving others, which are lasting and bring eternal rewards.