I may not see in front of me, But I can see for miles around when I look over my shoulder, and Lord, it`s clear. You`ve brought me here, So faithful every step of the way. What can I do but follow you, For You are the Way, the Truth, the Life, And You`ve promised never to leave me, My Savior, my friend, From beginning to end.
I Am Found In You
by
Steven Curtis Chapman
I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. Philemon 10-11 NIV
Onesimus was once a slave. Apparently he wasn't a really good slave. In fact, it doesn't seem that he was even very useful to Philemon. In the days when slaves were property and indicated wealth, no doubt Philemon had Onesimus on his balance sheet just the same. A bad slave was still more valuable than no slave at all.
Onesimus was now a changed man, however, according to Paul. He was useful! He had a purpose. He was a Christian. He worked. He was needed.
It is good to be needed, isn't it? Some of you mothers and wives are thinking, sure, but can I have one day off every now and then? With two active boys, and a husband who keeps a full calendar, and with activities of her own, my wife is very needed.
Yesterday we saw that God has a purpose for every Christian...yes including you. Today, I want to explore a little bit of how God uses His people. At the time of your salvation, the Holy Spirit entered your heart. At the same time, the Holy Spirit "gifted" you with a special ability within the body of Christ. (For further reading, go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Romans 12, or Ephesians chapter 4) If you are a Christian, you have a spiritual gift.
This gift, which can only be used in doing the will of the Lord, is God's way of including you into His plan. He didn't invite you into His Kingdom to sit on the sidelines. He wants you to be active, serving Him, so that others may come to know Him and be encouraged in their Christian walk. You can discover your spiritual gift through scripture and prayer. (I have used several good tests which can help discover your gift, and I do suggest them. You can usually find a good one at a Christian bookstore. I find you are usually not surprised by the results, because your gift will be something you feel comfortable doing.)
If you don't know your spiritual gift, may I ask you a simple question? How long have you been a Christian? If you say longer than a few days, may I ask you another question? Respectfully, how long could you be on a job without knowing what to do? Isn't that what you are doing as a Christian?
God has a job for you. My kindest suggestion is that you find out what it is...and get busy!
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