THE LOVING ACT OF PREDESTINATION

Ephesians 1:4-6

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -- to the praise of this glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

I've noticed in Christian centered conversations that words like "chosen" and "predestined" (especially any word derived from "predestination") gets avoided.  These are words that trigger debate and even conflict.  People immediately assume that these words mean something exclusionary and rob us of our free will.  On the contrary, being chosen and predestined should open our eyes even wider to the great love that God has for us . . . for ALL of us!  First of all these words are easily taken out of context.  They must instead be brought into the context of God's overall character.  God is not exclusionary, therefore, being chosen does not mean that He's included some and not others into His great plan of redemption.  God never overrides our free will and, therefore, accepting the idea of being predestined does not mean that we submit to a doctrine "no choice."  I believe that the idea of being chosen and predestined is seated, embedded, into God's all surpassing wisdom and omniscience.  Friend, God knew you, chose you and planned for you "before the creation of the world."  He already chose you and predestined you, by the mere fact that He created you, for redemption and to be adopted as his sons or daughters.  Adoption is no small thing.  In our world, people wanting to adopt a child would give almost anything they had -- everything they have in order to adopt.  Adoption is a very serious matter invoking all the rights and privileges to the one adopted as would be given to a natural son or daughter.  Think about this!  You have been given all the rights and privileges as Jesus himself! 

"In love He predestined us..."  Predestination is a loving act straight from the loving nature of God.  Any interpretation (and there are many!) of this mysterious doctrine that detracts from the love of God should be suspect.  In love He chose you for eternal life with Him and predestined you to live holy and blameless through Jesus Christ.  And, through Jesus Christ you are received into His family by adoption.  This, my friend, is His plan for you and for me.  Why?  Because it pleased Him to create you, to know you, to love you, to plan for you, to make room for you in this world -- His world.  He didn't have to create you at all.  But, He did.  He thought of YOU and it pleased Him to make room for you in His story!  Accepting His son as your Savior and Lord is in His plan for you . . . this is what you were created to do!  This is what you were predestined to do!  This is why you were chosen to have life!

Now, whether or not you choose Him (free will) is up to you.  It always has been.  Each one of us on the planet is chosen for creation and He knew each one of us before time began "and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." (Acts 17:26b, NIV)  His plan for you and for me is be holy (set apart to reflect His purity) and blameless (free from blemish) and this seemingly daunting task is accomplished one simple way: by accepting the grace given us through Jesus Christ.  This is not a doctrine that robs me of free will or excludes some from knowing Him.  Instead, this speaks to me about a God who, before He created the world, thought of me and planned for me and determined that I would live in the times I do and, once here, set eternity before me and created opportunities for me to choose eternity with Him.  He allowed  me to freely choose Him, and, when I did, His grace, the grace I need to live holy and blameless was (and is) freely given to me through His son!

I realize my interpretation of the doctrine of predestination in this post is a tad oversimplified.  This is an interpretation that God has been showing me for a number of years now and, although it may in fact be simple in nature, it doesn't mean it's wrong.  I submit that it's just another layer to a very deep theology.  I encourage you to search out the idea of being chosen and predestined for yourself. 

Chosen,
Kerry

A MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE

Ephesians 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  NIV

One of the purposes of Paul's letter to the Ephesians was to reveal the "mystery" of the church.  In somewhat simplistic terms, the church's purpose was (is) to reveal and express the fullness of Christ here on earth, doing so by uniting all believers no matter our race, gender or background and to equip us to extend Christ's victory over evil.  To further simplify, we are to show Jesus to the world so that they may know Him, too.  Now, I've had my issues with the church.  It hasn't always been kind to me (at least in my estimation).  And I can tell you this: it's a messy place -- full of baggage and despair and disappointment and even hypocrites.  The church falls short many times in showing the world the love of Jesus.  But, I can also tell you that the church is beautiful because of all of those same things.  It's those within the church that are broken and know it that define it's beauty.  It is beautiful by virtue of the fact that it is the Body of Christ.  And, it is in His body that my healing is found.  "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5, NIV)

Paul is telling the Ephesians in this verse that our God, the same God who sent His Son, the same God who paid our redemption, the same God who saw fit to tie His name to us,  has also blessed us with spiritual blessings.  And, those blessings are ours here and now.  He's not talking about material blessings here.  He's talking about the blessings of adoption, forgiveness and being chosen.  Friends, wrap your mind around this!  You have been adopted and brought in to this most sacred union between Father and Son!  You have been forgiven of your past and chosen to live and dwell and walk among those who are called "redeemed!"  Don't get me wrong.  This is NOT an elitist group in the sense that it's difficult to be brought in.  On the contrary, it couldn't be more easy to be included.  However, it is an elitist group in the sense that you can ONLY be brought in one way and one way only: through the blood of Jesus who paid your way in. (John 14:6, Ephesians 1:7)

If you consider yourself a believer then you are a part of the Body of Christ.  And, if that be so, then you must find your place among a body of believers.  You will never function at your best as a believer apart from it -- this is a lesson I've had to learn.  Yes, the church is messy.  Yes, it's not always as kind as it should be.  But . . . Hello! Neither am I and neither are you, but, therein lies the mystery.  It's people just like you and me that make up this most precarious and beautiful place.  It's people like you and me that God has chosen to bless with "every spiritual blessing."  (Even as I write that I cannot fully grasp the weight of what I'm saying.)  I'm a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore one of the redeemed.  Like a piece of a puzzle Christ's Body is where I fit.  I do not fit anywhere else.

Blessed,
Kerry

TO THE FAITHFUL

I've decided to do some expository teaching from the Word.  Expository teaching is one of my favorite ways to learn and teach God's word.  Over the next several months my posts are going to be limited to 1-3 paragraphs teaching on one or two verses of scripture starting with Ephesians 1:1-2.  Expository simply means to expound on or to explain something.  It's a fairly common way of preaching and teaching by pastors, although some enjoy this style more than others.  Expository teaching is usually limited to just a handful of verses at a time because it would take way too much time to expound on and explain an entire chapter at a time.  The beauty of this kind of teaching is that it is extremely thorough (which I love) without being too lengthy at any given time (so, hopefully I won't bore you to death).  Here goes!

Ephesians 1:1-2, NIV

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

In every epistle (or letter) that Paul wrote, he addressed his readers first by stating clearly who he was in Christ.  Early on in Paul's ministry there were many who questioned his status as an apostle because he did not start out as the other 12 disciples who walked closely alongside Jesus during His earthly ministry.  Paul became an apostle later under rather precarious circumstances.  While on his way to persecute Jesus followers, he was struck by a bright light, blinded and was spoken to by our Lord convincing him of his wrong behavior. Although he immediately turned his life around, I'm sure others weren't always convinced of his change of heart and still feared a little for their lives.  As time went on, however, he became more well known for his actions as a Jesus follower instead of a Jesus persecutor.  But, you and I both know how the enemy likes to drag up our past life with all its past mistakes and find new ways to torture us.  I'm sure Paul woke up every morning having to come to terms with his past sin of persecuting his fellow believers.  I know I would.

Beginning each letter in this way not only reminded his readers of his status as a true apostle but solidified in his own heart each time he wrote it out who he was in Christ.  And, in that same vein, he addresses his readers as "saints" and "faithful," reminding them of who they are in Christ!  Paul does this in every letter he writes in some fashion or another.  Here's something to think about: what if every time you introduced yourself to someone you added something that spoke to who you are in Christ; and, every time you met someone new you referred to them as someone with whom God is interested?  Like this: "Hi! My name is Kerry, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace and peace to you, _________________, loved by God." Saying all of that would be awkward for sure, but you can still think it!

"Grace and peace" was a common way to address someone at the time, but the Apostle Paul made sure that there was a spiritual component to this most common greeting: ". . . from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."  Basically, Paul is saying let there be no mistake! It is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that I come as I do, and it is from God alone that I speak and ". . . live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28, NIV)    Let there be no mistake, readers!  If you consider yourself a Jesus follower, then you are an apostle, a servant, a prisoner, a saint, and one of the faithful in Christ Jesus -- no matter your past!

Grace and peace,
Kerry

THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF SHOWING MERCY

". . . if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Mercy.  If you say it with a slow and thoughtful approach the word melts through your mouth. Mercy.  We cannot live without it.  Grace should be like the air we breathe and mercy should ooze from our being.  Mercy.  We deserve punishment and death but what we get is Mercy.  Mercy is scandalous.  Mercy is unfair.  Mercy is the Cross.

The Motivational Gift of Showing Mercy is the last in the list.  It might interest you to know that there are more people operating in this gift than any other.  Rightly so.  And here's why: without mercy we would die. Bottom line. We serve a merciful God who calls us to His mercy and requires us to be merciful in return.  Now, as with all the gifts, and even though this gift shows up the most, there are still those of us who do not score so high in Mercy.  Like me . . . and prophets.  I talked earlier in this study about how we are to cultivate all of the motivational gifts in our life even though they do not all come so naturally to us.  Prophets are to learn to be merciful.  Administrators are to practice serving.  Servers must learn to Lead and so on.  And, Mercy people need to learn the tough love approach of a Prophet.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Showing Mercy here are some things you might want to know about yourself.  If the Prophet sees everything in black and white, you see the human landscape in shades of gray.  Even if the person has no justifiable reason for his/her distress or trouble, you understand that they are in pain...and that's enough to motivate you to action.  You do not apply hard and fast rules or reasons to life.  For instance, you would never say, "He or she committed a sin and that is the reason for their trouble.  They need to get back into God's word, repent and seek forgiveness."  End of story.  And, although all of that is probably true in most cases, you know that things just aren't that simple and that human nature needs guidance and love and renewed hope and an understanding ear . . . and time.   Time for the human spirit to heal enough to make its way back to God and His word.  You know that there are complex reasons for whatever condition we're in and you show God's mercy by being merciful.  That's you.  You have the ability to empathize with people.  You feel what they feel and you grieve with them . . . or, rejoice with them.  You are drawn to the underdog and the downtrodden -- the hurting, the lonely, the aged, the ill, the dying.  And, likewise, they are drawn to you.  You are willing to deal with those people who have needs that most other people feel uncomfortable dealing with.  You are generally soft-spoken, a good listener, peaceable and agreeable.  You tend to make decisions based on your feelings rather than facts, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  At your best (when you are being led by the Spirit) you take your time making those decisions which gives the Holy Spirit time to guide your feelings.  The downside to operating strongly in this gift is that because you are drawn to and attract the downtrodden and the underdog, these same people have a tendency to use you.  You have a hard time setting boundaries with people which perpetuates the using.  If you were more hard and fast with people, like the Prophet is, then you wouldn't get used by people, but then who would show the rest of us mercy.    Others accuse you of being too soft and compromising.  It's not the downtrodden you find troubling or difficult, it's the prophet motivated people that exasperate you.

The fact that there ARE so many Mercy motivated people, means we all KNOW many Mercy motivated people.  I confess that I have thought the following of some of my Mercy motivated friends: "She is too compromising with so and so...If she is being used and walked on she has only herself to blame for not setting some boundaries..."  I also confess, however, that when I need mercy the most (which is often) I pray for it, I seek it with my whole being and I love it when I'm shown mercy.  I am learning to be more merciful as I grow in the Lord.  In fact, "becoming more merciful" is synonymous with "growing in the Lord."  I know this guy who was tragically born without a mercy bone (I'll call him "my husband").  He said as we were discussing the topic of mercy, "If I didn't have to be merciful, I wouldn't be."  To God's credit, "this guy" has become a man of mercy even though he operates in the Motivational Gift of Prophecy.  To God's credit, he recognizes the mercy he's been given and that fact alone, through time, has shaped him into a person of mercy.  God asks very little of us while we're on this planet, but He does ask us to show mercy.  "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8, NIV, bold italics mine)  Seriously, who among us hasn't needed mercy in this life?  Who among us hasn't found themselves hurting, alone, scared, troubled or sick at some point in their life?  Mercy.  It is essential and crucial.

Most pastors are gifted with Showing Mercy.  It makes sense that God would equip pastors this way and I've come to appreciate this quality more than I can say.  When you're hurting or suffering or in trouble it's a natural inclination to seek out your pastor, or a pastor.  At those times you're not needing to be yelled at or scolded.  What you need at that moment of vulnerability is someone who will listen to you, pray with you and understand how life. gets. so. very. difficult.  Sometimes correction is needed, but it's always been my experience that God gives mercy first and then corrects and then gently and powerfully restores me to a safe and healthy journey.  I have a dear friend in my life that I've known for years and years -- VERY gifted with mercy.  So much so that in her earlier years she'd cry and grieve over a bug that was unnecessarily squashed.  It PAINED her to thin out a flower bed (you know...the whole loss of life thing).  I remember we had an old pine tree in our yard that was way too big.  It was EXTREMELY messy dropping all those needles and pine cones everywhere. It always took an entire day and umpteen garbage bags to clean up underneath that big 'ol tree.  I'd had enough and determined life was too short to spend this much time cleaning up after a messy tree; AND it was in a terrible spot in the yard.  It was reasonable to me.  Upon telling her how we were thinking of having it cut down I got a heartfelt lecture on why we shouldn't be killing God's creatures.  As it turns out, the tree remained.  Over time she learned to temper her gift so as to see some situations with more reasonable eyes.  It's this deeply heartfelt mercy that causes her to NOT give out what is deserved to all that live around her.  To me, the tree no longer deserved to live because it made my life difficult.  To her, though it may have deserved to be cut down, she helped me understand that it is alive . . . just like me . . . that it needs patience and understanding . . . just like me . . . that it has the ability to praise the Lord . . . just like me.  To this day, she lives out her stunning gift of Mercy with everyone around her and God uses her to bring great comfort to the hurting.  Mercy.  It is of great consequence.

Let's look at an example from scripture: The Good Samaritan, the quintessential Mercy person.  "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead...But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him."  (Luke 10:30, 33-34, NIV)  Beautiful picture.  Others walked away but he moved in close to help.  What if this person, robbed and left for dead, was you?  How badly would you need this Samaritan full of mercy to come and help you?  I don't know...I'd like to think that I would help someone in this condition, but I get scared...what if the offenders are still around and I'm the next victim?  I might just walk away assuming that someone else would stop and help...and then I'd regret it for the rest of my life.  To the one gifted with the motivation of Showing Mercy, I'm sure my reaction is completely unreasonable and makes no sense.  As I said earlier, I'm learning to be more merciful.  What seems like it should be as easy and as natural as walking or thinking or breathing, isn't always.  When I NEED mercy, I only know I NEED it.  When it comes time for me to give it out, God help me.  Mercy.  It is dangerous and risky.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Showing Mercy here's what you need to do.  First, you need to know the absolutes of God's word.  Seeing life in shades of gray is truly a beautiful thing, but some things are black and white.  Some behaviors are listed as sin in God's word and must be dealt with as such.  Sometimes people need the hard truth even if it feels like it will hurt them.  Second, work towards long term solutions for those you desire to help.  Mercy is an answer in itself, but it is only the starting place.  Remember, God shows mercy first, then corrects and restores.  Third, set boundaries for yourself and know that it is ok to do so.  Showing mercy does not equal showing yourself naïve.  If possible, come alongside someone who will mentor you and help you evaluate the intentions of others. If you could learn to work with a prophet motivated person and he with you, the balance between you would be stunning.  Fourth, if you're not careful and wise with people, this gift of Showing Mercy can become sympathy instead of empathy and where real and honest help is desperately needed ends up looking like enabling.  The Holy Spirit will help you know when to be tough enough to make them stand and will equip you to do so, so daily seek His wisdom.  In love and truth your gift of mercy will shine!  Fourth, and regarding those with the Motivational Gift of Prophesy, learn from them and don't disregard them.  If two types of people ever needed each other in this world, it's you two.  And . .  the Body of Christ depends on both of you equally.

This concludes the study of the Motivational Gifts of the Spirit.  Allow me to recap just a bit.  The Motivational Gifts of the Spirit are different than the Fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22.  God gives each of us at least one strong Motivational Gift and we are to work at cultivating and practicing the others.  The Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) are developed in us by the Holy Spirit.  As we walk out our faith and our life, the Holy Spirit will develop in us the ability to exhibit the fruits.  Whereas we may not always exhibit each of the gifts, we must make a conscious effort, with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course,  to practice them.  If you haven't taken the Gifts Assessment test yet, one is located it in the sidebar on the left.  Remember when taking it that you must go with your initial gut reaction to each question.  Do not labor over the questions.  When finished and the test is scored, look for your top 3.  If one of the top 3 is Pastor/Evangelist then throw that one out and use the fourth highest score as your number 3.  I'm not disregarding the importance of Pastor/Evangelist, it's just that it's not one of the 7 Motivational Gifts of the Spirit listed in Romans 12.  Upon looking for a Gifts Assessment test that only covered the Motivational Gifts listed in Romans 12, this was the best online test I could find that didn't take a lifetime to complete.

Mercifully,
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

"...if it is leadership, let him govern diligently..." (Romans 12:8b, NIV)

This is the one I've been waiting for...the one I've wanted to write about.  The Leader.  (Some of you out there will know it better as Administrator and that's how I will refer to this gift throughout this post.)  Why have I been waiting for it?  Because it's me.  I understand it.  I can live this one out.  As far as I'm concerned, the world would be a better place if we were all administrators.  But, alas...not so.  And, truly, there is good reason why God allows only so many administrators on the planet at one time.  To many, administrators are annoying.  If everyone operated in this gifting we'd all look like robots carrying lists around and checking off details, taking charge of every little thing -- then it would be chaos instead of the beautiful order that Administrators bring to the world.  I've been reminded and even reprimanded on more than one occasion by two of my very favorite people on the planet regarding my take charge, plan everything out personality.

The Greek word for Administrator or Leader is "kubernesis" which literally means to steer a ship and "diligently" simply means to do or pursue with persevering attention; painstaking.  C. Peter Wagner calls this person a "helmsman."  A helmsman must steer the ship safely to harbor; to steer it through rocks and storms and other dangers that others might miss or misjudge due to poor course setting or poor planning.  In other words, the Administrator has the ability to pursue and oversee a project, event or ministry with painstaking attention to its desired end.  The NIV refers to this Motivational Gift as the Gift of Leadership.  To administrate something means to control, manage, direct and govern; to lead means to guide, show the way, escort, pilot, be in front.  Leadership probably better describes what this gift SHOULD be, but  I prefer Administrator because I feel that term better describes the operation of this gift as others see it.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Administration here are some things you might want to know about yourself.  You are a big picture person and a planner.  You plan everything out.  You have the ability to organize and prioritize so that you can and do reach your goal.  Sometimes you organize the details of an event or project and other times you organize people to carry out the necessary tasks of the event or project.  You know how to delegate.  You have a natural ability to problem solve.  You easily take charge and start giving orders.  You are detail-oriented, goal-oriented, disciplined and work really well under pressure.  You are a good motivator and usually won't procrastinate.  You tend to be a perfectionist with an adequate self-image.  You feel really good and extremely useful when in charge of a project because you believe you are working for the good of a group.

Now before you get a big head, here's the downside of your strength.  You can be a little too intense for some.  You appear bossy.  Planning is good, and, in my opinion, you cannot succeed (or even exist well) with a solid plan; but, you plan ad nauseam.  From the moment I get up in the morning my brain is saying, "What's the plan today?"  (My sons-in-law will be rolling their eyes at me right about now.)  You don't like to admit your mistakes along the way because it comes across as not being in control; and, be it a list of tasks to accomplish or a group of people to accomplish said tasks, you like to be in control.  You follow A, B, and C or 1, 2, and 3 and don't leave a lot of room for inserting anything in between.  It 's not that you can't, it's just not easy to allow.

Both of my sons-in-law (2 of my favorite people on the planet) have commented on my administrative personality.  They are both very spontaneous people with wonderful gifts of their own.  I am well aware of how I come off sometimes to them and I know they've swallowed hard on more than one occasion instead of telling me to chill out and stop planning the entire day.  Whenever we're all together, the first thing out of my mouth in the morning is literally, "So, what's the plan today, people?" and then I proceed to make a plan.  They roll their eyes at me or sigh and shake their heads.  Sometimes they beat me to the question; and, although I like to think they're trying to take lessons on making a plan, I know they're just humoring me.  But, it just makes good sense to me.  Honestly, how do you not think about some sort of plan for the day?  My daughters jump right on board with me.  I have a good friend who operates even more strongly in this gift than I do.  She works for a church as a type of Office Administrator and does her job extremely well.  She doesn't miss a beat when it comes to the details.  She has lists both at work and at home and knows exactly why she has the list, where said list is located and, I'm certain, everything on the list gets finished and crossed off.  The spontaneous people in life find this annoying, but I can guarantee that without the detail-oriented organization of Administrators like this the spontaneous people in this world would not be free to be spontaneous!

Let's look at an example from scripture: Joseph, the quintessential Administrator.  The stories of Joseph are found in Genesis beginning with chapter 36.  Through a series of bad decisions by his brothers, Joseph ended up in Egypt as a slave and then as a prisoner.  Through both situations his gift of Administration came shining through but never more glowingly than when he had to oversee a plan that would save Egypt from a coming famine.  "And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.  Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.  They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.  This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine," said Joseph to Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:33-36, NIV)  Pharaoh saw this to be a good and sound plan and put Joseph in charge.  Ah...in charge of a plan!  I love it!  Try to imagine the logistics of collecting and storing food for seven years from all the cities of Egypt -- enough to be portioned out to all the families of all those cities for seven years of famine.  How much food would be needed for all the people?  Do we store enough for everyone to have plenty or do we store enough for everyone to just have enough.  Where do we store it all?  Obviously, we must build storage facilities.  Where?  Who does the building?  Who does the collecting?  Who moves the food around?  The questions DO NOT end there! The details involved in keeping an entire nation from starvation is mind-boggling.  Could YOU do it?  God gave Joseph the plan and God gave Joseph the ability to carry it out.  Those of you who get annoyed with the likes of Administrators should stop and think about this story.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Administration, here's what you need to do.  First, because planning and organizing come so easily for you work on your ability to be spontaneous.  There's something freeing about throwing away the list and flying by the seat of your pants.  Those around you might just appreciate a little vacation from the plan.  Second, though some take to being ordered around more willingly, others do not appreciate your take charge approach.  In fact, they may come to blows with you or walk away from the task altogether.  At the end of the day it's better to know that you walked and worked in love and humility with those who have signed on to help you.  Remember, "A gentle answer turns away wrath." (Proverbs 15:1, NIV)  Third, always remember that the responsibility and privilege of being in charge is best approached from a position of humility.  Don't play the blame game.  Own the mistakes and share the glory.  Fourth, and this may sound a bit redundant, but not everything in life can be planned out.  Life is unpredictable in both good ways and bad.  Sometimes you just have to let things develop around you, watch them fail or succeed, and know that God, who has given you this beautiful gift, is in TOTAL control of your world -- so you don't have to be!

Diligently,
Kerry


NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF GIVING

". . .if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;" (Romans 12:8, NIV)

As I take you through the Motivational Gift of giving, remember that even though you may have scored low in this gift it does not relieve you of practicing giving.  It only means that it does not color your every thought or inspire your every action.  The same holds true for every motivational gift.  

This is the MOST fascinating gift to me.  Givers are SO interesting.  Maybe I just feel this way about Givers because I'm not one and I wish I was one!  I have known many, many people with this motivational gift and have watched them at work.  My husband and I have been the recipient of this gift at work more than a few times in our life.  It's AWESOME! (albeit humbling!)  We've received money, groceries, gas. . . oh, gosh, just to name a few things.  My husband has even been the recipient of a guitar or two throughout the years due to Givers.  Having said that, it's important that you know that he has also learned to give his own guitars away.  There a lot of struggling guitar players out there -- there's always someone who needs a guitar.  When discussing the importance of learning to be a giver with him the other day he said this, "My first nature, my human nature, wants to hoard but the godly nature is to give away."

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Giving then here's some things you should know about yourself.  You see all of your material belongings and monetary wealth as belonging to God -- only on loan to you.  You don't just SAY it all belongs to God like the rest of us, you KNOW it belongs to God.  You are frugal.  You are responsible with your money and manage it well.  You probably have an innate ability to make money.  You may not be wealthy but you still probably out-give everyone else because you give (or are at least willing to give) everything you have.  Money does not cause you stress because you KNOW that God will provide.  You are charitable and generous and loving because you care about people and their needs.  You probably have a heart for missionaries and financially support several of them.  You are very aware of the financial need of the church.  You like your gift (large or small) to be of high quality.  You are organized, have a good self-control and an adequate self-image.  If the Holy Spirit is not allowed to be in control of your gift, however, you can become controlling of your money and prideful of your giving.  You have a tendency to think that everyone should be giving like you do.  It is important to remember that although we are ALL called to give, we are NOT all called to give like you give.  Scripture gives many important directives regarding giving.  Here are two of them: "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:3-4, NIV)  "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV) 

Albeit not essential for a happy marriage, it is likely that your spouse has the same gift.  If not, however, and you've wondered why your husband keeps giving away his stuff or large sums of money or why your wife gives away the entire grocery budget from time to time to someone she deems in greater need. . .well, this is probably why. 

Givers give in lots of different ways.  Some live on very, very little because they give everything they have or else they keep everything they have set aside to give to the next person in need; and, you'd never know they have so much.  And, although it may look like God is not blessing their giving because of how they live, be careful to remember that people with this gift aren't looking for more blessing and blessing comes in more ways than material wealth.  Others are clearly blessed with more and more wealth BECAUSE they are so willing to give it out.  Some Givers take this gift super, super seriously while others seemingly fly by the seat of their pants.  When my youngest daughter, Annie, still in college at the time, found out about the plight of one of her classmates having to leave school a couple months early due to a lack of funds she quickly called us with her plan.  Having only a couple more months of the school year left, Annie had a very limited amount of money left in her account -- $600.00 to be exact, but she immediately started making plans to give it all to her friend.  Being less than enthusiastic about her plan we managed to advise her to pray about it for a couple of days and we would too.  God provided for that young man in a different way and Annie was able to keep her money to finish out the year.  You may be saying, "Wait!  This story doesn't really count because nothing was really given away."  I share this story with you because of how it affected me at the time.  Ultimately, her dad and I would have had to find a way to see her through the rest of the year had she given away that money.  The point is that Annie was ready to give all she had left in a moments notice because that's how Givers are.  I was not ready for her to do that and instead of faith washing over me, fear and stress flooded in.  Givers always have a lot to teach me about the way I live out my faith.  Givers stand ready to give with no concern for their own needs.  Some look for significant ways to give that will change a person's life in significant ways like giving a car or other large items that are difficult to afford.  Others are on the look out all day long for ways to meet smaller needs like a tank of gas or bag of groceries or that extra cash in their wallet for the homeless guy on the corner.  No matter how it manifests, it is God-directed and needed at the time for the recipient.

As I said earlier, I've known many people with the Motivational Gift of Giving.  I have many examples that I could share (already having shared one about my daughter) but I'm going to limit it to 2.  There was a woman I knew a long time ago.  Whenever I saw her out and about during the week she would do things like shove a twenty dollar bill into my pants pocket or hand me some little item she just bought because she thought I could use it.  It was always appreciated and although these were not large items and it certainly didn't happen every week. . . it was always appreciated.

Let's look at an example from Scripture: the story of the widow's mite -- she was the quintessential Giver!  "As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  'I tell you the truth,' He said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.' "  (Luke 21:1-4, NIV)  This is a great example of a Giver because, though she had practically nothing, Jesus says that she gave more than anyone else.  Her gift cost her everything...literally, everything.  There is no indication that she struggled over giving it or that it caused her any turmoil at all.  Jesus was simply pleased with her gift!  She must have felt that it could help others far more than it would help her.  She must have KNOWN beyond any doubt (because I would have doubt) that God was just as capable of using that tiny amount in a huge way as He was of using a very large gift as He was of giving back to her to meet her needs.  Givers just KNOW these things!  Understand that this story is not about giving from your abundance.  There is no sin in having wealth or abundance.  In fact, if you fit into that category then you have been given all you have for generosity's sake.  This story is about the heart.  Givers give because they cannot NOT give.  The widow in this story was just as generous as those who give out of their abundance.  This story should teach us at least two things: 1) we do not have to have a lot to give in order to give well; and, 2) it reinforces the idea that we cannot buy the love of God.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Giving here's what you need to do.  First, even you can't give to everything and everyone.  Be selective and led by the Holy Spirit so that where God calls you to give, you can give really, really well.  This is not to say that He hasn't called you to give to several things at once, it just means that because your heart is so motivated this way you may feel compelled to try to save the world with your giving.  Unless you're a go-zillionaire, and that's doubtful, trying to give to everything will only leave you feeling inadequate as a Giver.  Second, remember that it is God who has planted this exceptional motivation in you and He provides everything you have (this truth holds true for everyone of us!).  It will do you no good at all to take pride in your giving.  If you are going to boast, boast in the Lord!  Also, trying to control where, when, to whom and how much you give will leave you suspicious, untrusting and empty.  And, although it's important to you that your gift is used properly, you cannot control that part of it either.  If you're certain God has called you to give to something or someone, give it cheerfully and let it go.  You are only responsible for giving what God has directed you to give not for the how the recipient uses it.  If you feel any of this developing in you then get on your knees and God will take it from there.  Third, if you are the type of Giver who is called to give a gift like a car or a house or something of that nature, then I cannot stress enough how important it is to check back in with the recipient to see if they are able to handle the extra financial burden it might be bringing into their life.  The reason the recipient doesn't have the car or the house in the first place is because they cannot afford it so affording the upkeep or extra expense it ALWAYS takes to own something like that might be more than they can handle.  Even if you have to check back in with them through another source so as to keep your giving private, then so be it.  That's easy to accomplish.  You can go through a Pastor or friend.  Fourth, pay no attention to how others give or whether they give.  You have much to teach the rest of us in this area and your example and encouragement is essential!  When you can, bring others in on your giving and allow them the opportunity to give with you.  Sometimes the rest of us just need a little help and direction regarding where and to whom to give.  Although God makes all of us aware of the needs around us, He is most likely speaking to you about specific ways to give.  So . . . HELP!



For generosity's sake,
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.

THE MOTIVATIONAL GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT

". . .if it is encouraging, let him encourage . . ." (Romans 12:8, NIV)

This word "encourage" has an interesting meaning.  It comes from the Greek word "parakaleo" which, in simplest terms, means to admonish, to encourage, to beseech.  The deeper meaning, however, means "to come alongside."  In other words, you, dear Encourager, are not just words -- you are action.  Sometimes this gift is referred to as Exhorter.  You'll find the word "exhortation" in the RSV Bible.  Exhortation and encouragement work together in this gift.  Encouragement mainly involves comfort, understanding, help, and strength.  Exhortation involves rebuke and admonishment along with words of comfort and strength.    Unfortunately, it's a difficult word to translate because we don't have a single word that brings those two ideas together.  I'm going to use the word "encourage" instead of "exhort" for the sake of simplicity, but just know when reading this post that I'm referring to all aspects of this gift.

A good picture for what it means to "come alongside" might best be drawn in the relationship between a lawyer and his client.  The lawyer stands in the gap and defends his client's case.  He strengthens his client's position before a judge.  More than that even, one who comes alongside cares enough to confront and correct the wrong.  When unbelief rears its ugly head you challenge us to faith.  When we are too weak to stand you come along and motivate our hearts back to a place of strength.  So much of scripture upholds this type of behavior.  Jesus most assuredly comes alongside us and strengthens our case before God.  "He's there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through Him, always on the job to speak up for them." (Hebrews 7:25, Msg)  He never leaves us to find our own way.  He corrects and rebukes and comforts us to the point of change.

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Encouraging then here are some things you should know about yourself.  You are, for the most part, practical, tolerant of others, a little serious minded, orderly and a good counselor.  You express yourself easily in a group setting and others willingly listen when you speak.  You might interrupt people when they're speaking in order to convey needed application of the truth but it's only out of enthusiasm to apply the truth of God's word to others.  Your greatest desire is to show how God's word is applied to everyday life and conduct.  Although you tend to believe that Scripture holds the answer for every problem the application is more important than quoting the actual verse.  You are usually a good teacher and this gift often finds itself working with the Motivational Gift of Teaching.  Unlike the person with the Motivational Gift of Teaching, however, you are more apt to teach the same material over and over, perfecting it and changing it up so as to make it more and more applicable to the listener each time.  You are persuasive and others probably seek you out when confused or hurting.  At the core of this gift, however, is your willingness to take risks with people.  You are willing to believe in someone when no one else will.  This is truly a defining characteristic of the Encourager.  Your willingness to see people through to the desired end result: victory over sin and a life that resembles the Savior.

On the downside, if not relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, you will tend to get discouraged yourself.  You give out a lot allowing others to take everything you have to give, and, many times there isn't always another encourager around to help build you back up.  You also have a tendency to rely on yourself for answers and needed encouragement instead of relying on the Lord.  It's only because it comes so naturally to you.

If this is you, you have most likely learned, or are learning, how to truly be an encourager through the fires of experience -- through times of standing in the empty halls of ruthless trust.  This gift is being built in you and refined in you by the hard times in life.  Ruthless trust has made it's mark on you and is pouring out of you by means of encouraging others.  Be encouraged yourself!  God knows what He's doing with you and you will literally live out the verse that says "Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of  Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NIV)  If you're a little older you can probably look back on your life and see some pretty difficult things that you've survived. What's more, you've not only survived them but they've become solid reminders of times when God lifted you up, comforted you, admonished you, corrected you, and, instead of judging you harshly He held you tight and set you right.  These places in your life are the pillars of your faith.  It is only having come out the other side that allows you to be this person to others.

I once had a very, very sweet friend (she has recently passed away) who operated heavily in the Motivational Gift of Encourager.  Her life exemplified the hard times of which I speak.  She epitomized what it meant to come alongside someone.  She came alongside me and my husband many times.  When we were still very young in our faith she recognized the need we had to understand God's word in a deeper way even before we did.  She supplied us with at least two different Bibles (one was a topical Bible for ease of finding things -- makes me smile a little now) along with other study guides and books.  She called us up on a regular basis just to ask about our spiritual life.  She would pick our brains during those phone calls until she got a clear picture of the current depth of our faith and until she was sure that our understanding of God's love and will for our lives had become clearer to us than the last time.  As you can imagine, the phone calls were quite lengthy.  It wasn't just us, either.  You could ALWAYS find her talking to and sharing with the stranger in the church service or the bedraggled and down-trodden soul at the store.  I have this gift operating in me but it's not the one I score the highest in.  It always comes up third for me.  I'm not so apt to take risks with people, although I have surprised myself lately.  (Maybe the gift is growing in me a bit.  I hope.)  My friend, the Encourager, never, ever considered coming alongside someone to be risky.  It was just what she did.  I'm not sure I ever made sure that she knew how much she did for us all those years ago.  She knows now.  Thank you, Ann.

Let's look at an example from scripture: Barnabas, the quintessential encourager.  Barnabas' name means Son of Encouragement. (Acts 4:36))  Barnabas took risks with people.  Like Saul before he became Paul.  "When he (Saul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.  He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." (Acts 9:26-27, NIV, parenthesis mine)  How much risk do you think it would take to come alongside a known persecutor of Christians, your own brothers and sisters in Christ, and make a statement to these same people that you are going to believe in this person no matter how scary it feels or looks regardless of this person's past. It would look like you were betraying those who have walked beside you.  That's what Barnabas was up against coming alongside Saul.  Did you notice how Barnabas defended Saul and strengthened his case before the harsh judges?  And, what about John Mark?  Remember him?  When this same Paul rejected John Mark and would no longer stand beside him because he failed to be all that Paul wanted, needed and expected him to be, Barnabas saw more. "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.' Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.  Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus." (Acts 15:36-38, NIV)   Barnabas took the risk and came alongside John Mark until John Mark became the person that Paul, later on in his ministry, could not live without. "Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry." (2 Timothy 4:11, NIV)  Please understand how valuable you are, Encourager!  Who knows what might have become of Saul or John Mark had it not been for this gift working through Barnabas.  Jesus exemplifies all of the gifts, but of them all, this one screams the life of Christ (at least to me) who comes alongside us when no one else will -- who risked everything on our behalf, no matter how many times we fail.  He does whatever  is necessary to help us see and understand truth -- His truth!

If you scored high in the Motivational Gift of Encourager here's what you need to do.  First, remember your Source!  It is not YOU who is doing the encouraging but the Holy Spirit working through you in your gift.  Likewise, it is the Holy Spirit who is willing to encourage YOU and fill YOU back up as needed.  Second,  because of your tendency to look to yourself for answers and solutions you also have a tendency to forget to pray.  Make time to pray.  Pray while on the treadmill, while walking through the grocery isles, while in your office and anytime you can grab 5 minutes.  PRAY!  It's important because every 5 minutes you will probably find someone else to come alongside.  Third, taking risks with people does not mean that you allow yourself to become a doormat. Needy people have a tendency to take advantage of your time, sucking the life out of you.  This may not be intentional on their part, but it happens far too easily.  And it does not mean that you put them before your family.  This is always my mantra: family comes before others.  Your family is your first most important ministry.  They need you to be willing to take those risks for them first.  They need you to come alongside them first.  Fourth, try to take notice of when you are enthusiastically interrupting others in order to bring the necessary application of truth.  It's a little thing to be sure; however, refining our gifts and doing the Christian life with a little finesse shows maturity.

Encouraged,
Kerry

NOTE:  The description of each gift is based on the highest score possible for an individual.  You may find that only certain things are true for you and the rest is only true to a certain measure.  We are individuals created by an infinitely creative God.  We do not fit any certain mold.  These descriptions help you to understand why you see things a certain way, why you act a certain way and why some things are more important to you than other things.  Most of us will score fairly high in 2 or 3 gifts and how these gifts rank and what God has you involved in at the time will determine how well these gift descriptions speak to your individual personality.