Are you willing to do the work necessary to grow in the specific gifts God has given you? You have been given a distinct set of spiritual gifts for a specific reason. God has in His mind a part for you to play, a job that no one else can do in the same way as you. He has personally equipped you for this "ministry assignment" that he wants you to accomplish in the body of Christ. God wants you to be serious about working with and for Him even if you do not see the fruits of your labor. Are you willing to take the "long view" of this holy work?
I came across this prayer today by Archbishop Romero and thought of how the Holy Spirit works to inspire us to move in certain directions (and not others) to accomplish bits of God's work that we may never see the fruit of. It seems to be a good time to pray this prayer and invoke the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts to set us on fire to do the work we are uniquely called and equipped to do.
The Long View A Prayer by Archbishop Oscar Romero It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen.
SELF Do you know your unique combination of spiritual gifts? Click the link to take a test (15-20 min) to determine your gifts and then see the results with suggestions on how to use them. Spiritual Gifts Inventory
SERVICE Share the poem above and the Spiritual Gifts Inventory with your family and friends in order to support, encourage and accompany one another. Click the link below to read all the spiritual gifts and how they can be used. List of Spiritual Gifts and How to Use Them It's been a while since I've made this delicious chickpea salad and I'm craving it! So, it's on the menu this week. This will be my main course, but it also goes really well with grilled chicken or salmon. I like to add some grated carrots and diced cucumber if I have them on hand. This is such an easy, healthy, bright spring salad.
Don't forget to wear red on Pentecost Sunday! Tradition has it that red signifies the Holy Spirit and the tongues of fire that descended upon the apostles in the upper room. Get into the spirit of this great day in the Church by wearing something red.
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