Tuesday... Do you know your assignment?

The Apostle Peter wrote a letter in the later part of the New Testament of the Bible and here is the way he started it. In verse 1 (MSG) of the first chapter of 1 Peter he writes, "I, Peter, an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds."

Peter knew why he got up every morning. And that is a great thing to know. He didn't lay in bed and wonder what he was going to do each day. He was assigned to reach out to people who had been scattered from their home. And if you read these two letters you too will be encouraged especially if you are going through tough times.

So why do you get up each morning? God has an assignment for each of us. Do you know your's? A good thing is to start your day by thanking God for your yesterday and them asking Him for the assignment for the day and the strength to do it.

Now I know my assignment and I am energized by it each and everyday that I do it. I am retired from doing that which I used to be employed to do but I have not retired from doing God's assignment each day that I have here on earth. And I am built to do it and I am energized each day that I do it.

We are about to go into the World Series of baseball. Now in baseball there is a pitcher and a hitter. The pitcher throws a ball and the batter is to hit the ball. Now the batter has a bat. It is a fairly long piece of wood and on that bat there is what is called a sweet spot and if the batter hits the ball on that sweet spot the ball will go far.

Now God has created each one of us with a sweet spot. It is that part of your personality and your ability that when you are using it you will be energized. Too many people are doing work that drags them down. When they get home they are worn out but others are working in their sweet spot and are energized when they are working. God has given each one of us a sweet spot that we are assigned to use.

Now read this verse again. It says, "I, Peter, an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds." Now I think Peter is energized by doing what God has assigned him to do because God has built him to do it and called him to do it.

Pastor Rick Warren came up with a tremendous tool that helps us find what God has created us to do. He calls it our SHAPE. S - Spiritual gifts. H- heart, what do you really love to do? A - abilities. P - personality. And E - experience. All of those show us how God has shaped us to do what he has assigned us to do.

Now I have found my assignment at this point of my life and I love to do it and by the way I am not paid to do it. I am retired. When I was working I also was energized by what I was doing because I was on a life assignment by God and I got paid.

After Peter wrote these two letters he looked for and did his next specific assignment from God. Now he did have an overall life assignment. He was called out by Jesus to be one of his 12 Apostles but he also has some specific assignments. Now one of my very important life assignments has been to be the best husband and father and grandfather I can possibly be. And I am energized by my deep love for my family. Love does that. I don't always feel that I do a good job but my love for them and my love for Jesus keeps me at doing my assignment.

So do you know your assignment and are you doing it? This is just a thought on making your life more meaningful and energized. So would you strive to seek out Jesus' assignment for you today. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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