Motivated by a new life…

 

Today’s reading from Charnock’s amazing book describes how God reaches those who are not yet His people and uses their ‘nature’ as part of His offer. He begins by saying how the devil tempts us by offering that which appeals to our corrupt nature. For instance, if a person is violent, the temptations will fit that temperament. If they are gentle, the temptation will not be the same, but more suited to the nature already in that person.

He then says that the wisdom of God does not destroy a person’s nature or try to change it to a radical opposite, but makes it correspond to our faculties. His example is Saul, who wanted what he thought was right and vigorously went after it. Then on the road to Damascus, God confronted this man and revealed to him what genuine rightness was (Christ) and this man vigorously went after it, not in His own strength but in the power of the Holy Spirit. His motivation was still there but transformed to God’s will.

I’ve taken courses in spiritual gifts that say those seven motivational gifts in Romans 12 are present before salvation — a part of human nature but corrupted by sin. When Christ comes in, these motivations are activated, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, they form the way God uses that person.

Charnock describes the process of God in clearing our understanding of dark principles so we may see his truth, our own misery, and the source of true happiness. He bends our wills according to this light, to desire and move to this end of our calling “efficaciously, yet agreeably; powerfully, yet without imposing on our natural faculties; sweetly, without violence, in ordering the means; but effectually, without failing, in accomplishing the end.”

Charnock says the Scripture calls it teaching, alluring, and calling. Teaching is an act of wisdom: “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” (John 6:45).

Alluring is an act of love: “And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt” (Hosea 2:15).

Calling is an act of authority: “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8).

He says, and I agree, that none of these are violent constraints. God moves in them and the human will concurs. He changes the moral nature but not the physical. He lets the nature remain, but changes the principle in it: the understanding remains understanding, and the will remains will. But where there was before folly in the understanding, He puts in a spirit of wisdom; and where there was before a stoutness in the will, He forms it to a pliableness to his offers.

There is more, but this is enough to fill me with awe. A book on spiritual gifts lists what appeals to each of the gifts. For instance, those gifted as teachers are information gatherers and want to know facts that make sense. Those gifted in compassion are concerned about feelings rather than logic and want to experience God’s love.

This information hits me as I am praying for many who do not know Jesus. However, they are motivated in various ways. I know the servers and exhorters among them, and now God shows me how He works with these motivations so giving me ideas for how to pray for them.

PRAY: Jesus, there are times when You answer my prayers about how to pray for others and Your answers leave me stunned, yet eager to get at it. This is one of those times. My heart is almost dizzy to see the connection between human nature and the varying ways that You teach, allure and call people to Yourself. My desire for information and for knowing the right way to do things, has always been part of who I am. Now I understand much more about who others are and how to pray for them in ways that fit with Your wisdom. This is amazing, and I’m so thankful.

God’s gifts to us…

When Christians are at odds about what is most important, some of the conflict could be rooted in their spiritual gifts. Those who study the gifts teach that this passage in Romans is about motivations:

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6–8)

Years of observation and study say a Christian has all seven, but one or two will dominate and determine their focus in ministry, and should be appropriate to other situations. A brief description puts it this way:

Prophesy (perceiver of God’s will) - desires to be centered on spiritual principles.
Server - desires doing practical things for others.
Teacher - information gatherer and wants it shared.
Exhorter - desires to know and live the truth, looking forward.
Giver - provides specific needs, a channel for God’s resources.
Leader (Administrator or visionary) - desires organization, moving forward, orderly.
Compassion - desires right relationships, hurts healed, people to be comforted.

Gift combinations produce interesting results. For instance, a perceiver/teacher will be more black and white than a compassion/teacher. An encourager also gifted in leadership with function differently than an encourager/server.

As I read the devotional book for this year, I finally realized that the author does not have the same gifts I do, and I’ve tended to challenge some of the entries. In my thinking, if someone is upset or filled with anxiety, it is due to an error in thinking and not being centered on what God says. Instead of comfort, or to be comforted, they need to better understand the will of God.

Today’s reading focuses on this verse: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3) Of course this is true, yet how God treats me depends on what is making me uncomfortable. If I want my way and am resisting Him, He is not going to cheer me up by giving an okay to that resistance. Sometimes I face strong discipline. At the same time, I know the Lord is the only one who can give me a hug and a rebuke at the same time.

The gifts He gives all require faith in their use. If I am walking in the flesh, I can be a black and white know-it-all. If an encourager is walking in the flesh, they come across as a used car salesman (apologies for the stereotype). A comforter can totally miss the mark if I need correction. This is why God gave this mixture of gifts. The Body of Christ needs all seven, used in wisdom and timing. If an elderly person slips and knocks over a cup of coffee, they need a different word than if the spill was made by a young person who was showing off and careless.

Last week, my daughter asked me an interesting question. “Everyone has a main goal in life. What is yours?” We’d been talking about paying bills and having no debt, so I was not sure what she expected, but this came out: “I want to be content in all of life, no matter the circumstances.” I may have inserted “trusting God” in there, can’t remember. However, just saying it and remembering what I said, has helped me this week as we moved to a different house and face the formidable task of finding a place for what is needed and disposing of the rest. Physical fatigue is one thing, but being stressed and discontent takes a far greater toll. Attitude is more important then gifts!

PRAY: Lord Jesus, I am grateful that You are the God of all comfort and the God of everything else that is needed. You sent others with gifts that minister to me and give me opportunities to serve others with my gifts. Most of all, You are strong, even perfect in all of them, and are able to be all that I need when I need it. Jesus, You are God who is enough!

Weakness is my strong point?

 

Today’s reading begins with: “One of the laws of life is that all plants must yield fruit after their own kind. I must be content, therefore, to be the type of plant and bear the type of fruit the divine Husbandman pleases. We do not always like to be what God has made us to be.”

This speaks of spiritual gifts and the list in Romans 12 where Christians are told to act on who they are. The NT sometimes relates this to body parts too. Not everyone has the same gifts nor bears the same spiritual fruit, we are to recognize what God wants from us and realize that while all Christians can bear fruit using every gift, the dominant one or two shape our ministry and even our personality.

Years ago when teaching a class on spiritual gifts, one of the women in the class was obviously an encourager, sometimes called the mouth of the Body. This gift points to the positive and to possibilities to help others move forward in their faith and ministry. However, she decided she was a prophetic discerner, a gift that discerns the will of God, who sees things in black and white terms, and who prays much. This decision meant that she wound up being fruitless in both areas.

The reading for today warns against trying to be something we are not. While the Holy Spirit can enable a sympathetic ear at a funeral or in a hospital room, I know my main gift is not compassion. I do want folks to feel good, but am more focused on helping them think right, to have their minds renewed so their comfort and sense of well-being is rooted in faith and God’s Word rather than in sympathy and hugs.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

These and other verses about who God is and His grace and power to transform our thinking are a focus for me and fuel my desire to move other Christians into thinking God’s way instead of the world’s way. I know that when they do, the contentment they seek will be there and it will help them through great trials.

The thing about fruit-bearing and using spiritual gifts is knowing that divine strength will be made perfect in human weakness — but who likes to feel weak? Paul didn’t. He had a problem and wanted the Lord to fix it, but finally learned why he felt so needy…

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)

The reading says that this law of spiritual life means our part is to supply the weakness, whereas God’s part is to supply the strength. He does this in an almost mysterious way so that I feel my weakness but others see His strength. If a berry bush could talk, it might tell how bearing fruit makes it feel tired — but all we see are the delicious berries!

PRAY: Jesus, I sometimes desire to take Your part and try to be strong. But I know that life in You does not work that way lest. I wind up being discouraged and fruitless. Human and worldly thinking assumes strength to be effective and that I must be confident and filled with courage, not weak and helpless. But the Word of God says that my weakness is my greatest strength. This is an important lesson. Keep me in Your classroom!