All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
HOW OUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IMPACT THE CHOICES WE MAKE .....
Why is self-knowledge important to knowing God's will?
When it comes to making decisions about your life and the direction it should take, focus on your strengths, not on your weaknesses.
So far, the biblical principles for decision-making have all focused on godly attitudes:
We are to submit to the sovereign will of God.
We are to submit to the moral will of God.
We are to be motivated by agape love as we seek the best for others.
Now it's time for some personal analysis. In Romans 12:1-2 Paul writes: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Here Paul calls for a radical reorganization of our approach to life. He begins by encouraging us to be realistic: "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you. not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).
Paul's message is urgent: We need to be sober in our judgment of our gifts and talents. We ought to know our strengths. We ought to know our weaknesses. We shouldn't think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We shouldn't put ourselves down.
Then, having understood what our gifts and abilities are, we need to go with our strengths (Romans 12:4-8).
Unfortunately, we don't always do that. Often we have a strange fascination with our weaknesses. Perhaps we pay more attention to our weaknesses because we're insecure about them.
Or maybe our weaknesses are always cropping up in life. Sometimes we focus on our weaknesses by accepting opportunities for which we are not prepared, e.g., playing the church pipe organ when our abilities are limited to the harmonica.
Instead, Paul tells us: "Know yourself. Do what you can to shore up your weaknesses, but go with your strengths!" We see this played out in Acts 6:3-4 in the Jerusalem church. The apostles went with their strengths and trusted the strengths of others. In doing so, they made a wise decision.
If you want to build a house, you don't want a violinist. If you're going to lead an orchestra, you don't want a bricklayer.
No two of us are exactly alike. None of us has every gift and ability. Our responsibility is to exercise the gifts we have, not the ones we wish we had.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by MaryAnn on
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Thanks Kathleen, Once again this is great stuff. Thanks so much for your words of life, and encouragement.
Father, forgive us our doubts. Cleanse and guide our steps towards becoming the fulfillment of Your purpose from our birth. Bring forth the gifts You planted in us, as we take this leap of faith to serve You with all our hearts. Thank You that each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made, with a specific plan and purpose that You have planted in our hearts. Thank You Father, that as we decrease, may You increase in our lives, and may we always live to bring You glory, and to make You famous here and now, and forever more. Amen! -
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Permalink Reply by littlesheep88 on
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Awesome bulletin!! God Bless!
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Permalink Reply by kathleen aldea on
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Amen, my sisters in Christ.....
its really good to have fellowship with one another.....
today.. i cried!!!!! huhuhuhu.. why?
because my son Dave, used to cry every now en then going to school..
he wants me to accompany him up to their classes finish!.. that
in my situation today i can't!!!!! so many tasks here .... doing household chores,
taking care of Elmo's pets, and plants.. opening my shop...
Today as i work.. can't smile.. annoyance is with me.. easily irritated in all my doings.....
then when i get inside my room... have fellowship with God... crying...
then suddenly... i paused.... Hey!!!! wait a minute.. this is not me today!!!!! i maybe weak...
need some rest today... and get reminded of something..... yes...
now im back!!!! hehehhhehhehe
at the time, i was crying... my spirit never get weak at all... sensitive to His voice.. and telling me:
"Kathleen.... where are those WORDS you keep in your heart and mind that can be seen in you... inside and out?"------ I CAN DO ALL THINGS IN CHRIST WHO STRENGTHEN IN ME....
YES... YES.. Amen, my Lord!!!!
then i text ( send message thru cellphone) Elmo.... (hahahhhahaha because at the time i was crying that morning... i keep blaming him about changing the driver of the school service of Dave... )i said sorry.. and i tell him... truly the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour! 1 Peter 5:7-9:
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
The same with us, my brothers and sisters... sometimes we are not aware of things we are doings...
When we become weak... and we are not abiding in His Words.. instead of seeing who we are, and knowing our strength..... then the enemy is grabbing the opportunity to us... to deceive us and started questioning God or ourselves....
Always be sensitive.. to the works of God and also to the works of the devil.... know the enemy's schemes....
Have a blessed day to all.... To God be always be the Glory.... -
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Lovoga on
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like wat i said before , u do bless my soul and nourish my mind
now i understand that i need to look to my strength and not weekiness as of the factors we focuse b4 deciding our destiny -
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Father, in the Name of Jesus, I bind myself, soul and spirit to Your will and purposes. I bind myself to the truth, to a fresh awareness of the blood, to the mind of Christ and to the work of the cross. I loose and shatter every hindrance and device that my soul would use to distract me from moving deeper into You. I loose, shatter, and destroy every wrong argument I have entered into; whether it be with another person, a wrong spirit, a deception or false philosophy. I loose, sever, and cut myself and all soul ties I have ever formed with anyone. I loose, sever and destroy any justifications, logic, arguments or reasoning that I have ever held onto to excuse wrong attitudes, wrong patterns, or behaviors or unforgiveness in my life, in Jesus' Name. Amen
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Permalink Reply by Venetia Carlton on
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Thanks Kathleen,
Its really an ecouragement for me. I will be starting Catechesis in our parish from next week onwards. Pray for me that God gives me strength and words which he wants to proclaim to his people. -
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