Faithful with What You Have Been Given - Your Nightly Prayer - May 22nd
Faithful with What You’ve Been Given
Your Nightly Prayer
by Clarence Haynes Jr.
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” – 1 Peter 4:10
SOMETHING TO PONDER
In my father’s house, he has many plants. Over the years, he has developed a green thumb, and there are vibrant, healthy plants throughout his house. On a recent visit there, he gave my wife a branch from one plant, wrapped it in a wet paper towel, sealed it in a Ziploc bag, and told her to plant it when she got home. When we got home, she followed those instructions, and over time, that leaf began to sprout and eventually turned into a beautiful plant. The life and everything the plant needed to grow were within that branch. Because good soil, water, and care were provided for the branch, it grew and flourished.
What has God planted in you?
You are like that branch. God has planted in you gifts that he wants to develop so they can bless others. Sometimes the gifts are obvious, but other times they may seem simple, and you don’t even know how important they are. At one point, my wife and I were recruiting individuals to join our special needs ministry team. I knew some people would feel they were not qualified to serve in this type of ministry, so I asked them two questions. Can you smile and show love? If they couldn’t do those two things, they would not be a good fit for our ministry. You may not think it, but smiling and showing love fall under gifts of hospitality, and you cannot underestimate how far a warm smile can affect someone’s life.
As you think about serving, what are the gifts that God has planted in you? These gifts might connect to your personality, your talents, or your passions, but whatever they are, God has given them to you, and he wants to use them to bless others. This makes this verse in 1 Peter so critical.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. - 1 Peter 4:10
The gifts you have received result from God’s grace, and he uses them to help you and to help others. Sometimes the gifts he places in you not only bring value to the church but can also open doors in your career. I know someone who has a gift for teaching. They have developed that gift over the years, and now they teach in the church and outside the church. They could do that because the gift God placed in them flourished and now has a far greater reach. I encourage you today, whatever God has placed in you, recognize he wants to use it to grow you up and to bless others. He wants to plant you, water you, and see you become a blessing to those around you.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Lord,
Thank you for the gifts you have placed in me. Help me acknowledge what you have entrusted to me and look for ways to serve others with it. Give me grace to serve where you have planted me, knowing that your desire is not just for those I serve but for you to help me grow as I serve. Let my heart always be willing and let me be faithful to the gift you have given me while using it to bless those around me. Continue to water what you have placed in me so that I can continue to flourish and bring glory and honor to your name.
I pray all this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
- Everything you need to serve God has been placed in you. Your job is to identify it and develop it.
- Growing to the place God wants you is not a sprint. It takes time, along with care and consistency, to become what God wants you to be.
- God never intended what he placed in you to be solely for your benefit. It was always intended to bless those around you.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/YoriHirokawa
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.
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