This was some material I prepared for a growth group which studied the book: Search for Significance. My attempt was to bring a practical demonstration to a topic that can sometimes be a difficult concept to grasp.
(Start with the lights off for a minute). Allow darkness to envelope us, as we struggle to see. Light a candle or turn on a torch, revealing some of what can be seen. Then turn the lights on to reveal everything that was hidden a few moments before.
The greater the light source the more that is revealed to us. We can see the difference between the candle/ torch and the light bulb. This is an example of what our journey together will be like over the coming weeks. The light represents God’s truth and the more we begin to allow the light to shine in our hearts, the greater the freedom we experience and with this freedom will come our significance and worth.
It is difficult to turn on the light of objectivity by ourselves. We need guidance from the Holy Spirit and usually the honesty, love and encouragement of at least one other person who is willing to help us. The Lord desires truth and honesty at the deepest level and wants us to experience His love, forgiveness and power in all areas of our lives.
Our responsibility is to apply the truth of God’s word to our life and to embrace the plans and purposes He has uniquely designed for us. This does require commitment, as many of our beliefs and thoughts will need challenging and action plans to change. That is why it is important that we journey together, encouraging and supporting each other to build up and reinforce God’s truth.
A word of caution, sometimes it can be easy to see the problems of others, so the words of Jesus are a timely reminder to first remove the log in your own eye first. We are not here to judge, we are here to grow. This needs to be a safe place where people can share from their heart, open and honestly, and feel loved and valued by their fellow companions.
So what is this search we are on?
· The search for truth
· The search for significance.
Most of us enjoy a good mystery or treasure hunt. I know I do. The key to finding the treasure is examining the map and beginning to put together the pieces or clues that we are given. This is the way to moving forward. Let’s prepare ourselves for an exciting few weeks ahead and to the challenges we need to overcome, to find treasure that will sustain us for our life’s journey.
What’s the treasure you may ask? It is the ‘knowing’ in your heart and in your mind of your worth, to God, to yourself and to others. The acceptance of this truth, falling deep into your soul, will act as a foundation stone, reminding you of who you are and the great value of your life in the hands of God.
Let’s begin. As with all good adventures there is a story that unfolds, this one begins with Adam.
His purpose was to reflect the Glory of God. Through his intellect, free will and emotions he was to be the showcase for God’s character. To meet his needs for companionship and understanding, Eve was created and together they lived in a perfect environment where God provided for their every need. They were perfect in body, mind and spirit.
Adam was given authority over the earth, but there was a condition. If he rebelled against God, he would lose both his authority and his perfection, becoming a slave to Satan and sin. The villain of this story is Satan and he wanted this authority and so he deceived Eve into believing a lie. Adam was not deceived, he deliberately chose to forsake the love and security of God and follow Eve in sin. (1Tim 2:14) In this act of rebellion, Adam forfeited his close communion and fellowship with God and gave Satan power and authority on earth. One of the tragic implications of this event is that man lost his secure status with God and began to struggle with feelings of arrogance, inadequacy, and despair, valuing the opinions of others more than the truth of God. This robbed man of his true self-worth and put him on a continual, but fruitless, search for significance through his success and the approval of others.
Adam’s sin had tragic consequences, but through God’s plan of redemption, we can still have the privilege of fellowshipping with Him. Because Christ paid the penalty for our sins our relationship with God has been restored. God has provided the solutions but the question is this:
Will we accept Christ’s death as the payment for our sins and discover the powerful implications of our salvation, or will we continue to follow Satan’s lies and deceptions?
We must give up our own efforts to achieve righteousness and instead believe that Christ’s death and resurrection alone are sufficient to pay for our sin and separation from God. It would be arrogance if you were trusting in yourself – your abilities, actions and good deeds – to earn your salvation.
Since the Fall, man has often failed to turn to God for the truth about himself. Instead, he has looked to others to meet his inescapable need for self-worth. “I am what others say I am”, he has reasoned. “I will find my value in their opinions of me”.
It’s amazing that we turn to others who have a perspective as limited and darkened as our own to discover our worth, rather than relying on God’s steady, uplifting reassurance of who we are. Instead we depend on others who base our worth on our ability to meet their standards.
Our search for significance is dominated by our performance and ability to please others.
Our true value is based not on our behaviour or the approval of others but on what God’s Word says is true of us.
This is where X marks the spot !!
So now we have the story, the map (God’s truth) and the ‘X’ (where the treasure lies). What we need now is a plan to get from where we are now to ‘X’ (the treasure).
Where are we now?
We are hidden in the lie that our self-worth = our performance + other’s opinions.
To move on from here we need to reject this lie and accept God’s valuation of us, this leads us to renewed hope, joy and purpose in life. We can think of this as the red line that leads us to the ‘X’. The difficulty comes in the many detours we take, going to virtually any lengths to win the approval of others and to perfect our own performance, relying on our ability and strength. This road is endless, and never gets to ‘X’, it’s doomed to fail and it continually brings disappointment and despair.
We all have a compelling, God-given need for love, acceptance and purpose. But we live by the deception that our worth is based on our performance and other’s opinions, we get caught up in 2 types of struggles.
Compulsiveness
This leads to wanting to control every situation
Perfectionist.
Motivated by the need to be a success, to be the best.
Relationships are usually manipulative and controlled, to serve their goal.
Withdrawal
Avoiding failure and disapproval by avoiding risks.
They may appear easy going, but inside they are usually running from every potential situation or relationship that might not succeed.
These are 2 broad categories, most of us fall somewhere in between. Working hard in areas we feel sure of success but avoiding people and situations that may bring rejection and failure. “Protecting ourselves”.
We develop elaborate defence mechanisms to block pain and gain significance. We suppress emotions, we are compulsive perfectionists, we drive ourselves to succeed, or we withdraw and become passive, we attack people who hurt us, we punish ourselves when we fail, we try to say clever things to be accepted, we help people so that we will be appreciated, and we say and do countless other things.
From life’s outset, we find ourselves on the prowl, searching to satisfy some inner, unexplained yearning. Our hunger causes us to search for people who will love us. Our desire for acceptance pressures us to perform to gain praise from others. We strive for success, driving our minds and bodies hard and further, hoping that because of our sweat and sacrifice others will appreciate us more.
So how did we get here?
Our self-esteem and view of God are usually a mirror of our parents’ attitudes toward us. Those who are loved and affirmed by their parents tend to have a fairly healthy self-concept and usually find it easy to believe that God is loving and powerful. Those whose parents have been neglectful, manipulative, or condemning usually seem to feel that they have to earn a sense of worth and that God is aloof, demanding and/or cruel. Our parents are our models of the character of God. When we do not have that fundamental sense of feeling lovable and protected by them, we tend to base our self-worth on how well we perform and please others instead of on what God says.
We do not have to be successful or pleasing to others to have a healthy sense of self-esteem and worth. It has freely been given to us by God. It allows us to say “While it would be nice to be approved by my parents/ or whomever, if they don’t approve of me, I’m still loved and accepted by God”.
· Christ is the source of our security.
· Christ is the basis of our worth.
· Christ is the only one who promises and never fails.
The process of change takes:
· Time
· The encouragement of others
· The truth and application of God’s Word
· The power of The Holy Spirit.
Now we are equipped with what we need let go on a hunt for treasure..... Are you with me?
Friday, October 2, 2009
Purpose Driven Life: 5 Greatest Questions 2007
In 2007 as a life group we studied the Purpose Driven Life. At the end of the book we were challenged to look at how we answer the 5 greatest questions in relation to the purpose and plan of our life using the gifts and abilities God has given us. Here I share my answers for 2007.
Chapter 40: Purpose Driven Life: 5 Greatest Questions
Q1.
What will be the centre of my life? Worship
To worship God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
To love, honour and trust God with my life and with the lives of those I love.
To recognise that without him I can do nothing. He is the strength of my life, my all.
To serve God all the days of my life, to be a good and faithful servant.
Q2.
What will be the character of my life? Discipleship
Character qualities:
Compassion
Diligence and commitment to the calling on my life.
Encourage and disciple other believers.
Develop spiritual understanding, discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness and generous love.
Endure long-suffering.
Be a peacemaker.
To know joy.
Blessing of health.
Q3.
What will be the contribution of my life? Service
Spiritual Gifts
To encourage others, discernment.
Heart
Passion for the sick, those in pain, for the dying, for families.
Minor passion for politics, for injustices, accountability of government.
Abilities
Nursing, reading, writing, listening
Personalities
Shy, introverted, a thinker.
I hate crowds, love intimacy and spending time with friends and in small group discussions.
Experiences
Relational – marriage, parenting, family dynamics, adoption, death.
Vocational – nursing experiences, teaching.
Educational – nursing, counselling, bible college.
Spiritual – lifetime of growth and development of Christian character. A deep love for the things of God.
Painful Experiences
Grief and loss, multiple losses.
A marriage separation and restoration through God’s grace and commitment.
Shattered dreams.
How can I make a difference? Choose who you can help.
Q4.
What will be the communication of my life? Mission
Mission to unbelievers: my hospital environment.
Testimony of my own life lessons. Sharing my own experience of grief and loss.
Using my Godly passions to make a difference. Going the extra mile. Influencing others through my character.
Together with my husband, we raised two now adult children to love and serve God. They are a heritage and blessing from God.
To a be a grandparent, to influence another generation in the ways of God, investing love, time and commitment to sharing God’s love so they grow up knowing the love of a Saviour.
Q5.
What will be the community of my life? Fellowship
Connection to our local church: Westlife.
To support Andrew Staggs as pastor and the leadership team.
To support and encourage other believers.
To be faithful in giving.
To serve, using my shape.
To host/ attend home group and share to encourage the growth of others.
To attend church regularly.
To attend more corporate prayer meetings.
LIFE STATEMENTS (January 2008)
Vocational Life
Compassion for the sick and dying. To continue my work in palliative care and nursing those who are in pain and distress. To provide comfort and strength and support along their journey.
To continue to educate other nurses and staff to provide quality care to the dying and to meet the needs of this group of patients in a holistic way.
To encourage and support my colleagues, giving of my time, knowledge and talent to lead and serve by example.
To respect and honour medical staff and managers, even when I disagree with them. To influence others through my character, my attitudes, words and behaviour.
To display the compassion and the love of God toward all whom I have contact within the hospital community.
To take a break from my counselling studies and reflect/ pray and decide about whether to continue the 2nd year and complete the course next year.
Spiritual Life
To develop the gifts of the Spirit in my life.
To accept my shape and be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide me to fulfil the calling on my life.
A commitment to our local Westlife church.
Financial giving. Blessed to be a blessing to others.
Personal growth and development of my Christian walk.
To read and meditate on God’s word and other resources.
Begin to journal.
Personal Life
Prioritize time with God to understand His ways and to develop Christ-like character.
Develop the gifts and abilities God has given to me to minister to others, hope and encouragement, disciple women.
Overcome shyness and interact with new people.
Exercise and walk my dog more.
Take Roderick with me !!
Aim for a balanced life: eat, rest, and sleep.
Use my time wisely.
Financial saving plan, for house deposit and a return trip to the States next year.
Relational Life
Recognising that my most important relationship (2nd to God) is my marriage.
To prioritize our time so we can get time together to nurture each other.
To care, support and encourage Roderick often.
To value the love and commitment we share, focusing on our friendship, love, intimacy and guidance.
To remind Roderick of his value and worth.
Parenting is our greatest blessing; I honour my role of motherhood.
To love and support my daughter Bec through her pregnancy, recognising her fears and praying for God’s peace.
To speak life to this little soul, who we will one day call our grandchild.
To pray for Evan and encourage and reassure him as he looks for guidance to be a father.
We will continue to invest in their lives with our time, our love, our prayers, wisdom and our finances to encourage them to follow God’s plan for their lives.
Plan to take time off work to spend with Bec and the baby later this year, to support and encourage her in the early days of motherhood.
To my extended family, to be a peacemaker, investing in their lives to teach, to care for, to love, to give time and finances as needed.
Building friendships, to encourage and to share life with them.
To walk with them through the difficult times and rejoice in the good.
To be a blessing to others.
To recognise that some friendships are seasonal, but that I can still reach out to touch and support them using the gifts God has given to me.
Chapter 40: Purpose Driven Life: 5 Greatest Questions
Q1.
What will be the centre of my life? Worship
To worship God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
To love, honour and trust God with my life and with the lives of those I love.
To recognise that without him I can do nothing. He is the strength of my life, my all.
To serve God all the days of my life, to be a good and faithful servant.
Q2.
What will be the character of my life? Discipleship
Character qualities:
Compassion
Diligence and commitment to the calling on my life.
Encourage and disciple other believers.
Develop spiritual understanding, discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness and generous love.
Endure long-suffering.
Be a peacemaker.
To know joy.
Blessing of health.
Q3.
What will be the contribution of my life? Service
Spiritual Gifts
To encourage others, discernment.
Heart
Passion for the sick, those in pain, for the dying, for families.
Minor passion for politics, for injustices, accountability of government.
Abilities
Nursing, reading, writing, listening
Personalities
Shy, introverted, a thinker.
I hate crowds, love intimacy and spending time with friends and in small group discussions.
Experiences
Relational – marriage, parenting, family dynamics, adoption, death.
Vocational – nursing experiences, teaching.
Educational – nursing, counselling, bible college.
Spiritual – lifetime of growth and development of Christian character. A deep love for the things of God.
Painful Experiences
Grief and loss, multiple losses.
A marriage separation and restoration through God’s grace and commitment.
Shattered dreams.
How can I make a difference? Choose who you can help.
Q4.
What will be the communication of my life? Mission
Mission to unbelievers: my hospital environment.
Testimony of my own life lessons. Sharing my own experience of grief and loss.
Using my Godly passions to make a difference. Going the extra mile. Influencing others through my character.
Together with my husband, we raised two now adult children to love and serve God. They are a heritage and blessing from God.
To a be a grandparent, to influence another generation in the ways of God, investing love, time and commitment to sharing God’s love so they grow up knowing the love of a Saviour.
Q5.
What will be the community of my life? Fellowship
Connection to our local church: Westlife.
To support Andrew Staggs as pastor and the leadership team.
To support and encourage other believers.
To be faithful in giving.
To serve, using my shape.
To host/ attend home group and share to encourage the growth of others.
To attend church regularly.
To attend more corporate prayer meetings.
LIFE STATEMENTS (January 2008)
Vocational Life
Compassion for the sick and dying. To continue my work in palliative care and nursing those who are in pain and distress. To provide comfort and strength and support along their journey.
To continue to educate other nurses and staff to provide quality care to the dying and to meet the needs of this group of patients in a holistic way.
To encourage and support my colleagues, giving of my time, knowledge and talent to lead and serve by example.
To respect and honour medical staff and managers, even when I disagree with them. To influence others through my character, my attitudes, words and behaviour.
To display the compassion and the love of God toward all whom I have contact within the hospital community.
To take a break from my counselling studies and reflect/ pray and decide about whether to continue the 2nd year and complete the course next year.
Spiritual Life
To develop the gifts of the Spirit in my life.
To accept my shape and be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide me to fulfil the calling on my life.
A commitment to our local Westlife church.
Financial giving. Blessed to be a blessing to others.
Personal growth and development of my Christian walk.
To read and meditate on God’s word and other resources.
Begin to journal.
Personal Life
Prioritize time with God to understand His ways and to develop Christ-like character.
Develop the gifts and abilities God has given to me to minister to others, hope and encouragement, disciple women.
Overcome shyness and interact with new people.
Exercise and walk my dog more.
Take Roderick with me !!
Aim for a balanced life: eat, rest, and sleep.
Use my time wisely.
Financial saving plan, for house deposit and a return trip to the States next year.
Relational Life
Recognising that my most important relationship (2nd to God) is my marriage.
To prioritize our time so we can get time together to nurture each other.
To care, support and encourage Roderick often.
To value the love and commitment we share, focusing on our friendship, love, intimacy and guidance.
To remind Roderick of his value and worth.
Parenting is our greatest blessing; I honour my role of motherhood.
To love and support my daughter Bec through her pregnancy, recognising her fears and praying for God’s peace.
To speak life to this little soul, who we will one day call our grandchild.
To pray for Evan and encourage and reassure him as he looks for guidance to be a father.
We will continue to invest in their lives with our time, our love, our prayers, wisdom and our finances to encourage them to follow God’s plan for their lives.
Plan to take time off work to spend with Bec and the baby later this year, to support and encourage her in the early days of motherhood.
To my extended family, to be a peacemaker, investing in their lives to teach, to care for, to love, to give time and finances as needed.
Building friendships, to encourage and to share life with them.
To walk with them through the difficult times and rejoice in the good.
To be a blessing to others.
To recognise that some friendships are seasonal, but that I can still reach out to touch and support them using the gifts God has given to me.
Prayer of Jabez: Reflections
Share
Today at 12:22pm
In Feb 2008, a few of us read the book titled Prayer of Jabez and encouraged others to take up the challenge and allow God to open up doors for us as we studied this prayer together. I am amazed by all that has transpired since this time. I am looking in computer files to find the other reflections that I had written in relation to this book. But here are a couple to start with.Day 16: By My Spirit (29.2.08)Yesterday we prayed for more power. Today we read that our success is not about our ability, but about God’s power and our dependence on it. This is different thinking to what the world would tell us, that life’s outcomes depend on our ability to make things happen.Relying on God and asking for His hand to be on us is the touch of greatness. It releases God’s power to accomplish His will in our life. We do not become great, He becomes great through us. God’s power under us, in us, surging though us is exactly what turn’s dependence into unforgettable experiences of completeness. “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show this all surpassing power is from God” 2 Corinthians 4:7.The true purpose of eternity is accomplished by His Spirit as we offer up our lives to His service.Today we pray and ask God to take our earthen vessels and fill them with His Spirit, so we can pour out His power into the lives of others. Day 20: No Pride Inside (4.3.08)Yesterday we read that courage has been called the cornerstone of the virtues. We looked at the comparisons between Paul and Timothy. I do recognise a lot of Timothy’s character reflected in my own life. I can achieve nothing in my own strength as I am weak within my won insecurities. It is my dependence on Holy Spirit that I am able to rise and say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.Today we examine a stumbling block that has existed throughout Biblical history and is just as evident in society today, where the focus is on a self-centred lifestyle and a ‘what’s in it for me attitude’....PRIDE. “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this, they will not go unpunished” Proverbs 16:5. God warns us that pride comes before a fall (proverbs 11:2) and that the sinful nature in all of us can easily take us down this road of destruction. We can easily slip into thinking that somehow we (using our abilities) have contributed to the great things God is powerfully doing through us. We seek praise for ourselves instead of bringing glory to God.Our desire Lord God, is to practice humility, for it is in humility that wisdom is found (proverbs 11:2). May we always remember that without you in our life, we are nothing; but with your hand on our lives, nothing will be impossible as we trust in your goodness. Amen.
Share
Today at 12:22pm
In Feb 2008, a few of us read the book titled Prayer of Jabez and encouraged others to take up the challenge and allow God to open up doors for us as we studied this prayer together. I am amazed by all that has transpired since this time. I am looking in computer files to find the other reflections that I had written in relation to this book. But here are a couple to start with.Day 16: By My Spirit (29.2.08)Yesterday we prayed for more power. Today we read that our success is not about our ability, but about God’s power and our dependence on it. This is different thinking to what the world would tell us, that life’s outcomes depend on our ability to make things happen.Relying on God and asking for His hand to be on us is the touch of greatness. It releases God’s power to accomplish His will in our life. We do not become great, He becomes great through us. God’s power under us, in us, surging though us is exactly what turn’s dependence into unforgettable experiences of completeness. “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show this all surpassing power is from God” 2 Corinthians 4:7.The true purpose of eternity is accomplished by His Spirit as we offer up our lives to His service.Today we pray and ask God to take our earthen vessels and fill them with His Spirit, so we can pour out His power into the lives of others. Day 20: No Pride Inside (4.3.08)Yesterday we read that courage has been called the cornerstone of the virtues. We looked at the comparisons between Paul and Timothy. I do recognise a lot of Timothy’s character reflected in my own life. I can achieve nothing in my own strength as I am weak within my won insecurities. It is my dependence on Holy Spirit that I am able to rise and say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.Today we examine a stumbling block that has existed throughout Biblical history and is just as evident in society today, where the focus is on a self-centred lifestyle and a ‘what’s in it for me attitude’....PRIDE. “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this, they will not go unpunished” Proverbs 16:5. God warns us that pride comes before a fall (proverbs 11:2) and that the sinful nature in all of us can easily take us down this road of destruction. We can easily slip into thinking that somehow we (using our abilities) have contributed to the great things God is powerfully doing through us. We seek praise for ourselves instead of bringing glory to God.Our desire Lord God, is to practice humility, for it is in humility that wisdom is found (proverbs 11:2). May we always remember that without you in our life, we are nothing; but with your hand on our lives, nothing will be impossible as we trust in your goodness. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)