There was an event this. Last week that really kind of
spurred the thought for the lesson this morning.
I want to talk on how God can use you.
And that is this already mentioned in our prayer.
This morning, the death of little baby Oliver Preston and
Katie Crawford. Had this little boy born on
April the 22nd, and on Thursday, this last week, just three short
weeks, he lived and passed away. This last Thursday, due to
complications of premature death Well, his mother Katie.
Posted. The notice of the death on
Facebook and she said, he was only here for three weeks, but
he taught us a lifetime of lessons.
And many would wonder well how this little baby who was only
three weeks old, could have such an impact on maybe so many
people. And during that time, right?
Then God allowed this little child to influence, people to
influence others. The lives of others.
And I believe that's very powerful when we think about it.
God allows you to be an influence to others as well for
his purpose. He can use you right now.
Just the way you are at this point in your life, not later on
out, sometime down the future, but right now, God can use you
You know, a lot of times when we think about being used, you
know, we always somebody takes advantage of us and we say,
well, I got a really got used on that.
I really got taken advantage of. I hope that's not the way we
feel about when we think about how God uses us, that that I
have to do this. And boy, I've taken up too much
of my time or whatever, but God uses us for his glory and for
his purposes and I believe that's very powerful.
Something that you're really good, at, whatever it may be,
maybe you're good at mechanics, maybe you're a good painter.
Maybe you're a good singer. Maybe you're good at sewing.
Maybe you're good at cooking? Whatever it is.
Those things are blessings from God and maybe you can use those
things to benefit others. And to give God glory, maybe you
are the one that has the opportunity to take the time to
help others, or maybe it's always the one that comes and
has a word of comfort when you're in down in the dumps or
your Sorrowing. Are you having problems?
Whatever your talent is, or whatever your skill is, God is
behind that. He has blessed you with the
talent that you have. And, and that can be used for
his purposes and for his glory, but he doesn't bless us with
talents or skills so that we can just get the notoriety for it or
become rich or become have have more money or things.
Like, now, that may be a result of that.
But that's not the purpose. It's much bigger than that, God
wants us to honor him with those gifts.
He wants us to be good and Faithful Servants of our
talents. How exactly does God want us to
use our talents for him? I want to talk about three
things this morning blessing, others.
Building his kingdom and glorifying.
God. Well, first of all, God wants us
to bless others and be a blessing to others in 1st, Peter
4 and verse 10 were called to use our gifts to serve others as
faithful stewards of God. As each of you has received a
gift Minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold
with grace of God. So, whatever blessings, I have,
whatever gifts, I have should be used to serve others.
To God's glory. The basic idea is that these
blessings carry over to talents and God doesn't give us anything
just for our own benefit. After all, we're blessed.
So that we can be a blessing to other, God wants us to use our
talents and skills for the benefits of others.
Well, how can we put that into practice?
Well, first of all, we just need to simply be aware of what the
needs are of others. So that we can be a blessing to
them, you know, sometimes we might go around.
So focused on ourself all the time about what I need to
accomplish. What I need to get done, what I
need for this, or what I did for that, and we're thinking about
ourselves all the time. And sometimes we get so clouded
about what we need and what's within our realm that we fail to
look Beyond us and see what the needs are of others.
You know, a lot of times we got tomorrow our own problems.
It seems like we're just floundering sometimes with just
taking care of our own problems all the time and that's all that
we have time to do. But sometimes there's just a
simple word, there's a simple D. There's a simple thing that we
can do. That looks outside of our needs
at the needs of others. Philippians 2 and verses 3 and
4, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but
in lowliness of Mind, Let each esteem others better than
himself. Let each of you look not only on
for his own interests but also for the interests of others.
We all take care of ourselves. We take care of ourselves.
First, it seems like but we need to look beyond that at the needs
of others. And, you know, this congregation
does that very well. Does that very, very well and we
appreciate all that you do. So, let's look around at the
needs of others. Secondly and thirdly, God wants
us to work and build in his kingdom.
Number two for his glory. Number three, God made us all
different. And all in all of us together
make up his kingdom and Paul compares.
The, the our body's physical bodies to the body of Christ, he
just Eva each of us being unique in our own ways.
But the body is complete by each individual Christ is the head of
the body if he's in 5 and 23. So everything we do points back
to Christ because he directs it all First.
Corinthians 12 verses 12 through 27.
For as the body is one and has many members.
But all the members of that one body being many are one body.
So also is Christ for by one Spirit.
We are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks
whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one
spirit. For in fact, the body is not one
member but many. If the foot should say because I
am not a hand, I am not of the body, is it?
Therefore not of the body. And if the ear should say,
because I am not an I am I not the boss?
I am not of the body, is it? Therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye would, where would the heat be
the hearing if the whole we're hearing where would be the
smelly? But now God has set the members.
Each of them in the body, just as he pleased.
And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
But now indeed, there are many members, yet one body and the
eye cannot say to the hand. I have no need of you nor again
to the head of feet, I have no need of, you know, much rather
those members of the body, which seem to be weaker are necessary
and those members of the body, which we think to be less,
honorable on, these will be stroll, greater honor and our
unpresentable parts. Have greater modesty, but are
presentable Parts have no need, but Vodka posed the body having
given greater honor to the part which is lat put lat which
slacks it. Excuse me, that there should be
no Schism in the body but that the members should have the same
care for one another. And if one member suffers all
the members suffer with it, or if one member is honored all the
members Rejoice with it. Now, you are the body of Christ
and members individually. It's really kind of beautiful
how God designed, not only our physical body, but the spiritual
body. Now, if I lose a finger nail, I
may not think much of it, and it may not be.
We may not think it's a very important part, but when I go to
start picking things up or whatever it may be, I might find
out what would be nice if I had that fingernail back.
Or a finger, or if I lost a hand or something like that, or I was
not far as crippled and I couldn't walk and things of that
nature. So, all of these things work
together for the body to be able to function.
And so, if you think that you're an insignificant part of the
body of Christ, you're not You're not, you're a very
important part of the body of Christ, and you may not realize
it. Just like we had no idea how
that little baby could have such an impact on those parents and
maybe on others as well. We may not think that we are an
important intricate part of the body of Christ, but you are and
God can use you just the way you are.
You can use you in some way. God wants us to use our unique
roles in the body of Christ and doing so, we glorify him.
So if God Made You to amazing, amazing singer, then use it for
his glory. Use it for his benefit, whatever
your talent, maybe counseling or comforting comforting.
Others use it for his glory. Find a way to use your talents
to honor. God honor him, your god-given
abilities. To reach those who don't know,
him, maybe in some way in your conversation.
There were people here. Here that are type A
personalities and others that aren't.
If you're type A personality in your one that can talk to
anybody about anything, use that, use that ability to bring
people to Christ. Be that Christian that can
influence your family, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your
husband, your wife, your school school, friends, your neighbors,
whatever it is use your talents to glorify.
God. Maybe you can use your talents
to be a leader of the church or an elder or deacon at some point
in your life. But God needs you and can use
you, whatever your talent is. Be that city that has said that,
that is set on a hill and it cannot be hid.
Be that light. Value the position.
God gave you in this life for his purpose in his glory and the
more useful you are. The more you can be used and the
more used you are the more accomplished, the more things
that you can accomplish for the glory of God.
Let God use you and your life. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
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