Journey, Day 7, More on being Gifted.

Good morning!
I hope that yesterday you were able to identify one way in which you are a truly gifted woman.
Now today comes the big question ...  "SO WHAT?"

First, the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 is not a list of gifts.  That list (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) is all about evidence that the Holy Spirit is in the house.  Those are attitudes God wants to come from his children and they happen by the power of the Spirit.  The Spirit is most certainly a gift that enables us!  Today we're trying to look beyond these attributes into our own, individual and specific gifts.

Second, the reason we're looking for more personal information here is because you just will never experience a greater joy than actually realizing that you are doing what God intended you to do.  This is not about guilt or what you should do ... nope, this is about being what you were created to be.

Here are a few questions that will help you identify a gift that God has given you.
*When I use this gift, who gets the glory?  (That answer needs to be God.)
*Does using this gift bless other people?  (The answer to this should be yes.)
*When I use this gift, are the results WAY BEYOND what I know my talents can accomplish?
*When (or after) I use this gift, do I have a sense that I have worshiped God well?

I know a woman who has the gift of mercy.  She has used it so often that she really can't help it anymore.  She has brought such comfort to so many people ... she has become defined by her gift and it is a beautiful thing.

SO, as you journey today, listen carefully for God to prompt you with ideas about what your gift might be and how you can use it creatively.  Today is about affirming the beauty that God has put in you that you may not even have recognized before.  Let this be a joy!

"LORD Jesus,  help me actually "get" the fact that you have created me for your own pleasure, and that when I am most myself, you are most glorified.  Help me know myself better as I know you better.  Oh, and thank you for gifting me. "