We Need You and Your Spiritual Gifts
By Rick Warren
“We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
The reason you have value is because of what God says about you, not because of what other people say about you.
Yesterday we talked about how to use your spiritual gifts for God’s glory. But you can’t do that until you understand your value and believe God loves you just how he made you.
Many people lack self-esteem. They don’t feel good about themselves because they’re always trying to pump themselves up by the kind of clothes they wear or car they drive and the things they say. They’re constantly striving to feel better about themselves because they really don’t accept themselves—which is rebellion against God.
If God wanted you to be somebody else, you wouldn’t exist. But God wanted you! He made you to be you. We know as believers that real self-esteem comes from three facts:
1. God created you.
2. Jesus died for you.
3. God’s Spirit lives in you.
The Bible says, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).
The New Testament was written originally in Greek. The Greek word for “masterpiece” is “poema.” It’s the word we get “poem” from. God says, “You’re my poem. You’re my masterpiece. I don’t want you copying somebody else. I’ve put gifts in you, and I want you to use them.” You have worth because of what God says about you and what he has done for you.
There are no little people in the family of God. Every part is necessary. Do you know what the most important light in my house is? It’s not the big chandelier in the dining room. It’s the little nightlight I turn on so that I don’t stub my toe when I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Every role is important. You are important. You have value because God says so and because he paid such a large ransom for your life when he sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for you.
Now, knowing what God has done for you and how he shaped you, how will you start to use your gifts for his glory?
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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