What Will You Do with What You’ve Been Given?

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES What On Earth Am I Here For?

What Will You Do with What You've Been Given? By Rick Warren — Sep 28, 2015 “Each of us, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.” (1 Peter 4:10 TEV) Do you know what God created you for? Do you know what your destiny is? In order to fulfill your destiny, you must recognize the gifts God has given you to use. These are the cards you are dealt in life. They include the things you can’t control: your parents, your nationality, your race, your native language. They also include your SHAPE: your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. These are the things that make you uniquely you. Now, you are not responsible for the gifts God didn’t give you. In other words, if you are not artistically gifted, you are not expected to paint pictures like Rembrandt. But you are responsible for the ones he did give you. When you get to Heaven, God isn’t going to compare you with anyone else, but he will compare you with yourself. What did you do with what you were given? What could you have done if you had trusted God a little bit more? Romans 14:12 says, “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (NIV). Esther had three assets that God gave her to use to fulfill her destiny. She was intelligent, beautiful, and she had an attractive personality. Because of these qualities, “Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her …. She won [the king’s] favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:15b, 17). God gave Esther these gifts for a purpose. God has given you gifts for a purpose. And just like Esther, you have a responsibility to be a good steward of those gifts — not for selfish uses but for the good of others. Your gifts are not for your benefit. God gave you gifts for the benefit of other people. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over In order to know your destiny, you have to know your talents and decide how to use them. Make a list of the gifts God has given you (don’t forget to include your SHAPE and the things you can’t control). Ask yourself, “What has God given me for good to use for good?” How can you help others discover their SHAPE and purpose? What are some practical ways you can get out of the rut of comparing yourself to others? Our Gift: The Purpose Driven Life, Expanded Edition Hardback Book PLUS 3 What Is the Purpose of My Life? booklets Since its release The Purpose Driven Life has been translated into 85 different languages and has become the “Bestselling non-fiction hardback book in history” according to Publishers Weekly, all because of the Christ centered approach the book takes to answering life’s most fundamental question: What on Earth Am I Here For? LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren What On Earth Am I Here For? teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: The Call Is For You Message 2: ​​​​Called To Be Loved Message 3: ​​​​You Are Called To Belong Message 4: ​​​You Are Called To Become Message 5: You Are Called To Bless Message 6: I'm Called To Be Sent Message 7: Why God Made You! PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe