“Jesus Christ has given you a special light to shine that is very much needed by the people in your circle of influence (Matt. 5:14-16). No one else has your uniquely, God-created, Christ-redeemed, and Spirit-influenced personality.”- Bill Gaultiere (emphasis author’s)
In Chapter 5 (“The R Stage: Responsibilities in Ministry”) of Journey of the Soul, Bill Gaultiere notes that at the R Stage, you shine your light for Jesus. As a result, you share lessons learned, blessings received, and your God-given gifts. However, Bill counsels, you need to monitor two red flags:
- Falling into an identity crisis of discouragement, role confusion, or propping up a false self.
- When your need for productivity or service to God pulls you into giving too much, getting stressed out, or people-pleasing.
Certainly, such service to the church fosters looking beyond ourselves to care for others. But, we may feel pressured to overwork or overprogram our lives. Hence, Bill cautions, this stark reality exists: organizations tend to eat the souls of their servants. Even when led by Christ-honoring and compassionate people. Therefore, the author exhorts, put a high priority on soul care for yourself.
In addition, three sinful desires convey a false identity message. The apostle John describes three sinful desires (1 John 2:16 MSG): “Practically everything that goes on in the world — wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important — has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him.”
To overcome them, recall how Jesus defeated Satan’s lies in the wilderness. He recited truths from Scripture. Above all, no matter what work or ministry God calls you to, your purpose = loving people by doing your best. In turn, this fosters joy and healthy identity. Thus, Bill and Kristi refer to spiritual gifts as joy gifts.
Also, the authors list ten such gifts and ask the reader to rank his/her top four gifts, I chose Shepherd, Teacher, Encourager, and Healer.
In conclusion, Bill stresses, we need to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, finding our security in Him. Because:
“Making people happy all the time and avoiding conflict with them are unhealthy spiritual formations that perpetuate a false self and diminish our ability to love others well. Instead, trusting God includes speaking the truth in love to people and resolving conflicts to foster unity.”
Today’s question: What’s your special light to shine? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The Wall: where our will meets God’s will”