S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life

I have seen that people discover their gifts as they minister to others. The more you serve God in ministry, the more clearly you will see your gifts.

Just as the Lord gave you unique spiritual gifts, passions, and abilities, the personality you have also is his gift to you. He created it and gave it to you to use for his glory.

To determine what is truly propelling your spiritual gifts, ask yourself, “Who is the primary beneficiary of my actions?” If your actions benefit others, you are serving with love. If you realize you are the prime beneficiary of your actions, you need to immediately realign yourself with God. A love-driven life is the life God uses.

In Shaped by God, Max Lucado shows how not being put to use leads to loss of purpose:

I see this more often when working with people who clearly have the gift of pastoring or shepherding, but won’t acknowledge it, often because they don’t have the “right” title or official position.

Paul uses a great word picture to show the importance of strengthening what God has given us when he tells young Timothy to “fan into flame” his gift (2 Timothy 1:6). Imagine smoldering embers that burst into flame as you fan them. This is exactly what happens when you develop the gifts God has given you—they become more powerful and purposeful for

As you think about your particular strengths and areas of interest, the idea is not meant to boost your self-esteem by pointing out how qualified you are. Rather it is to remind us how exceedingly qualified God is to put into action anything he created. Our strengths and abilities show off his greatness and magnitude.

. Because there are so many different kinds of needs to be met, you need to narrow your focus. Consider several primary categories:

God is continually looking for ordinary people such as John who are willing to let him use them to make a difference