Serving Creatively

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. ~1 Peter 4:10-11

Scripture teaches us that we are to love and serve our neighbors.  How we are called, and what we are asked to do will be different for each of us.  How we respond will also be different.  We are all made in the image of our Creator,  and yet we are uniquely gifted, and we must find our own way to glorify Him by serving each other.

Serving creatively requires being available to God.  It requires that we recognize the opportunities God gives us, and that we step forward in faith to do His will. We may have to take some risks and step outside our comfort zones.  We may face rejection or ridicule.  We may be asked to do something we have never done before.  We may be asked to do something we’ve done before, but in a brand new way.  We may feel unqualified and discouraged and want to give up.  I believe that if we pay attention to God’s whispers and nudges, and respond with a willing heart, He will provide the resources, skills, and creative spirit we need.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be a light for those in darkness.  We are called to share the love and hope of Jesus with those who are hurting or struggling;  to find positive possibilities for those in negative situations.  Sometimes it is helpful to work with other people, giving and receiving encouragement and inspiration.  Always it is helpful to call on the One who made us.  If we tap into God’s creative power, we can pour out God’s love into the lives of the people we are privileged to serve.

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. ~Chuck Swindoll