You Were Shaped to Serve God
By Rick Warren
“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” Ephesians 2:10 (NCV)
No two people are the same. You are unique in every single way. You have a unique voice, eye color, and thumbprint. Even your heartbeat is unique.
God doesn’t clone anything. No one in all of history—and in all the future—is like you.
God uniquely shaped you to fulfill a unique purpose on planet Earth—to make a unique contribution. If you’ve been reading Daily Hope for a while, you’ve likely seen SHAPE, the acronym I use to describe the unique way God shaped you to serve him.
Here’s what makes up your SHAPE:
- Spiritual gifts: When you become a Christian, God gives you special abilities so you can better serve others.
- Heart: You have passions—things you enjoy doing.
- Abilities: From birth, God has given you natural abilities—anything from athletics, to art, to accounting.
- Personality: Some people are introverts; others are extroverted. Some people love to plan everything; others work best at the last minute.
- Experiences: God uses your experiences—family, education, occupation, emotions, and more—to allow you to help others.
No two people have the exact same SHAPE. God has made you unique, and he has unique ways he wants you to serve other people.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (NCV).
You’ll spend all of eternity serving God in heaven. God wants you to practice by serving other people on Earth through your good works. The Bible calls these good works your ministry.
God calls every Christian to be in ministry—not just pastors and missionaries. You can use whatever you’re good at—and all the unique ways God has SHAPEd you—to minister to others.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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