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.
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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?
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What are some practical ways you can get out of the rut of comparing yourself to others?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit rickwarren.org
Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life
In Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick has taken all the key verses that explain how God created each of us for five purposes and put them into an easy-to-use reference tool that will help anyone study and memorize God’s Word.
This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can also listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
