Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for this daily challenge. It’s Thursday, the day we try to apply and live out what we’ve learned this week from the Bible. This week we’ve been studying how Christians are gifted to contribute to God’s plans for this world – God’s kingdom.

We learned yesterday how ministry is something for all of God’s people, not just a professional minority. We learned how we each can find ourselves particularly gifted in one way or another, although that doesn’t excuse us from any of the others, it just says we might be particularly well suited to a certain kind of ministry.

So how do we figure this out? Most of us will never have the experience of God speaking to us in an audible voice, calling us by name and telling us exactly what we should be doing. Nor will many of us have visions when we go to bed at night—for most of us the clues to our calling will appear in more mundane ways. So lets look at this acronym….

C stands for competence…What am I good at ? What are other people telling you that you’re good at ? Of course, the other side of the coin is equally true, We may be unnecessarily modest or reticent about admitting having a certain gift which others affirm we possess.

L stands for love. What do I love ? …what issues deeply concern you ? what do you feel passionate about ? Ask yourself the question, what do I enjoy ?

God calls you to share in the fullness of joy. Think about the things that you really enjoy doing, things that give you a deep sense of peace and satisfaction. Chances are that you are tapping into the gifts that God has given you for ministry, and that within those activities lie opportunities for significant ministry. Or, what do you hate to see going wrong? Does poverty anger you beyond any other dysfunction? You might be called to do something about that!

U has to do with understanding. Here we are concerned with our understanding in two important areas. Understand Yourself:—the questions here have to do with your personality and temperament.   For example—Hospitality—Introvert and Extrovert.

Understand what God is doing: Our growing understanding of what God is doing in our own lives and in the world will increase our awareness of the opportunities to participate in God’s work. You will learn to recognise God at work in your life and in other people’s lives as you grow in your faith.

E has to do with experience.   The question is What has life prepared you to do ?

When we open our lives to God’s presence everything we have ever done or experienced, good or bad, comes into play.

S finally stands for situation.  Where do I spend my time, Where am I situated ? We live our lives in various places in a variety of relationships with a variety of responsibilities—work, home, neighbourhood, family, friends…—what opportunities for ministry do I see? The more we ask ourselves that question the more opportunities will arise.

 

Challenge: Work through the CLUES – where are they pointing you? Follow those clues, and see where they lead!