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Plugged In and Recharging…

By August 6, 2015August 30th, 2022Devotional

Each mid-August, you have become used to me writing about the one leadership conference I attend each year with Janet and our son, Andrew. And today, the Global Leadership Summit started. Although each year I am challenged by many of the speakers, it didn’t take long for the opening speaker today, Bill Hybels, the Founding Pastor of Willow Creek Church and the Summit to push my leadership buttons.

That’s because I am gradually winding down the big corporate chapter of my life and am now looking at what will occupy my time in the seasons to come. And the more I think about this topic, the more I am trying to determine whether the white hot passion I have had for so many years still fuels my desire to assist people get from where they are to where God designed them to be. And you know what? I still believe in the same things I believed in years ago. In a way, that kind of troubles me.

Yes, I like the consistency of knowing that I think I am in alignment with God’s will for my life, but I also wonder whether I have been aware of changes that God may have been trying to make in tweaking my passion. I guess it means that there must be things that I still need to do that I haven’t completed yet.

In all candor, I am really looking forward to diving in again and figuring out what the next steps are. Who knows? It may even be another company – I could get really jazzed about that! And ministry work – what a wonderful way to spend time – leading people to Christ. Maybe even a turn teaching seminary would be something that would be deeply satisfying. Especially a topic such as leadership… and I could get really excited about taking up my study of Greek again – it’s been 10 years since I studied foreign languages and I really miss it.

The most important part of all this is that God has endowed each of us with spiritual gifts – and we should spend considerable time developing our skills and our awareness to take advantage of what God has given each of us. And don’t forget – because you are unique – nobody in eternity past or eternity future will ever be exactly like you – there must be something that you were created to do and your mission will not be complete until you unleash your God given skills for the benefit of the kingdom.

That’s what the Summit helps me do each August. As I reach the end of the leadership year, I coast into the Summit on fumes – just waiting to get fueled up and have my batteries recharged for the next year. Tonight I am halfway there – tomorrow is the second half. It’s exciting to see what will happen in the next year to honor God with leadership opportunities.

The verse for tonight is from Paul in Romans 12:6-8, speaking about spiritual gifts and how God has endowed each of us. Paul tells us, in the referenced verses, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

My encouragement for this evening is that God made each of us unique in all the world and throughout all eternity. That means that God created each individual with a special purpose. My prayer is that you will spend a little time praying about what gifts you have and how you can unleash the power within you for the good of the Kingdom. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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