12-19-24-DAILY READING-ENG.

EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT

                                       SPIRITUAL MARKERS

Never neglect what you've seen God do in your life. Take a careful look at these things from God's perspective, all the way from your birth to where you stand right now. They're all significant. If you have special talents, use them in the Lord's service. Help another person in need if you have the ability to do so. Step up and bless your church by doing those things that others couldn't do. In other words, be a servant! Don't stand back and watch others struggle when you know you have the ability to lend a hand.

Acts of service, however, are different from the unique assignments God will lay upon your heart. We should always be ready to step up and serve the body of Christ, but what exactly has God called you to invest your life in? What ministries have captured your heart? Is the Lord using your life in such a way that you know the pleasure of God? And what is it that requires the work of the Holy Spirit in order for you to accomplish the task? In his book He Shall Glorify Me, turn-of-the-century preacher Oswald Chambers proclaimed, “The commands of God are enablings. God banks entirely on His own Spirit, and when we attempt, His ability is granted immediately. We have a great deal more power than we know.”

As you seek to walk in the center of God's will, it's important to identify the spiritual markers in your life that have led up to where you now stand. Reflect on those moments when you knew God was working and chose to use you. God doesn't work by accident or happenstance; everything He does in your life will lead to the next step in your relationship with Him. Looking back on what God has done in your life may bring great clarity about what He wants to do in your life in the days to come. And as you lay your life before Him, it's amazing how He gives meaning to all that He has built into your life. So bring your past into the present, and ask God to direct your future.