Don’t we all, deep down, desire to be known and understood for who we really are? We long for someone to help us answer the question “Who am I really?” and “Why am I here?” The truth is that before we came into being, God had a plan for us. But for most of us, life, the words and actions of others, their expectations, our wounds, or sin issues have warped God’s design. Our families, our churches, and others have formed us into their mold and caused us to feel shut down or rejected, leaving us unable to see God’s original design for us and unsure of who we are.
Psalm 139:12-16 says that God created you special, and he really knows you, and regardless of how others have tried to shape you, he has a design and plan for you.
Your Father longs for you to grasp these four foundational truths about who you are.
1. You are uniquely you, and you are special (Psalms 139:13-16).
2. You are uniquely you for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10).
3. You are uniquely crafted and placed in this time in history and in this certain place (Acts 17:26, Esther 4:14).
4. You are uniquely gifted and needed by those whom God has called you to be with (Romans 12:6-7, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:12-15).
When we fully grasp these principles, it changes the lenses through which we see everything.
Several years ago I discovered life-changing teaching by Arthur Burk that helped me to begin to uncover God’s design for me. As I have shared this with others, it has been liberating in every case. One young woman said, “I’m normal, I’m normal, I’m normal!” One young man said, “This describes me better than I could describe myself.” Another young man said, “I thought I was weird, but this is so totally me!”
Recently Chuck Wale has compiled these teachings by Arthur Burk into a resource workbook entitled Designed for Fulfillment. The premise of the book is that we are most fulfilled as we live in the freedom of who God designed us to be and develop the resources that he placed in us.
Designed For Fulfillment is based on the seven gifts of Romans 12:6-7. It is an attempt to better understand ourselves and our birthright through the seven foundational gifts: prophet, servant, teacher, exhorter, giver, ruler, and mercy, which Arthur Burk refers to as redemptive gifts.
A redemptive gift is more than a personality profile. It is the essence for which we were created. It sheds tremendous light on who we are — our spirit, soul, personality, outlook on life, and even the way we minister. Through this study, we can know in a deeper way why God created us. This study includes an in-depth section on each of the seven gifts. There is a tremendous amount of details presented in a more complete picture of who we are created to be.
These concepts of redemptive gifts have been transformational to me. I’m confident that you will find them a tremendous blessing to you personally and an asset in your ministry.
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2014/05/03/sg_designed-for-fulfillment/