To Know Your Destiny, First Recognize Your Gifts - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - July 18, 2020
To Know Your Destiny, First Recognize Your Gifts
By Rick Warren
“Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God” (1 Peter 4:10 GNT).
Do you know what God created you for? Do you know what your destiny is? There are several things you need to do in order to fulfill your destiny that we’ll go through over the next few days using illustrations from the book of Esther.
The first thing you must do is recognize the gifts God has given you to use. These include the things you can’t control—your parents, nationality, race, 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).
God gave Esther a SHAPE uniquely designed to help her fulfill her destiny. As a result, “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 2:15, 17 NIV).
God gave Esther gifts for a purpose. He has also given you gifts for a purpose. And just like Esther, you have a responsibility to be a good steward of those gifts. They are not just for your benefit. God gave them to you for the benefit of others.
When you discover your gifts and determine to use them for good, God can use you, just like he used Esther, for his purposes on Earth.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
