The Make It Happen Moment ® Life Unleashed

September 21, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Grarncarz w Rabce / Potter in Rabka

The Potter's Wheel

Quote: “God and the world are waiting for your life to be unleashed!” – Christine Caine

Over the summer, I spent a day with my wife and two oldest children shopping on one of the most extraordinary merchant streets in America – Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans.  As we set out to explore the exquisite wares of the Funky Monkey, Buffalo Exchange, Sucre’ –  to name a few of the many unique shops on the historic street – I shared with my family that I wanted to find and buy something special that day, but didn’t know exactly what.  So as we made our way through each different section of shops – cafés, clothing, antiques, jewelry, and art – we came to the last shop of the day, the Potsalot Pottery shop, where I knew in my spirit I would find what I was searching for.  After we browsed all the beautiful handmade earthenware, my family left the shop and I became disappointed not to find that special piece.  Then, as I stayed behind unwilling to give up my search, I discovered the owner of the shop working at his pottery wheel on a wet supple piece of clay and was powerfully reminded of the Scripture in Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.” Intently watching the potter and pondering this verse in my heart, the potter looked up at me, perhaps thinking I was a bit strange, and asked if he could help me.

I explained to him that I was looking for a special piece of pottery and asked him if he knew the Scripture verse in the Bible about people being the clay and the Lord being the potter.  To my surprise, he knew the verse well, took me over to a water vase on the top shelf in the corner of the shop, and told me that it was his best pottery piece to represent the Isaiah verse.  With the earthen colored vase in his hands, he pointed out the markings down the side of it and said they represented the trials and tests we go through in life. He then pointed to the base of the vase which had several indentures on it and stated that they represented our imperfections and mistakes in life. And lastly he pointed to the lip of the vase which he made with his thumb and said it represented how our lives are intended to be poured out for others.  Stunned by his allegory, he didn’t have to tell me anymore, I had no doubt that I had found the special item that the Lord had put on my heart to search for all that day.

As I reflect further on how our lives have been created by God to be poured out like the water vase created by potter, Alex Williams, I also contemplate the tragedy of a life represented by a vase containing water that is never poured out for anyone.  Instead of being useful and continually replenished with life-giving water, such an idle vase would be nothing more than a clay pot with stagnated water unfit for drinking.  As human beings wonderfully and beautifully created by God, if we do not use the extraordinary gifts and talents that He put inside of us to bring Him glory and serve others, then we too can be earthen vessels wasting the God-given potential inside of us.  Such is no one’s purpose intended by God because Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Therefore, with a spirit of generosity and humility, embrace the power of the Holy Spirit to unleash your extraordinary gifts and talents through good works that serve others, glorify the Lord, and fulfill the Lord’s perfect intended purpose for your life!

The Make It Happen Servant Leadership Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Led By Servant Leaders!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Life Unleashed Copyright 2009, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Life Unleashed, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Good Works

June 26, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Titus 3: 8 “This is a faithful saying, and these sayings I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”   

Observation

In this passage, Paul is mentoring Titus, a trusted son in the kingdom of God, by directing him to constantly affirm with people who believe in God that they should be careful to maintain good works of faith because such good works are profitable to men. It is clear that Paul has an expectation for Titus to instruct and teach people in the body of Christ, the importance of demonstrating their faith by their good works which produces good fruit in Christ. At the same time, Paul clarifies in the previous verse that believers are saved by grace through faith in the Lord’s loving-kindness and mercy expressed toward us by Him and not by any works of righteousness of our own. With salvation firmly established in our hearts by the washing of regeneration and the perfect renewing work of the Holy Spirit in us, we are to maintain good works that demonstrate our faith in Christ and bless other people.

Application

As a believer saved by grace through faith, I must be careful to maintain good works of faith in Christ that demonstrate my faith and bless other people. In fact, the Bible says in James 2:26 that “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” And even furthermore, the Lord Himself says in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Therefore, our good works as believers in the body of Christ really do demonstrate loud and clear to those around us how much we actually do love the Lord, our God, with our whole heart, mind, and soul and our neighbors as ourselves. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the perfect work of salvation that You completed on the Cross for me to be saved by grace through faith. With my salvation secure in You for eternity through my faith in Jesus and Your sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in me, help me to demonstrate my faith each day by my good works in You that bless and benefit others. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Good Works Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Good Works, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

%d bloggers like this: