Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s look at the personalized plan that God has for us.

Today’s scripture, Psalms 139:13-16 (ERV)…
[13] You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb. [14] I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way. I know how amazing that was! [15] You could see my bones grow as my body took shape, hidden in my mother’s womb. [16] You watched my body grow there. In your book you wrote about all the days planned for me before any of them had happened.

Consider…
Typically people purchase or make Christmas gifts with the recipient in mind.

The same is true with God according to 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)…
[10] God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

The key to giving the perfect gift is the giver having intimate knowledge of the receiver. That’s what today’s scripture describes, the Greatest gift giver of all (James 1:17), having intimate knitted knowledge of us. I like the way the New Living Translation expresses Psalms 139:13 (NLT)…
[13] You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

This description of intimate knitted knowledge also makes me think of Ephesians 2:10 (NLT), which says…
[10] For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

As I am writing this, I am reminded of the song that my wife Dana gave me when I was heartbroken and downtrodden. I can still hear, with tears streaming down my face, Psalmist Danny Gokey singing…

Heartbreaks a bittersweet sound
Know it well
It’s ringing in my ears
And I can’t understand
Why I’m not fixed by now
Begged and I pleaded
Take this pain but I’m still bleeding

Heart trusts you for certain
Head says it’s not working
I’m stuck here still hurting
But you tell me

You’re making a masterpiece
You shaping the soul in me
You’re moving where I can’t see
And all I am is in your hands
You’re taking me all apart
Like it was your plan from the start
To finish your work of art for all to see you’re making a masterpiece

Guess I’m your canvas
Beautiful black and blue
Painted in mercy’s hue
I don’t see past this
But you see me now
Who I’ll be then
There at the end
Standing there as

Your Masterpiece
You’re shaping the soul in me
You’re moving where I can’t see
And all I am is in your hands
You’re taking me all apart
Like it was your plan from the start
To finish your work of art for all to see
You’re making a masterpiece
You’re making a masterpiece

That reminder, that I am God’s masterpiece, resuscitated my flatlining faith because He had a plan and purpose for making me.

You see, sometimes we may only believe who God is, yet not fully trust that we were wonderfully and intentionally made for His purpose.

As I replayed Masterpiece in my head, the Holy Spirit began to heal my heart. As God healed me, He revealed me. You see, Daily Blessings was birthed from my brokenness. The Holy Spirit placed eternal encouragement into my heart, which has been overflowing in my writing to encourage others to love and trust God.

It just now occurs to me that encouraging others for God was His plan for me before I was formed in my Mother’s womb. It’s crystal clear to me now that encouragement is a Spiritual gift God gave me to serve others.

What God given spiritual gifts do you use to serve others?

The Holy Spirit just dropped a new wisdom nugget on me, God’s spiritual gifts are like batteries in interactive toys. Without the batteries, the toy still exists but doesn’t function as the manufacturer designed. In the same way believers are saved whether they use the spiritual gifts God has given them to serve. However, if they choose not to serve others, they are not functioning as He designed.

The Holy Spirit is emphasizing the fact that we are saved to serve. He reminded me of Jesus saying in Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)…
[14] “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. [15] No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Notice, Jesus pointed out we are the light of the world, and He didn’t shine in us to be hidden. This emphasizes we have been saved for a purpose, which is to shine brightly for Christ.

Being saved for a purpose makes sense, but why explain why we were made? The Holy Spirit showed me the profound answer in Genesis 1:26a (NLT)
[26] Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us…”

We were made to be like the Triune God! Let me clarify, we were created to be God’s image bearers here on earth. That means God’s original design was for creation to know who He is by seeing who we are.

Based on that understanding, let’s finish Genesis 1:26b (NLT)…
[26] …They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

I have heard teaching that emphasized we were created to have dominion, yet I believe this reign reference is better explained by Genesis 2:15 (NLT) which explains…
[15] The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

This tells me, each of us are made to tend and watch over apart of God’s creation, the same way He tends and watches over us. The Holy Spirit is reminding me that creation includes our fellow human beings. We have a responsibility to tend and watch over everything God created.

Here’s where the personalized plan becomes more visible. We have been placed in the area, and with the people that God wants us to tend to and watch over. The Holy Spirit showed me Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan as an illustration of God’s tending and watching expectation for us. Recall the parable concluded in Luke 10:36-37 (NLT), which says…
[36] “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. [37] The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

In the story there were three people. Although two of them where religious, only the stranger stopped to tend and watch over the injured person. God is saying, when you see others in need, stop and tend to and watch over them.

Jesus also articulated the tending and watching expectation in Matthew 25:34-40 (NLT), which says…
[34] “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. [35] For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. [36] I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ [37] “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? [39] When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Once again, God is saying when we tend to and watch over others, we’re loving like Him. 1 John 3:16-18 (NLT) explains it this way…
[16] We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. [17] If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? [18] Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

God’s personalized plan was to make you and place you to be a blessing.

In fact that’s why He gave you…

• SPIRITUAL GIFTS and a
• HEART (passion), along with
• ABILITIES (skills and talents), and
• PERSONALITY (influence), matured through
• EXPERIENCES

…He SHAPED you to do the good things He planned from the beginning.

God wants others to know He’s good because of the good they experience from us for Him. Thus why Jesus said, “let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Accordingly, as you contemplate giving gifts, consider the same Heavenly Father that gave the greatest gift of all, His Son, also has given and endowed you with spiritual gifts to bless others for Him.

This Christmas, as you pause to thank God for the gift of His Son, pay attention to the fact that He calls you His adopted child. If He gave His only begotten Son, it seems reasonable to believe He gives His adopted children too, for the purpose of helping others be reconciled to Him.

So today, fulfill the personalized plan that God has for you by…

• Tending to and watching over those you encounter.
• Using your God given spiritual gifts to serve others
• Being God’s gift of His child given by Him to reconcile others.

…when we do this, we’ll be the image bearers God planned for us to be.

Today’s Song is…
I Give Myself Away

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)