Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else

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Know your ultimate dream for God’s kingdom. For Warren, her dream is to help eradicate HIV/AIDS it in her lifetime. Now let’s explore each of those principles in more detail. Your Kingdom Purpose is way more than a career. It is a special commissioning from God to make a significant difference on this earth. It’s the banner of your life that you carry and wave for God’s glory. Now don’t get me wrong, your career could provide you the platform to direct your Kingdom Purpose, but it doesn’t define it. meet the role you play in life, you feel like a square peg in a round hole. This is frustrating, both to you and to others. Not only does it produce limited results, it is also an enormous waste of your talents, time, and energy.

You Are Special is ripe with the meaning of unconditional love. Although intended for children, I’m encouraged by it myself. I appreciate how Eli, the loving woodcarver, took time to help Punchinello see just how special he was, regardless of what others thought or said about him. Like Punchinello, we all need to take time to visit with our Creator. How else can he demonstrate to us how we stand apart from all his other works of art? For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues (1 Co­rin­thi­ ans 12:28). It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:9 – 10). Based on the purpose of ministry outlined in The Purpose Driven Life, this inspiring guidebook gives you the tools to:Tap into the secrets of what makes you who you are--passions, talents, experiences, temperament, and spiritual gifts--and you'll discover the path to a life of unimagined purpose, impact, and fulfillment. Will you accept the challenge to find and carry out your Kingdom Purpose? Remember, the Bible says, Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 1 Co­rin­thi­ans 12:1 (TNIV) gives you are neither for you nor about you. They weren’t given to boost your self-image or to serve as some kind of special reward from God. They were not given to raise you up to some level of worldly greatness or success. They are yours for the express purpose of blessing the body of Christ — the church. That is why you need to be part of a church family. Discovering your spiritual gifts is not the ultimate goal — using them to bless others is. Do you see the importance of love when it comes to using our gifts for God? Paul tells us we may have wonderful and valuable spiritual gifts, but without love we are unusable. To determine what is truly propelling your spiritual gifts, ask yourself, “Who is the primary beneficiary of my actions?” If your actions benefit others, you are serving with love. If you realize you are the prime beneficiary of your actions, you need to immediately realign yourself with God. A love-driven life is the life God uses. In his book, Why You Can’t Be Anything You Want to Be, Arthur F. Miller Jr. talks about the danger of misusing what God has given us. “The dark 46

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Every single person on this earth was born for a particular reason. Each of us has a particular job to do while we are on this earth. Our unique personality, abilities, and life experiences were specifically chosen to support and guide each of us towards this unique life purpose. Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Overall, your life is not as balanced as you would like it to be. Fulfillment is hard for you to find. You admit you don’t have a clear-cut strategy for your life. You may even feel most of the time that you are just surviving. Many ­people walk through life confused. If you are here, thank God for putting a tool in your hands that will replace your confusion with his clarity and confidence. b b b b b Now that you know where you are today, the next question is, Where would you like to be by the time you finish reading this book? What is the one thing you long for God to do in your life as you spend time with him? To capture this moment, write God a note in the space below, asking him to help you see how special you are and the specific purpose he has just for you. b b b b b Dear God, G r a b b i n g H o l d Reflect on what you have learned. What did this chapter show you about spiritual gifts? During my freshman year of college, I took an art class—not because it was my major, but purely for the fun of it. (Well, to be honest, I took the class because of a cute girl who also had signed up for it!) One of our assignments was to study works on display at area art museums and galleries. So one day a classmate and I drove to an art show. had the privilege of personally seeing thousands of ordinary ­people live out their Kingdom Purpose through their confident assurance in God. One of those ­people is John Baker — an ordinary man God has used in extraordinary ways. For many years, John battled an addiction to alcohol. It almost cost him his marriage, his family, and his life. Thankfully, John found God through his local church. That turning point led him to write his senior pastor a lengthy letter, outlining the vision for a ministry he believed God was nudging him to start. He also confessed his feelings of inadequacy about taking on such a task. Not long after, the pastor challenged John to go after his dream. The next year, John launched a new ministry called Celebrate Recovery, a biblical process to help ­people find freedom from addictions through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. For the next ten years, God used John to deliver hundreds of ­people from the grip of destructive lifestyles. In 2004, President George W. Bush publicly recognized John for bringing hope to hurting ­people. Today, Celebrate Recovery is an international ministry helping millions of ­people overcome painful pasts and harmful addictions through the merciful, powerful love of Jesus. If you were to meet John Baker, you would see an average guy who took everything God had made him to be — the positive as well as the painful — and chose to use it for God’s glory. With God’s help and leading, John has made and continues to make a kingdom difference by fulfilling his unique Kingdom Purpose. God is continually looking for ordinary ­people such as John who are willing to let him use them to make a difference for his kingdom. From business executives to bus drivers, from teachers to techies, from stayat-home moms to traveling musicians, from dentists to deli owners, God longs to use ordinary ­people in extraordinary ways. That includes you! Will you accept the challenge to find and carry out your Kingdom Purpose? Remember, the Bible says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the L ord your God will be with you wherever you go” ( Joshua 1:9). With this encouragement, challenge yourself to invest in God’s kingdom in a way that will last long after you are gone. Be a contributor, not a consumer. For some ­people — like John Baker — that means trading in a career for a full-time ministry. For most of us, however, finding and 23