The Gift of Mercy

Apostle John probably best illustrates the Gift of Mercy.  People with the Gift of Mercy are easily able to "Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with those who weep".    Wouldn't the world be so much better of a place if we all extended more mercy to each other?

1.  Someone with the Gift of Mercy is deeply loyal to friends.

He/She will demonstrate loyalty to a friend even by reacting harshly toward those who attack the friend.  When the Apostle John watched the Samaritans reject Jesus, Whom he loved, John wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume them.

....and the Gift of Mercy can easily take up offenses.

The tendancy of one with the gift of mercy is to take up an offense for someone who is being hurt by another person, especially if the one being hurt is a friend. 

2.   A Mercy needs deep friendships.

The very nature of a person with the gift of mercy usually requires close friendships.  These friendships, however, must have mutual commitment, which is often reaffirmed.  John enjoyed such a friendship with Christ.  He was not only closer to Christ than any other disciple, but he referred to  himself as the "disciple whom Jesus loved".

...but a Mercy can become overly possessive.

The deep need for commitment in a close friendsip can cause one with the gift of mercy to monopolize the time and attention of others.  As he experiences disappointments in one friendship, the mercy tend to place greater demands on a new friendship.

3.  A Mercy empathizes with hurting people.

The person with the gift of mercy is able to sense which individuals are hurting and to share pain with them.  Along with the pain, a mercy senses the full scope of emotions.  John wrote his first epistle to give joy, fellowship, hope, and confidence and to cast our fear and torment.

...but a Mercy has to be careful not to tolerate evil.

If those with the gift of mercy do not have spiritual discernment as to why people suffer, they may give sympathy adn encouragment to those who are suffering as a direct result of violating God's moral laws.  The one with the gift of mercy can learn discernment by seeing people through the eyes of the other spiritual gifts.

4.  A Mercy makes decisions based on benefits.

Those with the gift of mercy find it hard to be firm because they do not want to offend people.  Therefore, the mercy must see that greater hurt and offenses will occur if he fails to be decisive.  When John was faced with denying Jesus, he demonstrated boldness and decisiveness, which caused the Sadducees to marvel.

....but a Mercy can fail to be firm when he should be.

When a person with the gift of mercy is given a position of leadership, he will tend to avoid disciplinary action that is needed.  As a result, the person who should have been disciplined is not brought to repentance, prophets react to his leadership, and other mercies react to the prophets.

5.  A Mercy is deeply sensitive to loved ones.

The gift of mercy carries with it the ability to sense genuine love.  Therefore, it carries a greater vulnerability to deeper and more frequent hurts from those who fail to demonstrate sincere love.  In his writings, John used the word 'love' more frequently than any other writer in the New Testament.

....and a Mercy tends to lean on emotions vs. reason.

Because those with the gift of mercy have such sensitive feelings, they tend to base their decisions on emotions rather than on principles.  Their subjective reasoning can easily cause them to reject Biblical doctrines that seem too harsh to them.

6.  A Mercy attracts people in distress.

One with the gift of mercy has a deep understanding of people who are going through mental or emotional distress.  This sensitivity causes those with hurts to be drawn to him and to confide in him. As Christ was dying, He transferred responsibility for His grieving mother to John.

...with that, a Mercy has to guard against defrauding the opposite sex.

A person of the opposite sex tends to be drawn to one who has the gift of mercy.  This attraction comes about because of the ability of the mercy to be a sensitive, understanding, and responsive listener.  The possibility of defrauding others must be considered in any relationship that a mercy has with a person of the opposite sex.

7.  A Mercy desire to remove hurts.

Whereas an exhorter will try to help a person find benefit from his hurts, the one with the gift of mercy will try to remove the source of his hurts.  The message of John's first epistle was for Christians to stop hurting and hating each other.

....a Mercy can react to God's purposes.

Unlike exhorters, who look at suffreing as a means of receiving more grace and growing spiritually, those with the gift of mercy tend to react to the idea that God would allow a person to suffer.  Unless the person with the gift of mercy maintains a proper perspective, he can easily become bitter toward God.

8.  A Mercy measures acceptance by closeness.

A person with the gift of mercy tends to need physical closeness in order to be reassured of acceptance.  The closeness includes times of rich fellowship.  John sought out the closest place to Christ at the Last Supper and leaned upon the Lord.  His need for physical closeness may also have prompted his request to sit next to Christ in glory.

....but a Mercy tends to fail to show deference.

When a mercy demands physical closeness in a friendship, he may fail to consider the desires of other individuals who need that person's time and attention.  John was gently reproved for his request to be next to Jesus in His kingdom.

9.  A Mercy is attracted to Prophets.

The statement that "opposites attract" is certainly true with the motivational gifts.  Those with the gift of mercy are often attracted to those with the gift of prophecy.  The firm truth of the prophet is this balanced with the gentle love of the mercy.  John spent more time with Peter than with any other disciple.

....but a Mercy can cut off insensitive people.

A person whose words and actions reflect insensitivity to the feelings of other people will be quickly recognized and reacted to by one with the gift of mercy.  Rather than trying to help this insensitive person, the mercy will tend to close his spirit and cut off fellowship with him.

Do you have the Gift of Mercy or have you identified the 'Mercys' in your life?  The other Gifts can learn a lot from the Mercys and the Mercys need the other gifts as well.  I am married to a "Mercy" and I have learned so much from him. 

We all need to show mercy to others, and we all need mercy.  Look for the "Mercy's" in your life and show them your appreciation.  What would life be like without mercy?

And now that we have looked at the seven motivational spiritual gifts, identify yours and move on to develop the other gifts.  

Ask God to develop the gifts in you

 and then watch for the opportunities

He gives you to exercise those gifts

that keep you dependent on Him. 

The Spiritual Gift of Organizing

When I started posting on Spiritual Gifts I had no idea it would take this long 

to get through the seven motivational gifts.  

The spiritual gift of Organization is also known as 'Administration' or 'Ruler'.  If you pay special attention it will not take you long to pick out the Organizers in your group of friends or church.    

1.  An Organizer is able to visualize final results.

When a major project is given to an organizer, he/she is able to picture the completed task and what it will take to accomplish it.  When Nehemiah was given the task of removing the "great affliction and reproach" of God's people in Jerusalem, he immediately visualized the need to rebuild the walls.

...but an Organizer needs to be careful not to view people as mere resources.  If an organizer is in the position of authority, he can simply direct people based on his gift of seeing the bigger picture.  If he is not in the position of authority, he must earn the right to be heard.  Then he must patiently explain all the steps that he sees are required to reach the goal.  An organizer will tend to make suggestions and then react or become discouraged when those steps are not followed.

2.  An Organizer needs Loyalty in associates.

In order for an organizer to visualize the completion of a task, he needs to know who and what his resources are.  Since the efficiency of his entire operation depends upon the faithfulness of his workers, he would rather have a few reliable workers than several that he cannot count on .  Nehemiah required an oath of cooperation from the rulers, nobles, and people.

...but an Organizer has to guard against favoritism.

An organizer in charge of a work may single out individuals who he thinks are especially important to his goals and show them favoritism or partiality.  If he is not in charge, he may cause disharmony by openly expressing frustration.

3.  Organizers are able to delegate.

An organizer knows which tasks to delegate and which he must do himself.  He also is able to sense which workers need more assistance than others.  Organizers are able to naturally maintain a continued accountability with their workers.  Nehemiah delegated the building of the walls, but he retained responsibility for dealing with the enemies.

....but an Organizer must not use delegation to avoid work.

When a person with the gift of organization is not in charge, it is easy for him to delegate his responsibilities to others.  His authority and others may then react to him and accuse him of laziness and irresponsibility.  

4.  An Organizer withstands reaction to tasks.

Once an organizer commits himself to a task, he is willing to endure much opposition, which may come from insiders or outsiders.  Nehemiah responded to persistent opposition from outside enemies and from fellow workers.

...an Organizer can become unresponsive to appeals.

When an organizer who is in charge of a project rejects valid suggestions or refuses to listen to grievances, pressures result.  These cause him to become harsh or even to resign.  When an organizer is not responsive to directions from his authorities, he must be disciplined.  If he reacts, he will build patterns of resentment and pride.

5.  An Organizer is able to make jobs look easy.

An organizer has the ability to take seemingly impossible tasks and break them down into achievable goals.  Nehemiah took the huge task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and broke it down into smaller sections that each family or group was able to complete.

....however, an Organizer can put projects ahead of people.

When an organizer reacts to people who do not have his spiritual gift, he is usually focusing on their inefficiency and disorganization.  By reacting, he overlooks their real needs and potential and damages important relationships and the potential ministry that God intended for him.

6.  An Organizer is very alert to details.

An organizer notices what others might consider insignificant factors; he knows these are essential components of the successful completion of the project.  He also tends to remove himself from distracting details in order to focus on the ultimate goal.  Nehemiah did not get involved in actual building; he removed the obstacles, such as financial pressures, which would have hindered the workers.

....but an Organizer can overlook workers' serious faults.

If an organizer is given a position of authority in the local church, he will appoint workers on the basis of their ability to get the job done. If serious character flaws are discovered in a valuable worker, the organizer will be reluctant to dismiss him.  Failure to do so, however, will communicate approval and acceptance of the behavior and will cause reaction or irritation in others.

7.  An Organizer completes tasks quickly.

The efficiency of organizers begins before they even start a project as they check out and secure needed resources.  Before the building began, Nehemiah secured timber from the king's forest.  Organizers place workers according to their strengths and weaknesses so that maximize productivity can be achieved.

...but sometimes an Organizer fails to explain or praise.

When an organizer is put in charge of several people to accomplish a job, he may give instructions without explanation.  This neglect causes fellow workers to feel like pawns in a chess game.  Their feelings of being used are intensified if they are not given proper praise or appreciation when the work is done.

8.  An Organizer is able to be decisive.

Because the organizer clearly visualizes the final goal, he is able to quickly evaluate requests and situations and make firm decisions.  Nehemiah was often urged by his enemies to have a conference with them.  His refusal was firm.

....but an Organizer tends to force his decision on others.

An organizer may misuse his special abilities of persuasion and decisiveness by coercing others to help him achieve personal ambitions.  They can also be misused on legitimate jobs through insensitivity to the schedules, weariness, or personal priorities of the workers.

9.  An Organizer involves others in cleanup.

In an organizer's mind, the job is not finished until everything is back in place.  He will inspire and encourage workers to complete a job by approval, praise, reproof, and challenge.  The organizer's final joy comes when he sees all the parts come together.  It does not matter to him if others appreciate the job as long as he knows it was accomplished according to the plans laid out.

....but an Organizer tends to lose interest in a finished job.

An organizer is fulfilled when he sees a job completed.  However, before moving on to a new job, he must make proper provision for maintenance of the completed job.  When this trait is carried over into the personal life of an organizer, he is seldom content with the things that he has or that he has done.

Who are the Organizers in your life?  An organizer will seldom volunteer their gift, they need to be asked.  Look for the organizers in your life and use them.  They are so important in a church body to keep things functioning on time and in order.  They also often carry the vision for the future and know the actions needed to get there.  

Joy in Suffering

Praise to God, the "stone" is no more!  Ten days ago I had a medical procedure done and the kidney stone was removed from my body and I have been declared "stone free"!  Ah-h, how wonderful it is to feel good again!  It has been quite a journey to get rid of this stone and definitely one that I do not wish to repeat. 

What lessons can I learn from this experience?

1.  Faith.  It is really difficult to have faith when God seems silent.  When you cry out to Him with a broken heart and hear nothing back.  You know that He is with you but you don't feel Him.  It was amazing how often the topic of  FAITH came up in the last couple of months.  We were studying faith in our schooling, our Sunday School lessons were on Faith, a friend of mine had a blog writing on Faith when God is silent, etc.  Many times those topics were exactly what I needed.  

2.  Accept suffering.  I learned to ask "Why not me?" instead of "Why me?".   Why should others suffer such tragic and horrible things while my life runs smoothly along?  Why should I get so distraught over a little temporary kidney stone?

3.  Praise during suffering.  Many nights when I walked the floor almost all night long or times during the day when I walked the floor for almost 10 hours straight I decided to praise God, when praising was the last thing I felt like doing.  I also used those hours to pray.  Pray for my husband, my children, our church, our families, friends, others who were suffering, etc.  A lot of things that I often don't find  take time to pray for.

4.  To stay at home.  Our winter months here are packed with activities 24/7.  Because of never knowing when the kidney stone may erupt in pain, I could not commit to helping with any fund-raisers.  In some ways, this was a great trial because I enjoy helping with our Quilt Sale and the Haiti Benefit Auction.  Amazingly enough those sales went right on without me helping and seemed to be extra profitable this year!  :)  And friends and family usually come to visit through the winter months but I was very limited on how much I could host...frustrating, but again found out that it's okay.  Even though I suffered from the stress of a kidney stone I didn't go through the normal stress of a schedule that is packed way too full.

5.  Humility.  It's rather humbling to have your illnesses exposed to everyone (probably more so for me, because I tend to be more of a private person).  Because of JR being a public leader sometimes I feel like I live in a glass house and maybe sometimes I resent that, so I am working on that.  It also takes humility to have food brought in for your family  because you are sick in bed, and to ask for the elders to anoint you with oil.  I would so much rather be the one helping then the one needing help.  But the blessings... innumerable.  To have our pastors crying out to God for me and to encourage me meant so much.  To have friends bringing in meals and flowers is inexpressible. 

6.  Knowledge about kidney stones.  I know a lot more about kidney stones than I did before.  I also dislike them a lot more than I did before! :)  I tried herbs, home remedies, juices, medical, narcotics, fasting, anointing, and really believed God wanted to heal me.  For some reason He chose the medical route through a procedure done at the hospital.  That wasn't my choice of ways to be healed but His ways are so much higher than mine. I can show much more compassion to those who have kidney stones because now I know how they feel.

7.  Be an example.  During one of my 'midnight strolls' God seemed to say that I can be an example of how we as Christians should endure suffering with JOY.  I didn't much like that one but I was willing to learn whatever God wanted to teach me.  Praising God through suffering is a choice definitely not a feeling.

8.  Accepting changes in my schedule.  I love a schedule, I love things organized and well planned.  My life is not well organized and well planned right now.  God knows I would go overboard with these things and probably wouldn't be much fun to live with, because I would tend to make everyone else run by my schedule, too, so He keeps me flexible.  I recently told Dad I am almost afraid to plan something because it's almost bound to get changed!

Recently someone asked me what the hardest part of this "stone" experience was.  My first answer was "the chronic pain".  Pain that is not sharp  pain but is pain that doesn't stop really wears on you.  When anyway you sit can cause poking or anyway you lie down causes poking and it doesn't stop...your endurance goes way down, at least mine did. It's a pain that is hard to describe.  The further the stone moved down the less I had of the excruciating pain but more of the chronic non-stop pain. 

But then probably equally as painful is when God seems silent.  When you are asking for answers and are willing to do whatever God wants you to do but don't hear direction from Him, then your mind is an open target for Satan to come whispering his lies and sowing his seeds of doubt.  This is definitely a time when every thought must be taken captive.

My suffering seems so minute compared with what others have suffered that I almost feel bad even mentioning it here.  Friends of ours have lost a son, another has a wife that is suffering from alzheimers at a young age, diseases, cysts, etc.... my little kidney stone seemed pretty small in comparison.  I cannot even imagine what suffering they have/are experiencing.  My prayers are with them in a fresh, new way.

But in the midst of suffering I can have JOY.  How do you explain joy when your heart is crushed and your body is hurting?  ONLY GOD.  I cannot imagine how unbelievers go through suffering without God.  How peaceful to know that even when I didn't 'feel' God, I KNEW He was here, suffering with me.  He didn't take joy in my suffering but possibly cried right along with me.  How safe to know that I could lay in His arms secure when I was exhausted mentally and physically.  It's a JOY that I cannot explain but I am so thankful to know Jesus and to know I am His child.

And then to have a husband who loved me like no other.  He was so patient, cared for me, and suffered right along with me.  He sometimes held me as I cried and didn't say a word because there were no words.  He sought God for me and tried to help discern what direction we should take next.  I love this man and cannot express enough gratefulness to God for blessing my life with him.  

And then my children.... I know it is a real trial to them to have a mom lying in bed in pain when the family needs cared for.  They gathered around my bed and cried out to God to relieve me of my pain and heal me.  (Btw, twenty minutes later the pain left.)  I could see the suffering and pain in their eyes, too,  when they knew I was having pain.  I love these kids and cannot thank God enough for them either.

So now this song has a new meaning to me...

"I'm a new creation, I'm a brand new man. (in my case, woman)

Old things are passed away, I've been born again.

More than a conqueror that's what I am..

I'm a new creation, I'm a brand new man!"

My pain is totally gone and I feel brand new again.....

THANK YOU, JESUS!

The Stone is Gone!

i will do a quick update from my phone and the capital letters do not want to work on this part so please excuse all the small letters. i had my kidney stone removal done last evening. i wont lie and say i feel like a million bucks this morning because i really dont. the stone pain is gone...praise the lord...but i am sore from the procedure. i took pain pills through the night and will need another when it is time. the stone was located where the ureter enters through the bladder and was firmly lodged there. the doctor said it was not coming on through. beings the stone was so near out they did not do the laser treatment to break it up but just grabbed it and took it on out. the kidney was doing fine as far as they could tell but the ureter was swollen and inflamed where the stone was so they put a small stent in to keep the ureter from swelling shut. this will stay in for a week and he said to expect some discomfort from that. the doctor said to expect the next week not to be the greatest in the world but at least these are discomforts of healing and i know the stone is gone.  i would like to give honor where honor is due. first of all my lord and savior who walked with me through this trial. i had pretty intense pain and paced the halls of the hospital up to about an hour before the procedure. the staff at smh could not have treated me better. we were first met jonah who said he was from ninevah and boldly testified of his relationship with god. he worked in preadmission. from there jodi collected our money. even though i strongly disagree with the amount and the method we know that she is just following the rules. she is not one to argue with and professes christianity she gave me a hug and shook jrs hand as we left. in the labs room there were sayings stuck all over the cupboards. some of the were scripture verses and some had gods name on them. i guess i was surprised by their freedom to display christian things. the admission nurses were very kind as well as the post op nurses. dr bilik is my urologist and quite a few of the staff members raved about his character and high quality work he does. if you are a local and ever need a urologist i would highly recommend him. he gave me the fredom to try to get the stone to pass on its on and did not put pressureon me to have the procedure done if not necessary. my procedure only took 45 minutes and not the expected 60. the nurses and staff in the operating room were exceptionally nice and so was the nurse in the recovery room. we got home about 745 last evening...a moment i had been waiting for all day.  thank you so much for all of you who have prayed for me through this time. and for the meals. desserts. cards. etc.  how blessed i am.      and i have to apologize yet again for no caps or commas or paragraphs here...ill probably figure out what i did wrong after i post this.