I haven’t been the best at stewarding the gift of music and playing the keyboard unto Jesus, however, God has been reminding me that He’s given me this gift out of His grace and has a purpose for it. 

Just as I have given my best in the area of learning the Word of God and teaching, I want to give my best in ALL other areas of my life.

We are called to be prepared in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). God’s grace is given to us not to slack but to step into all He has planned for our lives.

Some of us are even called to serve under the fivefold ministry. Maybe it’s not your season to step into being a pastor, prophet, or other ministry offices, but what are you doing today to steward the call of God in your life for when that time does come?

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians‬ ‭4:7, 11-12‬).

Let us use our time wisely as we know our time here on earth is short. When our lives end and this world passes away, only Jesus will endure forever and ONLY HE will matter. There is nothing more important than knowing Jesus and living our lives to fulfill His purpose for us.

We have one life to live for Jesus, why not live our best for Him and use our time to seek Him? We are not going to have another opportunity in the flesh to know Jesus and live for Him. No one also knows their last day. 

Psalm 39:5 says, “You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

How can you better steward your time to seek Him and do what He is calling you to do?

Your life is not your own. The abundant life comes as we give our time to Jesus and use it however He wants us to. 

We have all been given gifts by God’s grace to serve others and this is not something we deserve. 

We didn’t sign up and train for the gifts that God has given us. He has simply given them to us as an opportunity to serve His people and to do good works to fulfill His plans.

There is nothing more fulfilling we can do except to do what God created us to do.

“If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly” (Romans 12:7-8).

The enemy will try to rob us of using the gifts God has given us by distraction and sin. 

Let’s be faithful in loving Jesus and using our gifts with His power to minister unto Him and His people. It was never optional to use the gifts God has given us, but required. God gave each of us gifts to use for His purposes.

It will require our sacrifice to use the gifts He has given us, but the reward of obeying God and serving His people will be all worth it.

How we use our time matters to God. 

How can you better steward the gifts God had given you this year? Will you ask God what gift He longs you to step into in this season and give of yourself to it?

We get to make an eternal impact and see God move through the beautiful gifts He has given us. So remember, live to your full potential.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the grace that You so freely gave to us. May we always walk with you and live to our full potential every single day. 

Listen more in our podcast “Live To Your Full Potential”

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God opened my eyes to another level during my recent Singapore mission trip. We stayed with a couple who has opened their home to over 40 people throughout the years. Their heart is to open their homes to young people who come from broken homes or no family and have no place to stay. They are currently hosting 8 young people and have dedicated their lives to loving them and creating a safe atmosphere.

Their hospitality to us was also beyond what we expected. They not only hosted us but also covered a lot of our meals and made sure we had everything we needed during the trip.

The love that this couple displayed was so beautiful. My husband and I were able to hear one of the stories of a teenager living in the home, which they call the Last Resort. Prior to the Last Resort, he got so used to of the feeling of rejection and pain that he refused to connect with people to prevent feelings of any pain.

He became numb to what true love is. But through staying at the Last Resort, he was able to experience genuine love that comes from Christ. There are many testimonies from this couple that has transformed many young lives.

I was reminded of this verse as I saw how this couple loved others:

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21).

Investing in people will never be a waste of time, it’s an investment that will last for eternity. You may not see the impact of what you are doing today, but trust that God is watering the seeds you are planting. Whether you are spending your time discipling someone, opening your home, or giving of your resources, it makes a difference towards eternity.

Jesus says in Luke 12:33, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”

Countless times we see Jesus reminding us to not neglect those who are in need. James 2:15-16 says, “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?“

Let us not be so occupied with our own lives that we miss the lives around us that God wants us to help. Life is more than food and the clothing we wear (Luke 12:23). Ask God to open your eyes to the needs around you. He will show you who He wants you to invest in.

What can you do today to be a blessing? Who has God put in your life to share the love of Jesus with? 

There are lives that need to experience and know the love and truth of Jesus. He has given the body (us as believers) the duty to be the light of the world so that others may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). Money won’t last forever, but souls will. God has given you time and resources to love and draw souls to Him. So remember, invest in eternity.

Learn more about the Last Resort here: www.thelastresort.life

He could have told the lady sorry and left, but he instead asked me if it was ok if we took her home. I had thoughts in my mind that it would mean we would get home later and have to drive farther which meant more gas. But I knew that God had provided us with the means to help so I agreed to help the lady.

On our way to taking her home, we found out that she works at Universal Studios and offered to give us 2 free tickets to enjoy the park. What a blessing!

That situation alone showed us that God loves it when we help those in need. Whether it be driving someone home or giving to others, God sees our heart to serve His people. We don’t serve to get something from someone, but it is God’s principle to bless when we give.

Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap…”

The key word in this verse is “running over”. When we give with a genuine heart, He makes sure to provide to us more than what we need.  The enemy wants to paralyze us with fear so that we never see God’s principles as reality over our lives.

Fear says when we give, we will be in lack. God says when we give, we will be in overflow. 

God’s ways will always require our faith, and this is no different in regards to giving. It’s impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). The only way to prove our love to God is by obeying and trusting in Him.

His desire is for us to help those in need. Leviticus 25:35 says, “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.”

Jesus also says in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

When we give unto others God promises us this:

“If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.” (Leviticus 26:3-5)

When we give and obey God, He promises that we will always be taken care of. He knows the desires of our hearts and He longs to see us enjoy His blessings. Every day we have the choice to follow our ways or God’s ways. If we want to see God real in our lives, we have to start obeying His ways.

Another fear we may have with giving is seeing our current situation of lack. Whether we are in lack or not, we must always trust what God is putting in our hearts to do. 1 Kings 17 presents a widow women and her son who were in lack. Because they gave what they had, God provided more than enough for them.

The women said in 1 Kings 17:12, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son…” Elijah still asked her to give him bread because God told him “the jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” (1 Kings 17:14)

The women obeyed and saw God’s promise come to pass. 1 Kings 17:16 says, “For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.”

Just as God made sure the widow and her son were well taken care of, God will also make sure that you are well taken care of.

What has God put in your heart to do? How can God use you to help those around you? 

Whether you are in lack or not, know that God can use you and will bless you. God is a good father and would never ask you to do anything that would harm you. So remember, overcome the fear of giving.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that I can give and bless others knowing I myself will be taken care of by you.

I was waiting outside a restaurant for my family to arrive. Because I had nothing to do I noticed a lady with a small table that was set up right by the restaurant. She had a bunch of handmade lanyards and keychains that she was selling.

You could tell that she didn’t have much but did her best with all she had.

As I was waiting I saw many people pass by this lady without stopping to take notice of her table. Their eyes were fixed on their destination and it was evident that the lady was unnoticeable to them.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this poor lady was instead a famous artist, would people have noticed her then? Probably.

But I honestly would have done the same thing. If I didn’t have to wait for my family, I would have been like the others, disregarding this lady who clearly was in need.

However, God has been teaching me to notice the unnoticeable and to be a helping hand whenever I can. Whether it’s giving a prophetic word to encourage someone, giving money to those in need, or simply smiling at someone and asking how their day was, I want to give what I have to bless others.

I ended up talking with the lady and purchased her lanyards to support her. She shared her story and it was encouraging to see that she was willing to be faithful with the little that God had given her. I encouraged her that she is special in God’s eye and that He notices her.

I could tell she felt loved at that moment, and not by me but by Jesus.

When we notice others, we open their eyes to see that God noticed them first.

God chooses to display his love to others through us. 

We are called to be like Jesus who went to the dark places to help the poor, sick, and lost. He calls us out of darkness to be the light of the world. Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Our purpose is to bring hope to the hopeless. What better way to show Jesus’s love to someone than sacrificing what Jesus has given us to help others. When we give what we have to others, people will see God’s love through us.

It can seem unimportant to help those in need, but we must realize that when we help the poor we are helping the king of kings himself who is Jesus.

Jesus says in Matthew 25:35-36,40, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

We are serving Jesus when we help those in need. 

It is an honor and a blessing to help those who are less fortunate than us. It may take time for us to notice such people, but we can start by asking the Lord to show us how we can help those in need.

Not only will we be blessing those in need, but we ourselves will be blessed here on earth and in heaven. Jesus said to those who served the needy, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you..”(Matthew 25:34).

As we sow in generosity and kindness, we will also reap what we have sown. Jesus will help us when we are in need as we help those who are in need. Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

As we give unto others, we are leaving room for Jesus to give back to us evermore abundantly.

Let us be like the good Samaritan in Luke 10 who went out of his way to help the man who got robbed and beaten. Luke 10:34-35 says, “He went to him and bandaged his wounds…Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'”

This Samaritan went out of his way to help the man in need, unlike the priest and Levite who saw the dying man yet kept walking.

How many times have we walked by someone in need and kept walking?

Jesus calls us to be like the good Samaritan. If we aren’t willing to give it away, we can’t be a light to the world.

When was the last time you stopped and helped those in need? Will you allow yourself to be used by God and help those in need?

God wants to use you to show others of his love and mercy. You are called to be a vessel that carries the light of Jesus. So remember, notice the unnoticeable.

Prayer: Lord, help me to notice those around me who are in need.

I’ve been hurt many times by people who were dear and close to me. The actions that they took completely showed that my interests were not in their mind.

The pain felt real and tears became unstoppable.

I started to say things like, “How could they do that? Were they really that heartless to even think of that? Do they not care about my feelings?”

I was ready to express my feelings and speak words that I felt they deserved to hear.

I asked God, “Am I wrong to feel this way?”

God’s response to me was, you’re not in the wrong to feel the pain and that person did do wrong. But despite the pain and hurt, God reminded me that he still had a greater calling for me: to be like Jesus.

To be like Jesus is to humble myself, to put others’ interests before my own, and to love as he loved. 

We have a greater calling to be like Jesus in every situation. 

Philippians 2:1-4 says, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

We will have no reason to be hurt when we humble ourselves and put the interests of others before our own.

Messy conflicts turn beautiful when we put the interests of others before our own. 

If we have been united with Christ and share in his spirit of love and compassion, then we are to live it out by putting others first.

Jesus himself always put others before himself. He took the nature of a servant to those who beat and mistreated him. Philippians 2:8-9 says, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”

Just as God exalted Jesus for his sacrifice, God too will lift us up as we humble ourselves. 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

When God lifts us up, we no longer need to lift ourselves up. When we try to lift ourselves up, we end up hurting ourselves, the other person, and the image of Christ in us. But if we humble ourselves and pursue to be like Jesus, we will find joy and shine Jesus’s love onto others.

You’re going to experience conflict in all aspects of your life; work colleagues, family, friends, and significant other. But it’s in those moments of conflict that we have the choice to turn it around by putting them first.

You have the greatest opportunity to shine the love of Jesus in the midsts of conflict. Imagine how much conflict you would avoid by putting others’ needs above your own. When life becomes less about us and more about others, it positions us to love others. 

How would living a selfless life look in your life? How would it impact your life and the life of others? Will you put other’s interests before your own and trust that God will take care of you? Will you pursue to be like Jesus in any situation you face?

We have the power to turn messy conflicts around by our own choice to respond like Jesus. We don’t have to wait for the other person to act right for us to heal and be filled with joy. God’s love is all we need. His love positions us to love others despite what has been done to us. So remember, turn messy conflicts around by putting others first.

Prayer: Lord, help me to put others’ needs before my own so that I can always walk in your love.

For the past few months, I’ve been praying and asking God to bless me by giving me a promotion at my job. I’ve accomplished a lot for my company; from helping them create great products, growing their customer reach, and creating insightful strategies and reports.

I thought I was getting closer to God finally answering my prayers when all my managers gave me great performance feedback and said I have helped the company reach the next level.

But to my disappointment, I didn’t get the promotion.

I went to God angry and confused. “God, how could you not allow me to get a promotion? You know the hard work and passion I’ve put into this company, why have you not blessed me?” But it was during my time alone with God when he said to me, I have blessed you.

It was in that moment when I realized God has blessed me. He has used me to bless the company and help them grow like they never had before since I’ve worked there. God’s version of blessing me and shining his face upon me at work was me being kind to the unkind co-worker, serving my best to others even if it wasn’t to my own advantage, and rejoicing in others promotion even if it didn’t include my own.

God’s intention of blessing me wasn’t for my own selfish agenda, but to bless others and make his ways known.

God’s purpose of blessing us is to make us a blessing for others. 

Psalm 67:1-2 says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us – so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among the nations.” God’s purpose of blessing us and making his face shine upon us is not to shine it on our own lives, but to shine it on him. God blesses us so that his ways may be known and glorified by all.

The world may define being blessed as what you can gain, but it’s when you can bless others that you’ve truly become a blessing. Paul, an apostle of Jesus says in Acts 20:35, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Paul dedicated his life to serving others and sharing the goodness of God to bless others. Until today, many lives have been touched and transformed from his sacrifice.

Paul’s life shows us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Paul could have spent his life working and gaining a lot of money to buy himself a nice house, but Paul having a nice house of his own wouldn’t have blessed the millions of lives that have been touched by his ministry. Paul understood what it meant to be blessed, and we too can be blessed like Paul.

God desires to make you a blessing – to use you to transform your community and those around you through living a life as Jesus did and sharing his good news.

Have you realized that you are blessed by God and have the potential to transform your world? Will you surrender your life to God so that he can use you as a blessing? 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “…What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—“.

God has amazing plans for your life beyond what you see today. Ask God to open your heart and eyes to see from his perspective and live out the plans he has for you. So remember, you are blessed when you can bless others. 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that you have blessed me so that I can be a blessing to others.

As I was praying to God of what my new year’s goals should be, God convicted me of my selfish heart and refusal to serve others. I would constantly self-pity myself, giving myself excuses of why I shouldn’t live generously. I would say things like “I don’t make much” or “I’m going to have to save a lot for my future” and just pitying myself because of the large sums of money that would have to come out from me.

God convicted me of my selfish heart and showed me that even through generosity can his kingdom be expanded. My own self-pity was stopping me from living out God’s complete provision in my life. God wanted to use me through the resources he has given me, but I limited how God could use me.

I said yes to God when he asked me to give my time to do ministry and to write blogs, but no to generosity.

But this is the year that I choose to say yes to generosity. God put in my heart for me to commit to serving and showing an act of generosity at least once a month to my family, boyfriend, and strangers/friends. So using the Live Purposefully Calendar (click to download to use for yourself), I planned out strategies that I would commit to learning to be more generous. For this month, I decided I would pay for someone’s groceries.

As I was walking in the grocery store, I started praying and asking God to make a divine appointment for me to meet someone whom he wanted me to bless through paying their groceries. As I was approaching the grocery line to pay for my own goods the Holy Spirit zoned my eyes to a young lady with a child who was in line and about to pay for her grocery goods. I felt the Holy Spirit push me to go to that line and pay for that lady.

The feeling of awkwardness starting to arise but I knew this had to be done. So, I offered the lady that I would pay for her groceries. She was in complete shock and refused for me to pay for her. The register lady saw all of this happening and told the lady, “Don’t reject a blessing that God wants to give to you. He loves you and wants to bless you through this young girl.”

It was at that moment when the lady whom I was about to pay for starting to have tears in her eyes. She said thank you and hugged me 3 times before she left the store. I don’t know if she had a relationship with God or what was going on in her life, but I do know that she felt God’s love at that moment.

I was so amazed at how God was able to put all of this together. Not only was the lady whom I paid for touched by God’s love, but the register lady who was serving us was also in awe. She announced it loudly, “God is here and he is still moving in this city.” She thanked me for showing God’s love to that young lady and said she wish she could see more people do what I did. While all this was happening, everyone behind me in line was also listening and watching.

My prayer is that everyone at the grocery store who did see what happened would be touched by God’s love and believe that he is real. I am also praying that the young lady who I paid for would hold on to God’s love for her and draw closer to him.

That evening I was so overwhelmed with how God was able to orchestrate everything for his glory. Through my generosity, God was able to extend his love to another who really needed it.

Our generosity allows God to extend his love to others.

That day God really opened my eyes to the beauty and power of generosity. I was able to see how God could use my generosity to expand his kingdom. I thought my one generous act would just touch one person, but it ended up touching a whole line at the grocery store, and possibly more lives.

Generosity is more than a kind act – it displays the love of God into the world. We have been given so much potential from God to display his glory and draw others to him through the many gifts he has given to us – and generosity is one of them. Is God calling you to say yes to generosity? Who is God calling you to serve? Ask the Lord how you can serve those around you, because he does have a plan to use you through generosity and servanthood.

Acts 20:35 says, “..by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” If God has blessed you with good resources and money, don’t hesitate to share that with others. It is a blessing to be able to have the gift to give to others and bless them. Our giving has so much power to touch lives. It is a blessing to be able to bless others. So remember, there is beauty in generosity.

Download the Live Purposefully Calendar and turn your goals in achievements!