Make The Most With The Little You Have

We've been taught that in order to do great things, we need to have a lot of greatness in us. However, this isn't always true. The little you have still has the power to shake this world. Don't underestimate your imperfections and shortcomings. God can make the most with the little you have. 

This weekend I had the privilege to have a booth for Living Revelations at a Christian Conference. Many people would stop by and the one question that was asked by almost everyone was, "You did all of this? You, by yourself?" 

It wasn't until after the conference that I realized how much I was able to accomplish with the little I had only because of the power of God. I can't even credit myself for the lives that have been touched by my blog or the number of people I've been able to reach. I'm no marketing expert, nor am I a perfect writer. 

So what's my secret you might ask? I just have a great God who does great things through me. 

You too have a great God who desires to do great things through you. 

Don't let your lack of experience or ability stop you from doing what God is calling you to do. God doesn't look for great people  - he looks for those who know that they aren't great but trust in a great God. 

God will use the little you have to bless many. The story of the widow's olive oil in the Bible is a great example of how God is able to use the little we have to bless others for His glory and kingdom. The widow needed money to pay off what her husband owed to the creditors, but she only had a little oil left that wasn't enough to pay off the debts. The widow shared her situation to the prophet Elisha and while he understood that she didn't have enough oil to sell, he still told her to take empty jars and fill them with the olive oil that she did have. 

Yet even with the little she had, she acted in faith and trusted that God would do the rest. She obeyed the word of God and filled all the empty jars with the oil she had. Through the power of God, the oil that she had was able to fill the many jars that she took. 2 Kings 4:6-5 says, "They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full.." God was able to fill the jars up despite the little the widow had. We have a God who is able to use even the smallest and weakest thing we could ever imagine. 

Another example in the Bible of God using the little to work wonders for His glory is the story of the 5,000 people being fed. There were 5,000 hungry people who needed to be fed, and the disciples could only find one boy who only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. John 6:9 says, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Yet God was able to use the little the boy had to bless the many people there. 

God will take the little you have and make much with it. 

What little do you have for the Lord to use? What is God calling you to step out and do? What gifts has he called you to use for his kingdom glory? The boy in the bible was a nobody, but God made him into a somebody. I was a nobody, but God made me into a somebody. You may be a nobody, but God can make you into a somebody. 

God wants to use you, and the only things He asks of you is to surrender your life to him and He will do the rest. He will open the doors that you can't open. He will provide for you the things you can provide for yourself. God will be your God, and you will be His people. 

It doesn't matter what you have because the ability for God to use you comes from Him and not you. God only ask you to keep pouring as the widow in the Bible kept pouring. Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." It is the power of God that will empower you to do things beyond your own capabilities. So remember, God can make the most with the little you have. 

Your Weaknesses Are a Part Of Your Calling

We all have things in our lives that we aren't good at; whether it's public speaking, writing, creativity, or whatever it may be, your weaknesses were made for so much more. God has the power to use your weaknesses for His glory. Your weaknesses are a part of your calling. 

I grew up throughout High School hating writing. English was always my weakest subject and grammar was never my thing. I never considered writing to be my profession and never could I ever imagine God using me through writing. 

But then College hit and it was during that time when I heard God call me to share his goodness through writing. I still remember hesitating and being completely embarrassed to share my first blog post on Facebook. I told God many times, "Are you sure you want me to share this? Would people even be able to relate to my writing? Could my writing even be understood?" 

So many hesitations and doubts came in my mind telling me that I shouldn't post my blog. But I'm glad that I took the step of faith and pursued the calling that God had for me through writing. I see lives getting touched through my blog and it's not because I'm a good writer, but because of the Holy Spirit working through me. 

God calls you not because you are capable of fulfilling the calling, but because He is capable of fulfilling the calling through you. 

Your calling will always require you to have faith in God and not yourself. Rarely will God call you to do something that you are capable of doing alone. God wants you to know that you can do what you do because of His power and grace. 

I am a living testimony of God's ability to use your weaknesses for His very purpose. Don't let the feeling of "I'm not good enough" stop you from pursuing God's purpose for you. Even Moses and Isaiah, two men whom God used greatly in the bible were hesitant of God's calling on their life. 

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, his response was, "...Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). Isaiah a prophet of God also didn't feel qualified to pursue God's purpose for him. Isaiah's initial response to God's call was, "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.." (Isaiah 6:5). 

Although Moses and Isaiah doubted their ability and worth to fulfill God's calling, they didn't let that stop them. They were able to fulfill God's calling and live lives that testified of God's glory because of God's power at work through them. God doesn't call us because we are good enough, but because He is good enough. 

God responded to Moses's hesitation with, "I will be with you." (Exodus 3:12). Just as God promised to be with Moses, so does God promise to be with us. God calls the weak so that His strength may be known through us. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." God's power was made to perfect your weaknesses so that your weaknesses could glorify Him. 

What is God calling you to do? Are you letting your weaknesses limit how God can use you? Feeling "not good enough" is normal, but don't let it stop you from living out God's purpose for you. If Moses had not stepped out in faith and pursued God's calling for him, the Israelites would not have been saved. If I had allowed my doubts to tell me that I wasn't good enough to write, I would never have been able to see God's powerful hand touch lives through my writing. 

God plans to use your life to touch and change lives, but you must make the decision to live by faith even in the midst of your own weaknesses. God prepares those he calls, and he will prepare you as well. God doesn't ask you to know it all or have it all, but to simply depend on Him and follow His directions. So remember, your weaknesses are a part of your calling. 

The Beauty Of Generosity

I've always been a stingy person, and never once did I ever consider generosity to be "my thing". Yes, I knew how impactful generosity can be but thought that God would never use me in that way. It wasn't until this new year that God opened my heart and challenged me to live a life of generosity and servanthood. I've only begun this journey, but have already started to see the beauty of generosity.

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 Publix, 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 to 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. 

There Is Purpose In Hardships

If we had the choice to live life without hardships, I think most of us would take that offer. The pain, uncertainty, and hurt that we experience through hardships are definitely not desiring, but sometimes it's only through hardships that God can be glorified. There is purpose in hardships.

I've been busy working on some projects that God has put in my heart which included starting a Christian clothing line. I started this project with the expectation that things would go well and smoothly, especially since God wanted me to do this in the first place. 

However, unexpected issues would occur that were out of my control. I found myself complaining and ranting at God, saying things like "God, why would you make this so hard if you wanted me to do this in the first place?" 

But later that day I was convicted by the story of Mary and the birth of Jesus. As I was reading Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus, I was intrigued with Luke 2:7 which says, "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them." 

I was trying to imagine what Mary would have thought in her mind at that moment. If I was Mary, I would have complained to God and said, "Lord, you are the one who wanted me to bring Jesus to this world, why haven't you prepared a room for us when you could easily have done so?" But it was in that moment when God showed me how faithful Mary was. She made the best of what she had and was faithful in serving God even in the midst of hardships.

God will only use people who will be faithful to him even in the midst of hardships We must be like Mary and remember that whatever God allows us to go through is for our best. God allows things to happen for His purpose, and most of the time it will involve us going through hardships. 

God allows for hardships to happen because sometimes, it's only through hardships that He can be glorified. 

Because Jesus was born in a manger, the shepherds were able to see Jesus and share of His glory to others. Luke 2:17-18 says, "Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds."

The hardship that Mary experienced with having no room for Jesus to be born allowed the shepherds to find Jesus which led them to share of Gods glory to others. Just like Mary's hardships, your hardships were made to glorify God. 

God has a plan to use your hardship for His purpose. 

If you're going through a rough time, don't feel discouraged but know that God's glory is always the end story of any hardship if you depend on God and obey His way. Be excited when life demands of your faith because you know God is about to do something great in your life. God would never let you go through a hardship to only bring you pain without purpose. 

Just as God used Mary's hardship for His glory, He also plans to use our hardships for His glory.  The pain you experience now is only temporarily, but if you persevere in the Lord, you will see God's faithfulness.

Mary herself at the end was able to see the purpose of her hardships. Luke 2:19 says, "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." It must have been a revealing moment for Mary to see how others marveled at the glory of Jesus. It was at that moment when Mary realized that all the hardships she went through were worth it. The hardships you experience now will not compare to the glory that is yet to come. Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

Stay rooted in the Lord as you go through your hardships and believe there is a purpose for it. Many of the mighty people God used in the bible had to go through hardships before seeing the glory and purpose of God revealed. Before Moses could bring the Israelites out from slavery from Egypt, he had to go through much hardship from Pharaoh who refused to let the Israelites go. But it was only through Pharaoh's hardened heart that the freedom of the Israelites could be credited to the almighty power of God. 

God wants you to show His mighty hand in your life, but that can only happen through trials and hardships. If life was perfect, we wouldn't need God. But because life isn't perfect, it gives us the opportunity to see God real in our lives. 

Embrace your hardships and use it as an opportunity to draw you closer to God and in due time, you will see the purpose of God prevail. Romans 5:3-4 says, "..we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." It's through our hardships that we can see the power of God work in our lives, and it's then that real hope becomes birthed within us. So remember, there is purpose in hardships. 

Live Purposefully This New Year

The New Year can either be a day to reminisce about your achievements or a day of disappointment for the lack of achievements you have made this year. It's easy to have dreams and make goals of what we want to accomplish for the new year, but how do we go about accomplishing these goals? Is there a way to live purposefully this new year?

Just like you, I too made goals that I wanted to accomplish last year; goals to be a better person, to be more productive, and to be closer to God. While I did accomplish some goals that I had made, there were also a lot of other goals that ended up just being "goals" but never accomplishments.

I had a goal to finish my Psalms devotional book that never ended up happening, and goals to pray more, but my prayer life still has not gotten better since the day I made the decision to pray more. My problem was a lack of strategy and commitment. The desire to change was there, but no visible strategy was placed.

Having the desire to accomplish something isn't enough to get us to accomplish our goals. Turning goals into accomplishments requires desire, strategy, and commitment.

When you set a goal to get an A in a class, you have to create a strategy on how you plan to accomplish that, and then you have to commit to that strategy. Just desiring for an A in the class but not committing time to study or do homework will take you nowhere near an A.

Just as we set goals and strategies to get an A in class, so should we do the same for setting up goals to having a closer relationship with God. Many of us say "this will be the year that I will pray more" or "this will be the year that I get closer to God" without making actual strategies on how we plan to achieve that. So what ends up happening? Goals stay as goals.

However, there is a way to live purposefully this new year and make everyday count. To help you make the most of this new year, I created a Live Purposefully Calendar (click to download) that you can download. This calendar will help you accomplish your goals by allowing you to plan and create strategies for you to commit to. To help you stay committed to your strategies, choose one accountability partner who will agree to check your calendar at the end of each month. There are check boxes on each day for you to mark off whenever each strategy is completed for the day, and a check box at the end of the calendar for your accountability partner to mark off that they have seen your calendar.

Let's make 2017 the year we turn our goals to accomplishments. God has a calling and purpose for all of us, but it is up to us to be obedient and live up to the calling. Paul writes in Philippians 3:14, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Let's press towards the calling God has for us and live purposefully this new year. Will you join me in living each day of 2017 purposefully? So remember, live purposefully this new year.

Click here to download the Live Purposefully Calendar for free.