Friday, April 24, 2015

DEVOTION: Home Improvements ~ by Shirley Corder

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. 1 Corinthians 12:14 MSG

Driving through Africa is a fascinating experience. Alongside the road, on the outskirts of towns, we often pass through rural areas containing housing estates for the ethnic people who live below the poverty level. These tiny oblong houses resemble rows of shoe boxes, all the same shape and size. They are the entry-level homes built by the government in an attempt to assuage the horrors of sub-standard living conditions that plague the country. Most of them have a grey cement plaster finish.

Some villages comprise mainly cream-painted houses, identical to their neighbors. Yet here and there, some houses stand out, painted in bright colors. Others have been creatively decorated by their owners. Bright dots or chevron patterns of red and green, blue and black, give the homes a uniquely African appearance.

Here and there we come across villages comprising traditional African rondawels (round huts). These are made of mud, cow dung, sticks of twigs and dried grass. Sometimes they are plastered with a coating of mud, giving a light brown appearance. Other times the owners have shown their artistic ability and their hut stands out from the rest.

When God created us, He made us all in His image. He used the same pattern—yet He didn’t intend us to be clones of one another. We don’t have to blend in with the rest of humanity. We can look for opportunities to develop into the unique creatures God intended us to be.
  • Do you have a gift of music? Look for ways to develop it.
  • Is it easy for you to make friends? Reach out to those around you and bring encouragement.
  • Are you able to cook, or paint, or write? Find ways to use your gifts to make a difference in people’s lives. 
Be prepared to stand out and be different. God gave us so many gifts. Let’s use them to bring joy to others.

PRAYER: Lord, you have blessed me with gifts and abilities. Help me to use them to bring happiness to others. Amen.

THIS WEEK: Ask God daily to show you how to use your gifts to bless others.


OVER TO YOU: What gift has the Lord blessed you with? Have you done anything special with it? 
Please answer in a comment below.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her time in the cancer valley.

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Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook 

1 comment:

  1. Lovely post, Shirl. Thanks for your encouraging words.

    ReplyDelete