For years I struggled with the notion that I could be strong when I was weak.

I’m talking about after I chose to repent and lay down my life for Jesus Christ.  I just couldn’t seem to get my hands around this Biblical concept enough to pull it down in front of me and say:

“Oh!…Yeah, I get it now!

And it must be the way I’m wired, because I still have to stop and think about it in order to fully comprehend it.  For whatever the reason, there’s an impulsive tendency for me to take the meaning of words at face value.

Imagine that.

Perhaps the irony of this is that through one of my most obvious inadequacies, the Lord’s words spoken to the apostle Paul were corroborated by His power which now works in me:

“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”  [2Cor. 12:9, the apostle Paul’s letter to the church of God which [was] Corinth with all the saints who [were] throughout Achaia]

For most of my life, I never gave a second thought to trying to write an intelligible, well–constructed sentence.  Not only that, I hated to read anything!

[When did that change?  see: Inductive Study? Sounds Like a Plan.]

So, am I boasting?  Indeed I am.  But I do so in the humblest sense.  Because there’s no way in the world I could ever communicate the Scriptures to the readers of this website through my own devices.  Furthermore, there would’ve been no inclination for me to try to do so had the Spirit of Grace not chosen to perfect His power in me through something I had no interest in.

I believe that the real potency of Spiritual gifts is often never realized.  Perhaps the biggest reason is that they’re not always recognized and regularly stumbled over in search of a knack more suited to the personal whims of an impatient seeker.

And while there are any number of publications and study guides available which [I’m sure] have helped a lot of Christ’s disciples discover what their gifts are, some are simply misleading and draw no guidelines from the Biblical texts.

[What are “Spiritual gifts” really about?  see: Take It and Run With It!]

But my goal is to encourage the Body above refuting error.  And if I were to choose not to let the Spirit lead me in the development and usefulness of my gifts, I would inevitably credit any accomplishments—either perceived or actual—to myself.

I am, however, a living testimony to the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit which can transform lives.

To that end, I appeal to the man who’s chosen to act upon a sudden realization that he’s been called to do the Lord’s work but he can’t find a work order.  Maybe he’s been hanging around the pastor’s office in his congregation, asking if there’s anything he can do.

I say, open your eyes and your ears.  Meet regularly with other men who want to get to know you.

They’re there, trust me.

You don’t always need to study when you meet.  Just talk and pray together about what’s happening in your life and your family’s lives and agree to hold each other to account for living a life which reflects the character of Jesus Christ.

This process helps uncover a lot of things you didn’t realize about yourself—both bad and good.  And when the muddy water washes off of the rocks, it’s a lot easier to find the gold.

The men bound up together with you in Christ are critical to helping you to discover what you were really created to do.

Listen to them.