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Are You Called To Be a Ruler?
by Barbara
Cerullo
Inspiration Ministries
Hello friend
Even though we can’t be together
in person, I’m glad we can reach out to one another through this devotional
magazine as I continue my series based on the seven redemptive gifts listed in
Romans 12:6-8.
Let’s explore the gift of “ruler”
to see if this describes you or a loved one…
The Ruler’s Strengths
If God has given you the gift of
ruler, you most likely are…
· Skilled at time
management, administration, and leading
· Able to make
things bigger and better
· Not easily
distracted and can focus intently on the immediate goal
· Adaptable to
changing circumstances and able to come up with a backup plan
· Good at
bringing out the best in people
Those with the ruler gift are
called to take responsibility for their own problems and be willing to do the
hard work of correcting them.
The Ruler’s Challenges
It takes spiritual maturity to
operate in our strengths and gifts. We all have blind spots, even those of us
who have walked with Christ for many years.
Some of these may be glaring, while
others are more subtle. Taken to the extreme, our strengths can actually
become our weaknesses.
As with the other redemptive
gifts, the ruler gifting has areas where strengths can become negative and not
reflective of the Lord’s heart.
For example, the list of a
ruler’s potential strengths includes an ability to recognize how imperfect,
broken people can be used by God.
However, a spiritually immature
ruler may not recognize the need to shepherd and nurture imperfect people, and
so may tend to be impatient with them.
Other challenges may include…
· Putting others
under the same pressure as you place on yourself. When the
pressure increases, you thrive! This can be good, because you are able to use
this pressure to motivate others. But as you rise to the challenge, you must be
careful not to allow this to become a negative or abusive use of authority. Be
aware that others don’t necessarily live at the same pace or intensity that you
do.
· Creating your
own agenda instead of following God’s agenda. Because
you would rather do something (even if it’s less than perfect)
rather than not attempt anything at all, you can wind up rebelling against His
timing.
Once we
recognize a blind spot, we may be tempted to excuse it: “Well, that’s just the way I am. I’m just like my dad or my Aunt Sue.”
As you spend time in prayer, the
Lord will begin to reveal your blind spots.
When we become increasingly
intentional about who we are in Christ — and as we soak in Scriptural promises
about our identity in Him — we realize that those ugly old habits are not
something we have to live with.
Paul’s prayer
will become a reality in our life: “I pray that out of His glorious
riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians
3:16).
Try asking the Lord to show you
the areas of your life that do not please Him. One by one, He will! Believe me,
this process certainly keeps me humble!
Submitted to the Holy Spirit
As we live our lives, we daily
choose who we will serve. When we face difficult situations that bring fear,
anger, or temptation, our response is a great barometer to test how submitted
we are to the Holy Spirit.
Every thought, attitude, and action
is a reflection of who is on the throne of our life…Jesus Christ or us?
When we react negatively, we’re
doing so out of our soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions.
While our soul is not evil,
responding to the temptations of our ungodly thoughts or feelings often results
in our making ungodly choices.
Then, like
Paul, we’re overwhelmed by our weakness: “I want to do what is good,
but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway” (Romans 7:19).
However, when we respond to
temptation by choosing to live life from our spirit, where
Jesus lives inside us, we will walk in true maturity with the Lord.
We can pause, take a breath, and
ask God what to do, consciously choosing to respond with one of the fruits of
the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Then we’ll be confident we have
submitted to Him and are reflecting His glory in our life. And that’s a
beautiful thing!
Dear friend, I look forward to
next month’s devotional, when I will write about the redemptive gift of mercy…
Until then, be blessed as you
move forward in your growth in Christ!
Your Friend on the Journey,
Barbara Cerullo is devoted to authentically sharing God’s love with women.
She authors From Barbara’s Heart, where her spiritual insights,
heartwarming family stories, and delightful anecdotes encourage readers with
God’s faithfulness. Her husband, David,
is CEO of Inspiration Ministries.
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