Going Deeper in “You Were Born for This”
Read the following slowly a few times:
Gen 45:1–15; Rom 8:28; Gen 50:20; Jer 29:11; James 1:2–4
Going Deeper Questions:
1. Read Exodus 1:8–2:10 again. Who are the different people God uses to protect Moses and move the story forward?
2. What different strengths do you see in Shiphrah and Puah, Moses' mother, Miriam, and Pharaoh's daughter?
3. None of these women could have accomplished everything by herself. What does that teach us about why God gives different gifts to different people?
4. Moses' mother couldn't control what Pharaoh did, but she creatively used what she had. When have you seen God use an ability that seemed ordinary or insignificant?
5. Pharaoh's daughter had position, influence, and resources. What resources or opportunities has God entrusted to you?
6. Read Romans 12:4–8. Why do you think God gives different gifts to different members of the church?
7. Why are we sometimes better at recognizing other people's gifts than recognizing our own?
8. Have you ever dismissed something you're good at because you assumed, “Everybody can do that”? Could something that seems ordinary to you actually be part of your giftedness?
9. What keeps people from using their gifts—fear, comparison, busyness, insecurity, feeling unqualified, waiting to be asked, or something else? Which is most likely to hold you back?
This Week's Challenge
1. Ask God each morning: “God, show me how you have shaped me—and show me one place where I can use what you've given me to make a difference.”
2. God did not create us all the same. Each of us has a unique combination of gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences that God can use to make a difference. As you reflect on this week's Scripture, consider not only what God is calling you to do, but also how God has uniquely shaped you to do it.