"Have Thine Way" is a popular hymn that many of us have sung or heard in our lifetime. This hymn is from the passage of scripture from Jeremiah 18:3, "So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." The history of this song is found with Adelaide A. Pollard, a hymn writer, was hoping to go to Africa as a missionary but found herself unable to raise the needed funds to make the journey. Discouraged, she attended prayer meeting one evening in 1902. There an old woman prayed: "Lord, it doesn't matter what you bring into our lives--just have your way with us."

The words sank home. Adelaide went home. She meditated on the old woman's prayer and on Bible texts in Jeremiah 18:3,4 and Isaiah which referred to God as a potter. As a result, she wrote a hymn which millions have sung:

Have Thine own way, Lord! 
Have Thine own way! 
Thou art the potter; I am the clay. 
Mold me and make me after Thy will, 
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

How many of us understand the frustration of Adelaide, we have so many plans and desires but they seem to not come together. Often into our lives come discouragements and heartaches that we cannot understand. As children of God, however, we must learn never to question the ways of our sovereign God—but simply to say: Have Thine Way. Her words here teach us that we are clay in the Master Potter’s hands. Although it may be challenging, when we submit to the Potter’s touch, we experience the joy of his perfect will. Are you willing to be shaped for God’s use? If so, the first step is to trust Jesus, as your Savior and Lord. The choice is yours!! If you have failed to cooperate with the divine Potter, it is not too late for you to be made into a useful vessel if you will yield to Him. On this Worship Wednesday surrender all to Him and let His will be your will in all ways. Let him "Have His Way". 

When Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, He left you an incredible gift—your spiritual gift. Maybe you’ve not discovered yet what you have in Jesus. Could it be you have it framed on the wall, not using it? Or have left your gift under the tree, unopened and unappreciated? 

1 Corinthians 12: 1 says that God does not want us to be ignorant to our  spiritual gifts, brethren. But you see I was not ignorant. I always knew I had gifts, but I was confused as to where to use my gifts, as the places that I thought they could be used, I was told it was either "too much", or it was "abused", "manipulated" and "misappropriated."  So because of what people did with my gifts, I had become so disheartened that I had fooled myself in thinking that my gifts did not have a place. So I let them sit unopened.

But God didn’t send His Son to save us so that we could sit but to serve! He gave us all a spiritual gift. Ephesians 4:7 says, But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ”. Grace here is the Greek word "charis" which is a God-given spiritual ability for service and ministry. So if you're a child of God, you are graced with a gift. And each of His children are given something to do that shows who God is: "Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits". (1 Corinthian 12:4-11, Message)

Your spiritual gift goes beyond talent. You don’t choose your spiritual gift anymore than you choose your natural gifts—like the color of your eyes or skin. Just as you get natural talents genetically by your first birth, your spiritual gift is given to you at your new birth. It is supernatural. You can develop your natural gifts, and you can develop your supernatural gifts. You see I never really developed the gifts my Father bestowed upon me, because I allowed people in my family, on my jobs and in the churches I attended to discourage me from using my gifts. Because  as the worship song chosen for today says: 

"The systems of the world
Will try to take your confidence
But these systems were designed to make you doubt what heaven sent
But these systems were designed to make you sit down on your gift."
Donald Lawrence - The Gift Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

When I no longer allowed fear, criticism, envy and jealously to discourage what I know God has graced me to be and do, did I begin to serve Him more freely and unapologetically.  I have discovered gifts that I never knew existed and I must say that these gifts that I have been graced to wear sure looks good on me. Someone just recently said to me that I look "so free" and that's because I have opened the gifts my loving Father bestowed upon me and I am wearing them with grace, freely, fiercely and fearlessly. And you know what, God has graced you too, and your gifts can look good on you too. 
 
Never despise someone else's gift, because "all kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful. God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit." (1 Corinthian 12:4-11, Message) So you wear what God has graced you with because as one body we will bring glory to our Heavenly Father who freely bestowed His Spirit on each of us. 

As a gifted child you can’t leave your gift in the box or sitting on the wall collecting dust. Find out what God wants you to do and get busy doing it. Focus on serving Him because when you serve Him, joy begins to flow and you live in fulfillment. So today,  accept yourself, unwrap your gift, surrender yourself and then work your grace for the glory of God.

~Yolanda D.

The smile of God is the goal of your life! Numbers 6:25 says, “May the Lord smile on you …” 

Our worship is something that God enjoys and makes Him smile. It is communion with Him and we were made for that sole purpose. It makes God happy to receive worship. It is all that we actually own and can give to Him. Everything else, he gave to us. Worship is our only real gift to God. 

Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that. “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” Ephesians 5:10 (MSG) . Five acts of worship that make God smile:

- God smiles when we love him supremely. 
- God smiles when we trust him completely. 
- God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly. 
- God smiles when we praise and thank him continually. 
- And God smiles when we use our abilities. 

John 4:24 reminds us that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. That simply means that what we say should match what we do. That is the only way our worship will make God smile. I don't know about you, but I love the fact that my worship can make such a wonderful God smile.  Will you make pleasing God the goal for the rest of your life? There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that God won’t do for the person totally absorbed with the desire to make Him smile. On this Worship Wednesday let's put a smile on our Heavenly Father's face and present our lives, our heart and our worship to Him.