Different Strokes for Different Folks

My son engaged me in a discussion about a seminar / assessment he took part in -- This information is taken from the book Grooming the Next Generation for Success by Dani Johnson.  We had a good discussion about understanding ourselves, and one another - so as to live in harmony, unity, and love.  Which GEM are you?

Sapphires: 
Sapphires tend to be very verbal and loud.  They are fun and wild.  They love loud music and they love to talk.  These "gems" are not usually orderly or on time, but  are very visionary.  They tend to be encouraging and natural motivators. They love to laugh and everything they do has to be fun.  They thrive on encouragement.  They love fun colors and clothes and lots of accessories.  Sapphires are major risk takers and multitakers.  They love teamwork, popularity, and people. They usually have the most friends and are the most popular and possess strong leadership skills.  They love to help and love to be rewarded.
Weaknesses of a sapphire: They have a hard time focusing (Society would say they have ADD or ADHD) are disorganized, disorderly, late,  and have over-active brains.  Sapphires are over reactors and get their feelings hurt easily.  They comonly struggle with distrust, blame, hatred, malice, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness.  They tend to wear their emotions on their sleeves and experience extreme highs and lows.  They want to be recognized by you and don't want to dissapoint you.

Spiritual gifts:  To motivate and encourage


Pearls:

 Obey the first time.  They have a heart to fulfill the needs of people.  Listen well and love to help and serve. They are warm, sensitive, calm, even-keeled, compliant, honest, loyal, mellow, quiet.  Pearls don't like confrontation and are major peace keepers.  They're most comfortable alone or in small groups.  Tend to be musical and creative.  They usually wear comfortable clothes and earthy colors, or something special that was given to them.  They like the outdoors.  Pearls tend to be touchy-feely.
Spiritual gifts - to show mercy, heal,  intercede, and serve.

Weaknesses:  people-pleasers and can get themselves into co-dependent relationships.  Their feelings get hurt very easlily and they are sad when things don't go right with people.  Pearls can be easily taken advantage of and need to have boundaries.

grooming - need to establish boundaries and boldness.


Emerald:

 Pays attention to details, facts, and figures.  Simplify complicated things and solve a lot of problems all at once. They often see solutions other people cannot see and like lists and making plans.  They love puzzles and problem solving.  Emeralds are extreme thinkers, predictable, quiet,  and compliant. Not people-pleasers and very comfortable being themselves.  They areconfident and have no problem pointing out what is wrong with a situation.  They can be very direct.  Emeralds like to look nice and naturally keep things clean.  They like schedules and routines and are never late.  Prefer to be alone and like to entertain themselves.  They will do homework by themselves and will rarely ask for help.

Spriritual gifts - teaching, discernment, and wisdom.  have a heart for righteousness with a clear sense of right and wrong. 

weakness - perfectionests.  Usually take longer to finish or start something.  They are not spontaneous risk-takers. Tend to beauthoritative and to put people on the defense.  If an Emearald agrues with you it must be because they are right.  They are always right and will tell you so.  Usually judged as being cold hearted and insensitive.  Not naturally humble.

Grooming- weak people skills. Teach them that "it is not about perfection; its about getting the job done with results."  This helps them start things and get them done in a timely manner.


Ruby:

Always have to be the head of everything and the best.  They don't surround themselves with other people who are better than they are.  Leaders and have to dominate. They have to win. They are warriours, strong, passionate driven, and have strong desires.  They like to be in authority and take charge.  They are determined, confident, and bold.  Rubies are goal setters.  They have an "It's my way or the highway!" mentality.   They show initiative and take charge.  Rubies are big thinkers and fast.  They have a world shaking and history making mindset.   They want all the best clothes, shoes, and stuff.  They care about name brands and what is popular. They want to be the best in everything they do.  If they can't win, they simply won't play, and they may just say the game is stupid.

spiritual gift - leadership and governing. 

weakness - They are bossy and dominating, and get angry when things don't go right.  They can be manipulative and pushy and perceived as arrogant and cocky.  They can suffer from severe depression.  They are often unteachable and self-reliant.  Often have ego problems. 

grooming - They can become amazing leaders; but you must must reach their heart and teach them how to be teachable.  Groom them to be humble, to serve,, and to be honorable.  Teach them to pull the best out of others instead of competing with them all the time.  Character has to be develped in them.

Spiritual gifts:  to motivate and to encourage


Once again, Which Gem are you? 

The Bible shows us that we should handle different people differently - Different Strokes for Different Folks so to speak.   1 Thess. 5:14 - "And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone."  I trust you will love well, living in harmony and unity.

Faith in Future Grace vs. Impatience - Ch. 13

Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

"We count those blessed who endured" - James 5

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him." - Lamentations 3:25

In God's place, by God's pace, by God's grace...

Inadequate faith doubts the wisdom of God's timing or the goodness of God's guidance.

Faith manifests a peaceful willingness to wait for God in the unplanned place of obedience, and to walk with God at the unplanned pace of obedience.

Patience is the capacity to wait and to endure without murmuring and disillusionment - to wait in the unplanned place, and endure the unplanned pace.

If future grace extends into eternity, then we may understand patience in this life.

Patience is the evidence of an inner strength; Impatient people are weak, dependent on external circumstances.

Trust the power of God to turn all of your detours and obstacles into glorious outcomes.

"God sent me, God meant it for good" - Joseph reflecting on exile, imprisonment, slavery, and betrayal in Genesis 45:7 and 50:20.

Faith in future grace lays hold on the sovereign purpose of God to bring something magnificent to pass... this is the key to patience.

God's outcomes [goal], like those in the life of Job, are full of of compassion and mercy.  James 5:11

The servant of the Lord must not strive - Charles Simeon.  Faith and Patience.

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope"

Gary Coiro Sermons

John 14 Click Here

John 15 Click Here

John 17 Click Here

Matthew 23 Click Here

Matthew 28 Click Here

Luke 23 Click Here

Ephesians 5 [Light vs. Darkness] Click Here 

Ephesians 5 [Time & Priorities] Click Here

I Will Put My Law Within Them - ch. 12

The Commands of God are not negligible, but doable as the Spirit comes and works to strengthen our faith in future grace.

Obedience is tied to Love, which is tied to Faith.

When the law meets an unwilling heart of stone, it condemns. When that law is written on hearts softened by the Spirit, the result is LIFE.

OT Law contains both Moral laws which remain, and Ritual/National laws that no longer hold obligation.

Faith is the triumphant power by which the commandments of God are kept.

We do not make ourselves born again by deciding to believe.  God makes us willing to believe by causing us to be born again.  God initiates salvation, and thus gets all the credit and glory.

Faith in Christ is not just assenting to what God is for us, but also embracing Him in love.


Loving your enemy doesn't earn you heaven. Treasuring heaven empowers you to love your enemy.

Faith in Future Grace empowers us to Obey.... "joy set before Him, endured the cross".  Hebrews 12:2

James 2:14-26... True saving faith is effective in producing practical obedience to God.

James 1:5-8... Ask in faith [in future grace].

 

A Love Affair with God's Law - ch. 11

God's Law was always making the case for a faith that was evidenced by righteousness.

OT demands the obedience of faith in future grace.

Deut 10:13 - keep commandments for your good. - they are blessings, not burdens.

Commands - make wise the simple, restore the soul, enlighten the eyes... more desirable than gold [Psalm 19:7-10]

Exodus 19 - God carried them with grace before he commanded them for their good.

For most of them, the effectual power of transforming grace was not given.  Deficient because it was not accompanied with inner, transforming, enabling divine power.

The root of disobedience is unbelief in God's future grace. 

All righteousness is not filthy rags, it is precious to God and is required, not as the ground of our justification, but as an evidence of our being truly justified.

Psalm 32 - human righteousness

God has a very big heart and very high standards, he is easy to please and hard to satisfy.

Hebrews 11 - Faith in future hope produced obedience.

Four Pillars of a Precious Promise - ch. 9

"all things to work together... called according to His purpose [presdestined]... conformed"

God pledges future grace will make everything beneficial.

Romans 8:28 is a promise built on the foundation of 4 pillars.  If you live inside this massive promise, your life is more solid and stable than Mt. Everest.  Nothing can blow you over when you are inside the walls of Romans 8:28.

The chain of verses 29 and 30 cannot be broken...

The call is effective, it creates what it commands.  No like "Brownie, come here"; but, like "Lazarus, come forth".  The call is infallibly effective because of God's sovereign power.

The call is not a mere invitation to people with the power of self-determination.  The call is an act of creation in people who are spiritually dead.

Foundation:  Election, Predestination, Effectual calling, Justification.  Great halls of the Building:  Romans 8:28 - God will cause all things to work together for our good.

The Solid Logic of Heaven - ch. 8

Romans 8:32 "He who did not spare His own Son, ..... will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

Psalm 84:11 "No good thing does [God] withhold..."

2 parts of verse 32 of Romans 8 - The foundation [the hard thing of not sparing His son], and the promise [the easy thing of freely giving us all things].

"His father killed Him" for us all, on our behalf... 2 Cor 5:21

Puritan pastor John Flavel, "He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall he not with him freely give us all things?" [Rom 8:32].  How is it imaginable that God should withhold, after this, spirituals or temporals, from his people?  How shall he not call them effectually, justify them freely, sanctify them thoroughly, and glorify them eternally?  How shall he not clothe them, feed them, protect and deliver them?  Surely if he would not spare this own Son one stroke, one tear, one groan, one sigh, once circumstance of misery, it can never be imagined that ever he should, after this, deny or withhold from his people, for whose sakes all this was suffered, any mercies, any comforts, any privilege, spiritual or temporal, which is good for them."