In our daily living, it is vital that we each share the gifts we have been given to help build up the Body of Christ which we belong to.
By doing that, we are working in harmony with our Creator to shine His love and mirror His image to our fellow pilgrims that we are journeying with.
Often I think it is easy to fall into the trap and lie of believing that we don’t have any “special” gifts to share. No, we do not have to go overseas to be a Missionary to have a gift to share.
We ALL have been given gifts to edify the Body of Christ and be used for God’s glory.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. 5 There are different ways to serve the same Lord, 6 and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works IN ALL OF US and helps us in everything we do.
7 The Spirit has given EACH OF US a special way of serving others. 8 Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. 9 To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick 10 or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. 11 But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.
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What do we learn from this particular Bible passage?
–The Spirit has given different kinds of spiritual gifts to us all
–We all serve the Lord in our unique way
–God works IN ALL OF US
–The Spirit gives EACH OF US a special way of serving others
–Some Spiritual gifts are:
*Speaking with wisdom or knowledge
*Having great faith, power to heal the sick, or work mighty miracles
*Being a prophet, recognizing God’s Spirit or a false spirit
*Speaking in different kinds of tongues and interpreting those tongues
–WE don’t decide which gifts are ours; the Spirit does
Photo courtesy of KLMP under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Romans 12:6-8 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
6 God has also given EACH OF US different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7 If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8 If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
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What do we learn from this particular Bible passage?
–God has given EACH OF US different gifts to use
–More gifts:
*Prophesy
*Serving others
*Encouraging others
*Giving to others
*Being a leader
*Being good to others
–When we use our gifts, it should always be to the best of our ability and freely!
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How can we identify our gifts if we are unsure of them?
–Asking trusted Christian friends what they see as our gifts.
–Discerning through prayer.
–Being open to opportunities God puts in your path.
–Special Spiritual Gift surveys.
It is important to remember a few things about our gifts:
–Sometimes, through the Holy Spirit, God the Father calls us out of our comfort zone to utilize a gift that He wants us to use. It might not be the gift we had in mind.
–He will always provide the avenue for us to use our gifts for His glory.
–Through the years God may want us to use different gifts than we are usually accustomed to.
–God will always equip us with what we need to share our gifts.
–The gifts we are given to share are FROM God to further His kingdom and give Him glory.
–These gifts are NOT “our power.” It is God working through us—all credit goes to God!
I challenge you this week to dig deeper and see how each day you can use the gifts that God has given YOU, to make a difference to those you interact with.
Photo courtesy of Sapphire Dream Photography under Creative Commons License (CC BY NC-2.0)
The gifts that God has given you are unique to you and make this world a better place.
Do you know what YOUR particular gifts from the Spirit are and how do you use them to edify the Body of Christ? Can you please take a moment and share in the comment section below?
I will start the conversation. I believe that currently God has me utilizing the gifts of….
...sharing Him and my heart through these weekly writings–it is interesting to reflect that I actually was inspired to start writing simpler prose about God when I was in my late teens. I took a big hiatus while raising my family and God has worked in my life to resurrect writing and inspiring me to share Him through this website now!
…serving others–which probably started when I was a teen and volunteered at a local hospital. From there, I came to help my great aunt with her finances and whatever she needed as her eye sight declined. Helping at a soup kitchen for many years now and helping in the dining area at retreats are other ways I am blessed to serve others.
…encouraging others–when I see people who need extra prayer or are going through struggles, I try to offer them words of encouragement to brighten their day. Even at work I try to keep in contact with co-workers at a different location that I have never met in person just to encourage them and brighten their day.
If you have a few moments and wanted to take a quick survey, here is a link to a free, online Spiritual Gift survey, along with descriptions of the gifts. It will rank your top three. I had fun taking it and believe it rang true for me as my top three were Mercy, Giving, and Serving. 🙂
Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. –1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)
Love should be your guide. Be eager to have the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy. –1 Corinthians 14:1 (CEV)
That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. –Romans 12:5 (CEV)
