“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5).
As Christians, we all have at least one Spiritual gift. “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in EVERYONE it is the same God at work. (V. 6). We have all been given a gift to use in serving each other, the Church and to advance the Kingdom of God. Are we using our gifts? Do we even know what they are? If you have never taken a Spiritual Gifts assessment, here is the link to one: https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/. God gave me a phrase to pray years ago for myself and my family: “Lord, make us aware of Who we are, What we have and What we can do for the Kingdom of God.” I still pray this every day.
As I said, we all have God-given gifts to use in service to Him, it’s part of our mission. Imagine if someone gave you a gift that you could use to, say…help a neighbor with something and you put that gift in the closet and never used it. Would God be pleased? Your neighbor would miss out and you would miss the blessing for using that gift. We’re gifted. I once heard a saying: “You won’t have to go out of your way to find someone to help, God will put someone IN your way if you will watch for them.” Be aware and have your gift ready.
Being a former coach, I see a lot of Spiritual things as they relate to athletics. 1 Corinthians 12 also speaks of the Body of Christ being made up of many parts, all having different abilities, gifts, to help the body be successful. “But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (V. 18). Now think of a coach talking to his football team. He’s got a bunch of willing players there with different abilities and skills to benefit the team and help them win. He assigns the bigger, stronger players who are gifted to be lineman to block. The smaller, faster players are given the job of carrying, passing and catching the football behind the protection of the linemen. Some of the younger players on the sidelines are still in training to develop their gifts but are still part of the team. Can you imagine if the whole team were big, slow but strong linemen trying to advance the ball or smaller, quick athletes trying to block the big, strong opposition? It wouldn’t work very well. Each player has his own skill to use together with his teammates to help the team win. We are that team; we are the Church. We have the gifts to use to advance our cause, God’s cause. Are we using our gifts? As the director said to the team in the 60s TV show, Mission Impossible, “It’s your mission, should you choose to accept it.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
Related Posts:
Discover more from Revelations From The Road
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply