Recognize The Gifts God Has Given You

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” — 1 Peter 4:10

If you have ever been entrusted with something valuable, you know it is an awesome responsibility. Not only do we feel a sense of responsibility, but we feel honored that someone trusts us with something they value. We take the responsibility seriously because we want to be worthy of that trust.

Peter tells us that God expects us to use the gifts He gave us. Discover your gift(s), and then focus on your gift(s). Focus on what God has wired you to do. Once you know what you are good at spend time becoming better at that with the ultimate goal to help others. That’s what he means when he says we are to “Use them well to serve one another.”

In other words, God didn’t give you your gift to promote self-satisfaction and spiritual pride; He gave you a gift to build up the body of Christ. That requires us to ask: How am I using my gift(s) to build up the body? Who in particular is benefitting from my gift(s)? Steward your gifts for the sake of others. Don’t waste valuable time grumbling about gifts you don’t have or resenting others for the gifts they do have. You must ask: Am I being a faithful steward of the gift(s) God has entrusted to me and do they “bring glory to God through Jesus Christ?”

And think about cloning yourself. This can sound scary and counterintuitive, but it is so valuable. One of the best ways to become better at the gifts God has given you is to train others to do what you do. If leading a small group is your gift, raise up other small group leaders by showing them what you do, working on it with them, letting them do it on their own, and coaching them along the way. Helping someone else lead a small group is a great way to use your gift to help others and strengthen the small group ministry at the same time.

We are simply stewards who are using the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given us; and we do so in the strength that He provides. When we serve, let’s purpose to use God’s gifts for God’s purposes and give God the glory He so rightly deserves.

Discussion Questions:

What is or has been your attitude toward spiritual gifts? Are certain gifts better than others?
Do you see the connection between how God has gifted you and how you can influence your world?