1 Peter 4:10-11
10 As each one has
received a special gift, employ it in serving one
another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 Whoever speaks, is
to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do
so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all
things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and
dominion forever and ever. Amen.
This passage is crystal clear about one thing – EVERYBODY has a spiritual gift! We won’t look at all the passages related to the different gifts, but verse 11 gives us some broad categories. There are communication gifts, and there are service gifts. The principle to remember here is that God is the one who decided exactly what gift you should have, and gave it to you. And remember, if someone gives you a present, who gets the credit when you use it? You or the Person who gave it to you?
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
4 Now there are
varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are
varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
6 There are varieties
of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
7 But to each one
is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
God gave you your gift, and He wants you to use it!
Different gifts function different ways. You may have a real gift for organization, you might have a communication gift, you might be able to comfort people in times of trouble, you might have the ability to handle finances, you might be great at answering the telephone! Just remember that you are living today as a member of a team – you should not be sitting on the sidelines, you should be on the field. If you are the only one on the team who can throw the football, then with you out of the game, the whole team suffers.
You’ve all seen the analogy of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-19.
Know that we are all a part of the body of Christ, and have been given a function in that body by God. Every believer plays a part, some high profile and visible, others are what you might consider low profile and invisible. But just because a gift is not seen does not make it unimportant. What about your lungs? You can’t see them, but I would say they are pretty important!
Don’t complain about what your spiritual gift is. God is the one who decided:
1 Corinthians 12:18
18 But
now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He
desired.
As a member on a team or in a body, it is imperative that
you gather together. Your gift is
designed to function in relation to other people, like 1 Peter
If you don’t know what your gift is, don’t worry! God will reveal your gift to you as you continue to grow spiritually. Continue growing, and continue gathering together.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 and let us
consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.