For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10, NASB)
What is the strength of your golf game? If you are a long bomber, you may get asked to join a lot of scramble teams. The same thing if you are a good putter. If you are a steady player with no real weaknesses, you might be a good two-man partner. How did you come by your strengths? Are they God-given or have you worked hard on them? My guess it is a combination of both.
As followers of Jesus, we all have spiritual gifts. Some of these are notable gifts, exercised for all to see. The apostle Paul wrote the Ephesians: “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). You have seen these kinds of gifts at work on the platform at your church, at a conference, or on television.
But the body of Christ counts every one of Jesus’ people as gifted. In addition to the gifts that get a lot of attention, the Holy Spirit distributes gifts that allow each of us to serve our brothers and sisters. We’re one body of believers with different gifts, including wisdom and mercy, faith and service, administration and healing, giving and encouragement, and more. You will find that some teachers list as many as 20 different gifts given by the Holy Spirit. It’s probably not possible to know the actual number, but we do know that the purpose of every gift is the same—to build up one another.
Open yourself up to brothers or sisters in Christ, and you will find special friends who can relate to your circumstances.So how do you come by your gifts? We know that every gift comes from the Spirit. We can’t run down and purchase the one we want, but we can pay attention to what God gives us.
In my first year as a believer, I listened to John MacArthur’s sermon series on the book of John. Thinking I needed to become the next great pastor/teacher, I eventually discovered I didn’t have that gift. What I do have is the gift of exhortation (same ballpark as teaching or evangelism, but not the same gift). Many believers don’t feel called into missions, but they play an important role through their giving. There are the men and women at church who always seem to be there when the church has special projects, or when leaders need help with communion or assisting in Sunday school. Their gift of serving is apparent.
Once we are aware of our gift, we can take time to develop it through regular use. If you’re gifted with a heart of mercy, as an example, be on the lookout for those who need mercy today. You’ve been given mercy to give away!
When it comes to your golf game, the test comes when you tee it up and shoot a score. Then you discover your strengths and weaknesses. Once you know the strengths of your golf game, you can factor that into the way you play a golf course. The same goes for our spiritual lives. Once we know our gifts, we can use them to glorify God. Jesus told his disciples, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
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Bill Euler
April 27, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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