TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• My Bible study ladies and I usually meet on Tuesday nights, but last night, we had a bonus session on Spiritual Gifts. We planned this a couple of weeks ago during one of our discussions so I sent them links to three different Spiritual Gifts tests (I think it’s good to cross-compare between tests). Last night was a time of laughter and such tremendous encouragement.
One of the things I realized as we talked — Spiritual Gifts can be observed by more than the eyes. We can hear them and feel them too. I say that because our group meets via Zoom. All total, we have 13 women representing eight states (and nine who were able to be on last night’s call). Most of us have never met in person. Yet, as we talked about each woman’s gifts, some gifts were so obvious in the life of the woman we were focused on. We had easy examples of how we’d seen her use that gift — even at times she was unaware of it. For example, one woman scored high on teaching, but she didn’t understand how that was one of her gifts. Several of us piped up at once to point out how we’ve seen her use the gift of teaching in the answers she gives. She’s recognized in our group for having incredible insights into the Scripture, but she had never considered how she teaches through her explanations.
Part of our discussion was about encouraging each woman to consider ways to use her gifts in everyday life and her church. This is important because it really takes everyone to build a healthy church. Paul described the church as a body (“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function” — Romans 12:4). And just as our body has different parts and different functions (I.e., my elbows can’t see and my eyes can’t prop up my chin), so do our gifts contribute and strengthen the church. But we sometimes focus more on using our gifts in the four walls of the church…. That’s obviously important, but we ARE the church (not the building). Our Spiritual Gifts can be used to strengthen and grow our relationships with other Christians as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:10 — “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Whether consciously or not, all my Bible study women have unique gifts she brings to the table and shares with the group… for instance, one of the ladies scored very high on Mercy — the gift of empathy and care for others. She’s a rockstar with this gift, and as the Bible study leader, I appreciate how she naturally takes the lead to follow up with the women in our group… to listen and encourage them. And goodness knows she’s been an encouragement to me! I also highly value her gift of mercy because unfortunately, that is not one of my gifts. I have other gifts, and I do try to be caring and compassionate… it’s just not one of the Spiritual Gifts that God has given me an abundant, effortless overflow for…
The other thing we discussed last night was the importance of actually using our gifts. A gift is meant to be opened, delighted in, and used. We can’t take it for granted because we didn’t earn it — the Holy Spirit gave it to us. We can’t take pride in it because that takes away from the One who bestowed it. We can’t hoard our gifts because the Holy Spirit gave them to us, so we would use them and give them away. We can’t deny our Spiritual Gifts without insulting the Giver. We can’t be jealous of other gifts because God has given us exactly what He wants us to have. But when we humbly put our gifts to work for the Lord and do what the Holy Spirit intends — we honor Him, and He will help us grow and strengthen the gifts He has provided.
So, my questions to you… 1) have you taken a Spiritual Gifts test? (I put links to three below.) And 2) are you using your gifts?
Today, as you pray, thank our generous Heavenly Father for the gifts He has given you. And thank Him for the gifts He’s given others in your life who have used their gifts to bless you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open doors that will allow you to use your gifts regularly. Pray you will honor Him with His gifts, giving them away for others to experience His goodness.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS TESTS:
GiftsTest.com
MinTools.com/spiritual-gifts-test
SpiritualGiftsTest.com
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
