We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
I like getting gifts! How about you? I like giving gifts too! When my grandson was younger we loved to give him gifts. He was so comical when he would very slowly open it, then when he saw it he would announce,’Oh, it’s exactly what I wanted’! No matter what it was.
Our great loving Heavenly Father gave us the greatest gift! Jesus our Lord and Savior! But, He loves giving us gifts, as most parents do, and he offers to give us a bunch more!
When and why do we get these gifts? No special occasion, just because He loves us so. It’s funny to think about it but He has His ‘gift list’ already made out. Not who He gives what to, like I do at the end of summer getting ready for Christmas shopping. And I need to check my list from last year, to be sure I don’t repeat the same gift. No, His list is a list of awesome spiritual gifts He wants to give. He just has to decide who gets what gift! How does He decide? I cannot be absolutely sure, but I think He gives them when we ask for them! That has been my experience.
Let’s look at that list of gifts He is ready to give. There are seven listed here in Romans Chapter 12. Look them over and see if there are any the Lord has already given to you.
Prophesy; This is probably the most confusing and most misunderstood gift. In the days before the written word prophets were used to share information God wanted the people to know. These days, the purpose is different. First let me tell you it is NOT foretelling the future! It is a way to make known the will and way of God, as it aligns with scripture. It is not scary or dark or condemning. It IS enlightening and encouraging. You can find more in Acts chapter 2.
Serve; This one is pretty self-explanatory. You will know who has this gift in your church because they are the ‘worker-bees.’ Any time cleaning, painting, cooking, selling etc. needs to be done, the person with this gift volunteers. But, it doesn’t stop there, no. In the community or at their job, they are still serving. My friend who has this gift is cleaning up the table after a meeting while I am still chatting! This is not my gift, but it was Martha’s in Luke chapter 10.
Encourage; This is an awesome gift when you are on the receiving end. I have been there. When someone sincerely gives you encouragement when you are hard at work with something, it spurs you to keep going. Barnabas was encouraging, read Acts chapter 11. Motivating!
Teach; This gift goes far beyond the Bible Study teacher, or the Pastor who preaches like a teacher. This is a gift that is used every day by the person who has it. I do have this gift and I can say that from teaching grandchildren, to women’s group, to how to make a bedroll for the homeless, you are in a teaching mode. This gift permeates every part of your speech and thought process. It is embedded in your personality. That may be the way it is for all the gifts, I am just not aware how it works for them. Hey, let me know, okay? By the way, Jesus is the Master teacher and the best example for all of us who have this spiritual gift.
Give; All of us give when we are prompted by a story, a letter, a photo or another disaster of some sort. Our heart and emotion kicks in and we give. But the gift of giving is, giving is a little different…it’s on steroids! Giving comes so naturally to the giver that sometimes the family has to intervene so that the person has enough for them self! They would literally give you the ‘shirt of their back’. The widow showed her giving gift in Mark 10. It’s a gift.
Lead; when given the task of leading a group there are the naturals. They know how to organize, plan, direct and encourage to get the job done. Nehemiah was a leader. You can read his strategy for re-building in Nehemiah chapters 1-5. It is enlightening! If you have this gift, people will know it and gravitate to you when a job needs to get done. This one comes with great responsibility, and criticism, so if you ask for this one you must be tough!
Mercy; this can also be a tough one! This is the one who shows compassion when others are walking away. Recently we have seen many people with the gift of mercy extend themselves to covid-19 patients. After helping them in the worst times, if they don’t recover, it can be devastating for the one who gives mercy. This is also the one who helps the homeless, the addicted, the depressed. This is the Samaritan who wrapped the man’s wounds in Luke 10.
You can probably see where your gifting is, or the gift you would like to have. We can ask God to give us a specific gift. Now, if you have a gift you are not using, well, you really should not ask for another one. But use the gift(s) the Lord gave you to bring glory to Him. Thank Him for the gifts, regularly. Exercise the gift and it will increase-just like exercising muscles. Also, neglecting the gift will cause it to atrophy. It will still be there, God does not take a gift away from you, it will just lie dormant.
So, here’s my question; now that you are familiar with the gifts, what one(s) do you have? What one(s) would you like? Let me know!
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