Spiritual Gifts
Jennifer Clark
Have you ever asked yourself, “what are my gifts, what am I good at?” I have - many times! For a long time I asked my husband that question over and over. He would answer, “you have the gift of mercy”! I would say to him “no, really, not that, I mean what am I good at? What is my gift?” And then one day, a few years back, I was listening to a message by Pastor Doug Fisher on gifts, and what he shared that night from God’s Word completely changed my way of looking at the gifts God gives us.
I Corinthians 12 has much to say concerning the Holy Spirit and gifts. The first thing to understand is that when we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. When the Holy Spirit comes in - He brings a gift or gifts!
My responsibility is to discover my gift or gifts and then to exercise them in the body of Christ. Remember, we are talking about gifts, not talents. When we speak of talents, we think of things like playing a musical instrument, or singing, or perhaps being good at a sport, etc. Those can also be gifts, but when we are referencing gifts here, we are talking about things that the Holy Spirit puts within us that make us who we are.
We have all been given different gifts - don’t compare yours to others! When thinking about the human body, imagine if every member were an eye, or a nose, or a foot! Our body wouldn’t work too efficiently. In the same way, in the body of Christ we all have different members or gifts to complement each other! If we can realize and understand that God gave us all different gifts, which therefore make us uniquely special, we won’t look at being different from others as a bad thing!
Maybe you are asking yourself “How do I find my gift?” There are a few things that will help you to discover your gifts and use them for God’s glory.
1. Pray and ask God to show you
2. Ask God to make them evident to you through the reading of His Word
3. Ask others what they gifts they see in you…sometimes others can see something in
us that we can’t see ourselves
It is not arrogant to understand that you have been given a gift, and to work on that gift! How can you develop your gift? USE IT!
Here are just a few examples of some gifts God may have given to you:
1. Mercy
2. Giving
3. Knowledge
4. Wisdom
5. Faith
6. Helping
7. Government
8. Discernment
9. Kindness
10. Patience
11. Counsel
12. Dependability
13. Flexibility
14. Faithfulness
Take a few minutes now to consider what your one word Gift or Gifts of the Spirit are. Let God show you, and then be willing to use that gift to bless others! Have a great day☺