1 Peter 4:10,11
“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 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.”
God has gifted all of us in some manner. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
How do we discover our gifts? Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him And brings him before great men.” We’ll be successful there. It won’t require massive effort. It just works. Our gifting is usually what we’re good at. Sometimes it needs to be pointed out by another.
Another sign of our gifting is enjoying it. Psalm 40:8 says, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” If something is drudgery, there’s a problem. It may mean that it isn’t our gifting. It may take prayer and time to figure that out. Jesus didn’t start His ministry until He was in His thirties. We won’t have to wait till we’re adults to learn them. It does take time to become skilled in their use.
It may be our gifting, we may be employing it in an out of balance manner. It could be overuse, lack of experience, wrong motivations, lack of use and more.
Peter says in today’s passage that we are use it to serve others. Part of christian maturity is being involved in service. We become a stagnant pond if not. When we involved in giving out and receiving of God’s help, we are like a clean flowing stream.
Lord,, thank You for the gifts You’ve given us. Help us to use them to Your glory. Let others be blessed by them. Thank You for the joy You give us by their use.