Don’t you just love to get a gift? I always feel a little greedy as I
frantically tear the wrapping off or jerk the tissue paper out of the gift
bag. I never was one to carefully pull
the tape off, gingerly unwrap, and then smooth out and keep the wrapping
paper. No, gimme my gift! Who cares about the paper?
But sometimes it’s hard to take a gift from someone. If it’s not my birthday or Christmas, why
would someone give me a gift? When I was
working at the Clerk’s Office, every once in a while one of my customers would
bring me a little something, and it really made my day, week and year! But I always protested, “Oh, you didn’t have
to bring me anything!” And the customer
would be smiling broadly at me because the gift was working its magic of making
me feel special.
That’s what we really want, isn’t it? We want to feel special, we want to be special. We want to know that someone somewhere is
thinking about us, wanting to be with us, praying for us.
And most of all, we want to be loved. When we are given a gift just out of the
blue, we feel loved. It feels so good!
Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Do you know what your talents are? Do you know which are spiritual gifts and
which are talents? As Christians, we can
get all tangled up in these questions.
We love the Lord and we want to do things for Him out of the joy we have
for Him.
There are plenty of books and studies on discovering your
gifts and/or talents. I know people who
have taken more than one class on this subject and still are not satisfied that
they know the answers.
I think we should forget the questions and just relax. Why not take everything, gift or talent, and
use it for God? Just assume that
whatever it is that you’re good at is from God (because it is) and then use it
for God’s glory.
I have said this before and I will say it again and
again: As Christians, we have to be different. Who cares if it’s a spiritual gift or a
talent if it’s used for God?
Anybody can have a talent.
Anybody can do good works. There
are many fine people out there doing just that, but they are not
Christians.
Spiritual gifts come to Christians from the power of the
Holy Spirit. When you’ve done something
that satisfies your soul, or something you know is beyond your capabilities, you
have tapped into that power. It’s a
glorious thing, and we need to look at it and be aware that we have been used
by God.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your
love.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Each of you should
use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of
God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
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