UNDERSTANDING YOUR GIFTEDNESS

Romans 12:3-8
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

I walked through the shopping center, clutching a container of sherbet. Call it a childish reversion, a longing for a more simple and stable time in life. But there was something entirely delightful in that uncomplicated red-plastic-spoon-scoops-sherbet-meets-tongue-and-tastes-good moment. Somehow I felt more at peace than I had in a long while.

The previous few months had been filled with the "urgent" and "important." With our pastor needing some rest, I had taken on a greater speaking role in my church, on top of regular work and ministry responsibilities. I had also invested a lot of time in the lives of hurting and confused people--people with deep, multi-layered, call-in-the-professionals-type troubles. But now I was exhausted and beginning to resent church and all that I was doing "for God." Somehow this wasn't the way serving God was supposed to be.

Billy Graham's worldwide crusades have proven his calling as an evangelist. But even the resourceful Dr. Graham once lost his focus. Under obligation to an old friend, he accepted the presidency of a combined Bible college and seminary. At first he thought he might build an institution with a passion for evangelism, but he soon discovered he had little patience for the administrative detail required of the role. When he resigned 3 years later, Graham said in retrospect, "I was called by God to be an evangelist, not an educator."

Ours is a great big world of spiritual, physical, and relational needs. But we are finite and cannot possibly meet all of these ourselves. We're part of a body that can collectively address such needs as each member does its unique work. In a season of self-flattery, I had started to believe I could do it all myself.

My primary gift is in communication--speaking, preaching, writing, and broadcasting. I'm not gifted in mercy or helps. As I continue to walk with God, I'm learning more about what He has built me to do.

How's your gift assessment going? --Sheridan Voysey

DESTINATION POINTS

• What spiritual gifts do I have, as confirmed by others? (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Peter 4).
• What three things does history prove I do most effectively?

LINKS:

What are spiritual gifts?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/questions/spiritualgifts.html

How can I learn to appreciate and use the talents and gifts God has given me?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/questions/talentsgifts3.html

bottom line: Understanding our gifts helps us do our best for God.

souil journey