Do you know your God-given gifts? Sometimes there's a price tag attached to them for your development and growth. This post highlights how to trust GOD as you journey in finding, exploring and using your gifts for His glory.
As you walk with God, obey His voice and be faithful in the small things, He will bless you in bigger things.
When it comes to receiving talents or gifts from special gifts, spiritual gifts from God, these are seven encouragements and thoughts I would like to share with you.
Use the gifts that God has entrusted you with.
Acknowledge those gifts (it’s not easy sometimes...) and be thankful for them.
Use your gifts to uplift and encourage people, not belittle or tear them down.
Be humble while using them, the credit and glory belong to God.
Be grateful to God who has deposited these talents in you.
Explore them. Grow them with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t take them for granted.
The more you allow God to work within you through your gifts, the more you feel blessed, satisfied, and empowered to work with God and bless other people—from your family members to total strangers. Equally the more, I believe, God will bless you as shown by the parable of talents. The servant who invested fully into the five talents he originally received from his master received an extra portion in the end – the talents left unused by the fearful servant.
Something good happened yesterday. I had sent my weekly motivational email to a group of people. It takes me some time to write something I felt good about before hitting the "send" button. I thanked God for the inspiration and the analogy He had given me to illustrate the point I had made. My husband, who is in the distribution list, read it and then gave me the usual monosyllabic comment: “Cool!” Feeling deprived of proper feedback, I asked him to tell me more. What he said next opened my eyes that the fact God had allowed me to learn and grow my writing style to be a blessing to other people. Writing to other people is not natural to me. But I choose to believe that God, in His mercy and grace, chose to add “writing” to the portfolio of gifts He has already entrusted me with (although I could do with a proofreader). And I can’t praise GOD enough for this.
As I walk with God, I learn to recognise His voice. I learn to be sensible to the gentle but firm impressions the Holy Spirit leaves on my heart and mind. God shows his love and faithfulness, among other things, through immaterial blessings, i.e., gifts and talents.
I could visualise this scene. In our journey together, it is as if God is leading me on a specific path, telling me exactly where to find a beautiful treasure of pure gold hidden in the ground.
Each treasure is His gift to me, not only to enrich me but to enrich others and testify that God is so good. He loves us so much. The more we walk together, the more I become strong in Him, the more His strength grows in me, and the more He allows me to find these treasures.
The treasure analogy helps me to fortify myself to face valiantly any critics—jealous, envious, insecure, sad people around me. I don’t shrink or feel shame because God chose to anoint me with a particular gift. These are expected distractions from accomplishing my work with God, from the mission he has for me.
Looking in the Bible, for each gift, there is a "cross" to carry:
• Daniel had the gift of prophecy, revealing mysteries, yet he was thrown into the lion’s den.
• Joseph had the same gift and leadership, yet he too was thrown in a cistern and later in prison.
• Mary received the gift of mothering Jesus, yet she saw her Son crucified on the cross.
• Jesus was God’s gift to save humanity from sin, yet He was crucified.
• Paul had the gifts of speaking, healing, and exhorting the masses, yet he ended up in prison so many times.
But don't be discouraged. Keep on reading! Their story doesn't end at the cross they had to bear. Praise be to God! He is merciful and just! After the cross He provides a crown or special blessings or special hope in the end.
Daniel received an immense accolade few men will get the privilege to hear. "Go your way till the end, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days." Daniel 12:13
Joseph was made second in command by Pharaoh and ruled over Egypt
Mary was looked after by John the disciple who took her in his own home after Jesus died on the cross (John 19: 26-27)
Paul left a legacy of letters to church which are a source of inspiration, encouragement for Christians all over the world.
Let's pray:
Lord Jesus, I am so grateful for the gifts You have blessed me with. Help me to acknowledge them, use them, remain humble, and invest in them for Your Glory so I can be a blessing for others. Help me also to recognize that the enemy will try to shut me down or discourage from using these gift. But he will not succeed because You gave me the ultimate victory through Jesus. So increase my faith, make me strong as I grow in you through using these precious gifts. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
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