Steward Your Gift
Watching someone receiving gifts is always an interesting thing to observe. Some people you can tell right away if the gift isn’t something they’re interested in, others put on a big show – if you’ve been to my birthdays, you’ll know I try to make it fun for everyone. Whether the gift is a hit or a miss, the receiver tends to hold that gift with care and say thank you.
In the Christian life, there is a whole reality that’s uncovered around spiritual giftings. These gifts are bestowed upon us, individually, by the Lord Himself. They are gifts like teaching, wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, etc. Some people are given multiple gifts, others one, but, as Paul says, “a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Paul, in exhorting his protegee Timothy, says, “Fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…” (2 Timothy 1:6). Paul is telling Timothy to use the gift. Why? God does not give us these gifts for own enjoyment. The point is to further God’s Kingdom, to reach the lost with the Gospel, to show God’s love to the world.
Think back to the last gift you received that you truly valued. What did you do with it? You used it. You put it in a place where you could see it and be reminded of it. The unvalued gift, conversely, gets put away. It’s hidden. Nobody knows you have it.
How many of us have our spiritual giftings stowed far away in the back of our closets? Do the people who know you well see you using your giftings, or are they scratching their heads wondering why you won’t pick up the helpful tool?
The first step is knowing which gifting God has given you. A helpful way to begin this process is to read through 1 Corinthians 12. Here, Paul introduces some guidelines and descriptions around the giftings, their use, and where they come from. Pray through this chapter with the Lord, ask God to reveal to you which gift/s He may be giving to you. Talk to a trusted friend or mentor and prayerfully bring them into the discussion.
Using our gifts is helpful and necessary in the same way the hand necessitates the shoulder. The two work together to perform their duties. We, as believers, are fit into the Body of Christ, of which Jesus is the head. Therefore, the gifts we’re given aren’t just fun toys to play with from time-to-time, no they’re essential to the function of the Body of Christ – the church.
Friend, this isn’t meant to scare you, it is meant to remind you – we will all be judged based on how we have lived our life. Will God look at you and say well done, or will ask you why you failed to use the gifts He graciously gave to you?
We live in a dark and sinful world. You are not only helpful, but necessary to bringing the Kingdom of God here on earth – now. Find ways to practice your gifts. Ask God for courage to step out of your comfort zone. Let’s be found as those who, with our lives, stewarded the gifts of God well.
