I sometimes find myself contemplating the gifts God has given me. Or, more precisely, contemplating the gifts I wish God had given me. Or, to be completely honest, contemplating why other people have better gifts than me.
So I sit and mope with my measly, seemingly insignificant gifts and wonder if God forgot about me when he was ‘handing out gifts.’ Or at least when he was handing out the ‘cool gifts.’ Because the gifts I do have are definitely not cool and I’d like to return them, thank you very much. They aren’t what I want.
I have fallen into this cycle of being hyper aware of what I lack, who has more, why they have it better…And ironically, when I am busy comparing myself to those around me, I’m not using my gifts.
Why God chooses us to be a part of his grand plan is something I can’t fathom. He could easily do a much better job than my bumbling efforts. Yet, the Bible teaches that God gifts His people and He uses these gifts for His glory.
To help you remember this, I’m gonna get super cheesy on you and pull a popular word from the 80s -- Remember your God given gifts are RAD.
“For as in one body, we have many members, and the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one in body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”(Romans 12:4-5)
Recognize that you are gifted. God has given you talents and gifts. If you are part of the body of Christ, you have a purpose and a role to play. Sometimes these might not be obvious, but they are there. Pray and seek God to help you to discover what they are.
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us…” (Romans 12:6)
Accept: Once you know how God has gifted you, you need to accept these gifts. They were given to you for a reason. Other people have different gifts and that’s ok. That’s good. We weren’t all meant to do the same thing. God made you to be uniquely you. You can run away from this, or embrace it.
Let us use them
If prophecy, in proportion to our faith
If service, in our serving;
The one who teaches, in his teaching;
The one who exhorts, in his exhortation;
The one who contributes, in generosity;
The one who leads, with zeal;
The one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12: 6-8)
Do: Once we recognize and accept the gifts God has given us, it’s time to “do.” God is asking us to step out in faith and use our gifts. They might seem small. They might seem insignificant. They might not be shiny and sparkly and get a lot of attention. What God is asking might seem super scary. It might not be something you really want to do. But we are important members of the body of Christ and we are called to do our part.
I want to close with a quote from Gary Haugen in his book Good News About Injustice (2009).
“…Others, by contrast, recognizing the voice of their good Shepherd will respond with joy: ‘Here am I. Send me.’ (Isaiah 6:8)…These people will come to the Master with their meager offering, their widow’s mite, their inadequate loaves and fishes and simply say, ‘Jesus, can you do anything with these.’ And while the men ‘close’ to Jesus will scoff, ‘How far will they go among so many?’ Jesus himself will say ‘Bring them here to me.’ (John 6:9; Matthew 14:18)
When we offer up our gifts to God and humbly ask: “Jesus, can you do anything with these?” I think we will be surprised by how God uses our simple offerings to further His Kingdom.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Danielle (Dani) Rupp grew up in a small town in Ohio and is a true Buckeye fan, though she tries not to be obnoxious about it. In 2011 she came to Pennsylvania to earn her Master of Social Work degree. Dani returned last year from South Asia, where she volunteered with International Justice Mission, learned to tolerate spicy food and cross the roads without being hit.
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IF:GATHERING 2021 — March 5-6
God is on the move. Yes, things will fall apart, and yes, things will shut down, but our God cannot be stopped. And we don’t want to miss any part of that. His kingdom is coming. We want His will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven and our heart and prayer is that “on earth as it is in heaven” starts with us. And we would stop wondering if it is possible to change the world. It’s possible.
This year, at IF:Gathering 2021, we are going to talk about how we do that. The theme is going to be “Even If.” Even if the worst happens, we don’t lose hope. Come join us as we remember that together.
Click here for information on the speakers and the 3 ways you can participate this year: IF:Gathering 2021