The Lord has entrusted His children with so many resources. The Bible tells us that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We have also been given exceedingly abundantly more than we can think of imagine (Ephesians 3:20). If we have been entrusted so much, then the real question is do we invest what the Lord has entrusted to us? Out of love for Him and recognition that we will stand before Him one day to give an account, am I putting my spiritual gifts to work to build the kingdom?
The great violinist, Nicolo Paganini, willed his marvelous violin to Genoa; the city of his birth; but only on condition that the instrument never be played upon. It was an unfortunate condition, for it is a peculiarity of wood that as long as it is used and handled, it shows little wear. As soon as it is discarded, it begins to Decay. The exquisite, mellow-toned violin has become worm-eaten in its beautiful case, valueless except as a relic. The moldering instrument is a reminder that a life withdrawn from putting our spiritual gifts to work in service to others loses its meaning.
3 Thoughts on Spiritual Gifts:
- Every follower of Jesus has spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are supernatural empowerments given by the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ. Spiritual gifts are not innate, natural talents, like an ear for music or the ability to draw, but rather they are empowerments that the Holy Spirit gives to a believer to minister to the body in ways that were not possible by mere natural effort apart from the Holy Spirit.
- Spiritual gifts are for the building up the church and extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world. Peter says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). Those who prophesy, speak to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3)…try to excel in gifts that build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12)…all of these things must be done for the strengthening of the church (1 Corinthians 14:26).
- It is essential believers discover and move in their spiritual gifts. It is possible for a person to neglect a spiritual gift. Paul warns Timothy not to neglect his gift (1 Timothy 4:14), and he also encourages him to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hand” (2 Timothy 1:6).
What blocks many well-intentioned believers from living in their spiritual gifts and not receiving their full reward? I believe one of the core blockers is selfishness. The world perceives human nature as something that is evolving with time. Psychology, for example, developed what is called the humanistic perspective, in which human nature is viewed as basically good. Humanism, which is the philosophy that rules over the western society, is described as a system of thought that stresses the potential value and goodness of human beings. As a consequence of this distorted view of humanity, we see how the world has made of “self” a god and has placed it in the highest of the pedestals.
This is clear everywhere we go. We’re bombarded with this philosophy every day. It’s in our media, in our literature, and in our magazines. The most popular phone is called I-phone. The most popular thing in the social media is to take a selfie (a picture of yourself). Among the most popular magazines are names like “People,” “Us”, “All You,” and “Self.” This goes on and on in our modern narcissistic society. I believe one of the main reasons the church at large is limping down the road is because the men and women of God are not stewarding their spiritual gifts by elevating self. Pastor Chuck Smith said, “We are all striving for one or the other. You are either striving to bring God glory, or you are striving for your own glory. You are seeking to bring praise to God, or you are seeking to bring praise to yourself. For man is driven to worship and if I don’t worship God, I will worship myself. And my god will become a projection of myself.”
We can ask ourselves, is our own life increasingly becoming of less value to ourselves for the cause of the gospel? Are we living less to please ourselves, so we can please God? If the answer is no, then that means we’re not going in the right direction. The good news is that if we find ourselves going in the wrong direction, all we have to do is repent, turn around, and go the opposite direction.
We have at least three tools that help us succeed:
- We have the mercy of God that grants us forgiveness.
- We have God walking along with us on our journey, helping us every step of the way.
- We have the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live for God.
What we do with the cross determines where we are going to spend eternity. The way we live as believers determines how we are going to spend eternity. You may be in one of three categories.
- Revelation: You don’t know what your spiritual gifts are and how to start investing them as a wise steward. I encourage you to take the attached test and start living in a way that brings great pleasure to the Lord. (http://www.firstchristiantemple.org/wp-content/uploads/wagner_modified_houts.pdf).
- Commissioning: You know your spiritual gifts but now need to start taking action. I encourage you to not wait for the ideal situation or for when it is convenient. Just start investing your gifts faithfully in a sacrificial way.
- Expansion: Those that have a history of being faithful with their spiritual gifts will be entrusted with more. Start asking the Lord to increase your influence to manifest His presence through your spiritual gifts.