Some people can make too much out of spiritual gifts and cannot serve in any capacity of church unless it is their 'gifting', while others make too little of spiritual gifts and act like it isn't in Scripture.
Recently I was reading in Romans 12. Each member of the Body is so important and is needed. Without each member the whole body suffers. I was really made aware of that again recently when my kidney produced a stone which caused pain through out my whole body. Now the kidney could say "I'm no one important, no one even sees me. I'm quitting! I want to be a hand, it gets all the attention and gets to do everything." So off duty goes the kidney. Or the kidney can bitterly do the work of a kidney but produce a stone. What will a little stone hurt? Can't a kidney have a life of it's own and do kidney work the way it wants to? It surely won't affect anyone else....wrong, wrong, wrong. What I do does affect the whole body, whether I quit all together or if I have an independent spirit and don't operate with the rest of my members. Very soon the whole body is affected...no one else can do the work of the kidney and we cry out for it to get back on duty...the body needs it!
What part of the Body are you? Do you feel important and needed? Even if you don't feel important and needed, you are! Stay on duty! Guard your part of the Body, the whole Body is counting on you.
Let me remind you of how important you are...
isn't this beautiful?
Romans 12:3-8 "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 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. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 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 mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
vs. 10 "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
So many times we discover what spiritual gift God has given us and we criticize each other for not being the same as us. What if we were all "kidneys", who would be the hands and the feet? A whole 'body' of 'kidneys' would be useless and dead. Then again, if I alone had all the giftings, I wouldn't need my brothers and sisters. I would be self-sufficient. God designed us to need each other.
How do I discover my spiritual gifts?
First I must be a born-again Believer in Jesus Christ before I will be given a spiritual gift. As I pray and concentrate on the needs of others I will soon discover what motivates me. Most Christians fail to understand that spiritual gifts allow them to see the needs that are overlooked by others. Rather than being frustrated, Christians should see these situations as opportunities to confirm their gifts and use them to help others. It is important that we do not try to fulfill our spiritual gifts in the energy of our flesh but by the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.
Rewards of Spiritual Gifts:
Knowing that we each have a gift is valuable to the Body of Christ, we are able to achieve a deeper level of self-acceptance and purpose in life.
We see the beauty of each member working together in harmony to form one Body.
PROPHESY, SERVING, TEACHING, ENCOURAGING (EXHORTING, KJV), GIVING, GOVERNING (RULING, ORGANIZING), AND MERCY
Seven gifts are listed above, hopefully I will be able to add a little post about each one soon.
Until then....take care of your part of the Body!
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