It always amazes me how a person’s gift operates so effortlessly to them and how difficult it is for others to even try to function in the same way. I caught up for barely an hour with a friend today. I had planned to give them soup and a couple of their bags back from the last things they’d given me. I ended up with a trunk full of things and left their soup and bags in my car. How did that happen? How is it I forgot to give to them the very items I purposely met up with them to give them? Not my area of giftedness. They are the expert in this area.
Now this was a very blatant example to you because I exposed myself for the sake of a teachable moment. We all have areas we are strong in and areas we are weak in. When we operate from our strengths we appear to be super human, because we are. The gifts we possess have been given to us by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT) “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
When we realize that our gifts are just that—gifts, we no longer can boast of them. We come to the realization that we did nothing to deserve them. Gifts are to be used. When we operate in our gift we are doing what we were created to do. Gifts are to be given.
In the Old Testament the priest garment had a bell and a pomegranate at the bottom of their garment. This is symbolic of the fact that we should have the character to match our gift. Character and gift should go hand and hand. If we are balanced in the two then we will know when to operate in our gift and when to wait and pray and do as the Lord would have us.
The next time you start to beat yourself up about not being as good at this or that as someone else you know, ask the Lord to help you define your gift. Ask the Lord to show you the truth about the matter. Then ask God for grace. Grace being God’s ability to do through you what you cannot do through yourself. Ask God to use you. He is looking for the available.
Now this was a very blatant example to you because I exposed myself for the sake of a teachable moment. We all have areas we are strong in and areas we are weak in. When we operate from our strengths we appear to be super human, because we are. The gifts we possess have been given to us by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT) “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
When we realize that our gifts are just that—gifts, we no longer can boast of them. We come to the realization that we did nothing to deserve them. Gifts are to be used. When we operate in our gift we are doing what we were created to do. Gifts are to be given.
In the Old Testament the priest garment had a bell and a pomegranate at the bottom of their garment. This is symbolic of the fact that we should have the character to match our gift. Character and gift should go hand and hand. If we are balanced in the two then we will know when to operate in our gift and when to wait and pray and do as the Lord would have us.
The next time you start to beat yourself up about not being as good at this or that as someone else you know, ask the Lord to help you define your gift. Ask the Lord to show you the truth about the matter. Then ask God for grace. Grace being God’s ability to do through you what you cannot do through yourself. Ask God to use you. He is looking for the available.
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