Use Your Gifts

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? (1 Corinthians 12:29 NIV)

We waste a lot of our time in life wishing we had different, or more, gifts.  Prophets wish they were teachers.  Teachers wish they could work miracles.  Miracle workers wish they could prophesy.  It's an endless - and fruitless - pursuit.  It's a case of the "grass being greener."  We think our own gifts are too small to count.  We think we can't make any difference with them.

The truth is, by ourselves we CAN'T make much of a difference.  But when every person uses his or her gifts to their full potential... that is when the mountains begin to move!  

Philosopher Martin Buber said, "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." God gave each of us gifts that when used to their full potential, do their part in moving life's biggest mountains.  We don't usually know what that action will be and we don't always even know when it happens.  But using our gifts is a must.

When my weekly small group meets, a big part of our time together is holding one another accountable for actions of piety, spiritual study and apostolic action during the prior week.  Each of us is better at one area than the others, but we continue to encourage each other to improve.  When we talk about action, we want to know how we have brought someone closer to knowing God's love or how we have helped to bear another's burdens.  I think if we simply asked, "How did you use your gifts this week?"  we would have "action" covered.  

We may never know how we have brought someone closer to God or how we have borne another's burdens.  But if we have used our God-given gifts and talents to the best of our ability, we can be sure that we have done those things for someone, somewhere, somehow.  Because that's what our gifts and talents do.  They work for the kingdom of God and each time we use them we are doing the work God intended for us to do.  It may not be the more obvious things like serving in a soup kitchen or preaching to thousands of people... because those things may not make the best use of our gifts.  Sometimes simply teaching your grandchild to sing "Jesus Loves Me" is all the "action" needed for that time and place.

Use your talents and gifts.  You may never know the apostolic action you did, but you can rest assured that it happened.

Father,

Help me to stop comparing my spiritual journey to others.  Instead, help me to use my gifts to your glory each and every day.  Amen.

Joys:  Sleeping in; on-line chatting with Richard; a quiet morning