Has anyone ever talked to you about their spiritual gift(s). I’m sure that you are aware of the gifts talked about in scripture and if not you can find them in the following passages, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, the gifts given by the Holy Spirit, Romans 12:3-8, the gifts given by God, or Ephesians 4:7-16 those gifts that Christ has given. I have at the bottom of this article a little video that talks about ones “spiritual” gifts. How spiritual gifts are many times misunderstood for something I like to do. Just because you like to do something or even do something well does not necessarily mean that it is a spiritual gift. It may in fact be a gift but that does not mean that it is spiritual for you or anyone else.
I do want to clear up one thing before I go any farther on this subject. Spiritual gifts are given by the Lord and cultivated in our lives by how we use them for the Lord and His glory. Please take note to what was said there. Given by the Lord and used to His glory. I believe many have gifts given by the Lord and then the way they use those talents do not give Him the greatest glory possible. Let me try to give an example.
Let’s say that I am blessed with the ability to wash cars. I can get the dirt off, the bugs, the goo, I think you know what I’m talking about. I do a good job at it. I do it for the Lord. Then I found out that somebody else washes cars too. This should not upset me and yet it does, a little. Okay it kind of bothers me a lot. This is my gift. I wash cars. Who do they think they are to have the same gift that I do? Then I stop and notice that when they wash the cars that they do the same job as I do, you know, off with the bugs, off with the dirt, off with the goo. Yet I notice or maybe I choose not to notice that on top of all of that they use a special soap and a nice brush to really make the cars shine. Then when they are finished washing, they dry the car and polish it. So now as we look at the two cars, the one I washed and the one they washed, let’s notice some things. First, both cars are clean so I did just a good as them. Not so fast. Both cars may be clean but do both cars shine. Secondly, did I wash just to show them that they are no better than I am. Or did I wash because I was wanted to get the car cleaned up. Thirdly, Do I realize that someone else can do this better than I can, and that is not a problem, or is it? Do I then take the time to realize that they do a greater work in this area than I do? If that is the case, then great, let them wash the cars and from now on I will work at washing down the sidewalks. It is a job that needs to be done and you know for now, I do it better than anyone else and most importantly I do it for the Lord.
Maybe this illustration has some flaws, maybe it doesn’t. Either way I hope we all get the point. It is better to serve the Lord than not and that goes for me and everyone else. Sometimes we need to realize that someone else is just better than I am at a certain gift. It is not always easy. It doesn’t always seem fair. But stop and think about it, when it comes to the Lord do we want what is fair to us. Do we want the punishment we deserve? Do we want the suffering that we should have? No we certainly do not. So don’t look at fairness look at faithfulness. Be faithful to the Lord with all that you can do for Him and then do the best that you can do.
As I close, this is not a jab at any one individual or group, it is for everyone to think about. Just because you have picked out “this” to be your gift doesn’t mean that it is your only gift. Perhaps you can be of assistance to the Lord in another way, in another avenue. There are many things that can and need to be done for the Lord. Find one, do it and do it well. If someone else can take that to the next level, let them, remember it is for the Lord. Who knows maybe your gift is the ability to get others to find their gift and then you move on. Either way to God be the glory.
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