There are a variety of spiritual gifts given by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit               

Most Christians, if not all, are familiar with the God-given spiritual gifts He has distributed among select Christian believers, that equips them to perform services in their own lives that will also help benefit the church-at-large, to execute its mission here on earth.  According to Christ Jesus, the divine purpose for distributing spiritual gifts is basically to build up, inspire, enlighten and support the church outreach mandates (both to members and future members) as He identifies the masses in the Beatitudes section of the Bible found in Matthew 5:3-10 (Abbreviated):

• Blessed are the poor in spirit…
• Blessed are those who mourn…
• Blessed are the meek…
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…
• Blessed are the merciful…
• Blessed are the pure in heart…
• Blessed are the peacemakers…
• Blessed are those who are persecuted…

Listed in the picture diagram above are some of the spiritual gifts God has distributed, but not all of them.  However, by now, I can imagine that all of God’s gifts have been exercised in some manner by people during this time of Covid-19, which is a deadly virus running amuck and manifesting itself throughout the whole wide world.

So, my question to you this week is; have you received your spiritual gift from the Lord and how are you exercising it?  Has the calling upon your life’s gift(s) by others (for strength, encouragement or reassurance, etc.) caused you to become ecstatic, exuberant, thankful or boastful in your service and spiritual support to them?

NO BLAME…NO SHAME…

I do not want you to feel guilty if you do not have any idea of how God wants you to respond to the hope of his ‘calling’ on your life during this pandemic.  This whole business about spiritual gifts might be a total surprise to you and furthermore, especially if you have neither received instructions on how to identify your gift(s) nor how to use them to glorify God.

I, personally, meet people everyday who express a desire to be gifted like someone else…to mimic their mannerisms or positive interactions with others.  That same person might have performed a good deed for someone, or helped to resolve a problem for another, or contributed financially for still another.  BUT, what if, when accolades were received, the obliging person (in this case a non-Christian) responded with a ‘thank you’ instead of giving God the glory.   Or, in another example, what if in return to a grateful response (a Christian in this case) said, “Don’t thank me, thank Jesus Christ!”  This expression, like the first, also draws attention to oneself, before deflecting to giving God the glory.

How to get started giving God the glory…

Once you have taken the time to identify your spiritual gift (and you do have at least one spiritual gift), pray how you can use it to the glory of God and also to the benefit of others.  The Holy Spirit will multiply its effectiveness as you grow in Him.  But most importantly, when you receive appreciative remarks and praises for sharing it, your response could be something like this; “You know, my faith and trust in God has helped me to respond in a more meaningful way to others.  And I just watched God answer your prayers.  You have a gift, too.  If you like, we can explore it together sometime.”

NOW, EVERYBODY’S FOCUS SHOULD BE ON GOD GETTING ALL THE GLORY…AND NOT YOU!

It may be that God used you to point someone to him, but all praise and honor goes to Jesus Christ.  The more you deflect praises to our Lord when helping the lost population and the saved children of the King, the more you will be used in His service.  Try it! You’ll like it!  And what is more important, you will begin to seek out God’s people who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, who hunger and thirst, who are pure in heart, who are peacemakers, and who are persecuted.  Just remember to always give God the glory.

Scripture Lesson:   “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching (teaching/explaining) to them? And how can they preach (teach or explain) unless they are sent (gifted and empowered)? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15) 

Identify Your Spiritual Gifts: Online Spiritual Gifts Test

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