Spiritual Gifts . . . Designed for Distribution

Week 39, Weekend
Rhonda Kelley
 
If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (hcsb)

Spiritual gifts are not merely talents. While talents are natural abilities received through inheritance and are mostly for personal pleasure, spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities given by God for the benefit of others. Talents fulfill our own desires and expectations, while spiritual gifts fulfill God’s desires and expectations. God has designed spiritual gifts for distribution to others. They are not only for your personal consumption!

Paul expressed this biblical principle in 1 Corinthians 13. Christians are to use their spiritual gifts to love others, share truth, live by faith, and feed the poor. If I have the gift of prophecy but do not love those to whom I am prophesying, I am nothing. If I have the gift of faith and do not love others, I am nothing. If I unselfishly give all I have to the poor but do not love them, I am nothing. Spiritual gifts are wasted if they are not given away. In the same way that love is not true love until you give it away, spiritual gifts are not spiritual gifts until they are given to others.

Do you know people who can sing but hesitate to sing in worship? Do you know ladies who can teach but decline to teach a Bible study? Do you know someone who is organized but won’t assume a position of leadership? There are many stuffed Christians who are hoarding their gifts. Don’t be a stuffed Christian! Discover and develop your spiritual gifts then utilize them to minister to people around you. Your spiritual gifts were designed for distribution!

Dear Lord, You love me and command me to love others. Teach me the meaning of true love. True love is extended unselfishly to others. Help me share my spiritual gifts with others in love. May Your love always flow through me as I minister to those in need. In Your precious name, amen.

Similar Posts

  • |

    Let Them Love You!

    By:  Rebecca Holloway   Your husband has stood beside countless bedsides as dear saints have gone home to glory. You have taken food to those who are sick or have had surgery. You have thrown countless baby showers and wedding showers. Your minister husband and you have prayed with many who have serious family needs…

  • Jehovah Shalom

    Week 11, Friday Debbie Brunson So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. Judges 6:24 (nkjv) The book of Judges describes another dark period in Israel’s history. God’s people were living in rebellion and disobedience and had turned in idolatry to the gods of the lands around them. You see a…

  • Do It for Him

    Week 28, Weekend Rachel Uth So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 With the recent death of my father, I have realized again how precious and amazing is our gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Only when we have trusted Christ with…

  • First Love

    We are filling up our spaces at Refresh Retreats quickly. Take advantage of an opportunity to attend one of these extraordinary times of refreshing! We have also added our Restoration Retreats for Ministry Marriages; the link is here.   When you come to a Refresh Retreat you are going to blessed with the SWAG from one…

  • When You Lift Their Names – Part 2

    Praying big prayers for our children is not just praying in a way that we are comfortable or lack belief; it is bold and purposeful.  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) Ministry wives carry many burdens quietly, but one of the heaviest is the constant prayerful concern for our children. As we support our husbands and serve the church, our hearts remain tethered to our sons and daughters’ spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. It’s easy to shrink our prayers to what feels manageable or “”realistic,””—but we serve a God who deals with the impossible. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God can do “”immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”” That includes our children’schildren’s faith, friendships, futures, and failures. As women deeply embedded in ministry life, we often pray for protection: Lord, shield them from the hypocrisy they may witness. Guard their hearts from resentment. Keep them from rebellion.Those are essential prayers—but what if we also began to pray big, bold, heaven-sized prayers? Bold prayers are not safe prayers. Bold prayers are prayers of faith. Bold prayers take us from what we can…