In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. – Romans 12:6 NLT
As a football coach, I spend a significant amount of time on the field studying the players to figure out which talents, abilities, and gifts each person has. Then I plug them into the right role and position that best matches their personal strengths. Well, it turns out that God is a lot like our head coach leading us to victory, except we mean much more to Him than simply being on His team, instead, we are actually part of His own immediate family. In fact, the Scripture refers to us as His very Body (Romans 12:5). He knows where each person belongs and He created every member to fill that certain spot in the Body of Christ! 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose.”
So you might be unsure how to take the gifts that God has given you and actively apply them to benefit your local church. Taking an assessment of what you have to offer is the best place to start, but don’t let this stop you from serving others and getting plugged in. It doesn’t take a spiritual gift to greet someone at the door, make coffee, or serve in the nursery, and it surely doesn’t require a Ph.D. in theology either! Check out this list below to help you determine what gifts you have been given to bless others with.
Romans 12:6-8 (Various giftings)
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (Power gifts)
1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (Other various giftings)
Ephesians 4:11-13 (Leadership gifts)
1 Peter 4:10-11 (Speaking and serving)
Abilities – The majority of people can contribute something to the local church. Most people can contribute money, time, or even a certain skill set. Basically, this is if you have a basic ability of any kind, it can be used to serve others for God’s glory. What abilities do you have that can easily be contributed to the greater good of your church community?
Talents – These are things that we are born with, or even develop that can be contributed to the whole. A singing voice, skill on a musical instrument, technology skills, or even carpentry expertise are examples of talents that you can bring to benefit the whole. What God-given talents have you developed that you might be able to offer to serve and build up others?
Spiritual Gifts – The Lord tells us through Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—” These are not gifts we are born with, but are given to us when the Spirit makes us alive at conversion. These gifts move beyond our natural human abilities and so glorify Jesus and strengthen His people.
Lord Jesus, I thank You that a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help one another. What Biblical spiritual gifts are You wanting to work through me for the good of others? In Your name, I pray, amen.
Dig Deeper
1. 1 Corinthians 13:31 tells us that we “Should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.” After reading the passages listed above, which gifts would you say are the most helpful?
2. Are there some giftings that are more important than others? How does your answer compare to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27?
3. According to 1 Corinthians 14:1, what is the highest goal we should aim for in our spiritual giftings?
