In II Timothy 1:6-13, Paul wrote to Timothy. He told Timothy, a young preacher, to "stir up the gift of God" that was inside him. He reminded Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
In essence, Paul was saying, to Timothy... "You have been saved, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Timothy, God has called you into His service. I place my hands upon you as a token of God�s call. Timothy, do not be afraid. God has given you everything you need. Stir yourself up and do what God asks of you."
Do you know what your spiritual gift is? Are you using your spiritual gifts? If not, stir up the gift that is inside you. It was given to you by God. Use it! Do not be afraid. God did not give you a spirit of fear. He gave you power, love and a strong mind!
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Pet. 4:10
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:4-6a
Spiritual gifts include: Prophecy, Leadership, Administration, Healing, Apostle, Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Mercy, Evangelism, Pastoring, Intercessory prayer, Hospitality, Wisdom, Faith ,etc. (Different theologians break down this list and translate it in different ways. Not trying to get into a deep discussion on that. Just want you to understand an example of spiritual gifts)
In addition to the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, each of us also have individual natural talents such as drawing, singing, carpentry, cooking, athleticism. Those talents are usually present at a very early age. When my daughter was in second grade, I was called in for a conference with her teacher, Mrs. Rosemary Gatewood. She said, "Let me show you her Math notebook". I flipped through the pages of the Math notebook. I found many beautiful drawings. There were pictures of unicorns, princesses, girls performing gymnastics, lots of drawings of girls in bathing suits at the beach, kittens, puppies, mermaids...beautiful artwork...but, alas, no math. So...apparently, she's not going to be a mathematician. That's okay. We have chosen to develop the talents that she has by enrolling her in drama camp, buying drums and getting her drum lessons, purchasing art supplies, buying a saxophone and supporting the local band. Mrs. Gatewood was very understanding of Chelsea's creativity and "busyness" and worked very hard to find ways to keep Chelsea focused on her work that year, while still understanding her personality and strengths.
Many of us think that God cannot use us because of anything that we perceive as a weakness or that we have allowed others to convince us is a flaw in our personality.Every single person on earth has some kind of bad habit or character flaw.Every person on earth also has some kind of gift that they can share or something special about them that God can use. I have said in a previous blog..."God can use you in spite of your weaknesses. God may often choose to use you because of your weaknesses." You may need to work on your "areas for improvement" and ask God to hep you change, but that does not mean that you are disqualified from his service.
Start thinking about your natural talents, your personality, and your spiritual gifts and how they work together. I think my oldest son has the spiritual gift of evangelism. The story of Jesus' death on the cross was always his favorite Bible story. He wanted to read that one every night when we read Bible stories at bed-time. When he was around four years old, he got a Easter story book in addition to his Easter basket and gifts from the "Easter Bunny". The whole book was about the Easter story.When he went to church on that Easter Sunday morning, he couldn't wait to show everyone his book. He was walking up to older people that had probably been Christians for seventy years and saying, "Do you know Jesus? Are you saved?" and trying to show them his book.
His personality and his individual strengths fit very well with his spiritual gift of evangelism. That boy can talk to anybody about anything. Doesn't know a stranger. When he was very little, he walked up to a stranger at Bojangles and invited him to his birthday party that afternoon. He is a very welcoming and accepting person and likes to talk to people, which is exactly the kind of personality and strengths you need if you have the gift of evangelism.
Sometimes our gifts and personality can get us into interesting situations. When my oldest son that I mentioned above, was about four and playing t-ball, he really liked his t-ball coach, Mr. Chris. One night he yelled out while on the baseball field. "Hey, Mr. Chris, why don't you come to my house tonight. My daddy's not going to be home!" Oh my goodness, I was so embarrassed. What he meant was that his Dad was working out of town at that time. He probably thought it would be fun to play baseball in the yard with Mr. Chris, since his Dad would be working and not able to play with him that night. It was actually a compliment to his Dad and to Mr. Chris as well. But that is not how it sounded. He made it sound like men came over to the house all the time when his Daddy wasn't home! It's funny now..but I was sooo embarrassed at the time!
I told that funny story to make a point. We have to remember that the characteristics of other people that might get on our nerves or embarrass us are just the very thing that God may use for ministry. Everyone is not going to be like you or have the same interests, giftings, or style of ministry. God chooses to use all of us, with our imperfections, to fulfill His purposes on earth. Don't question why or how God is using someone else. Focus on how He can use YOU!
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
If you are tempted to question how God is using someone's gift or giftings...don't. Work on stirring up your own gift. Don't be afraid. God has not given you a spirit of fear. He has given you power, love, and a strong mind! Stir up your gifts!
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