Friday, November 5, 2010

Journey of Faith Friday: Spiritual Gifts

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Spiritual Gifts

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.  

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one of them the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good-1 Cor. 12: 1, 4-7

There are many spiritual gifts.  What is yours?

Do you help lead a small group?
Do you give your time to someone in need of a break?
Do you host families in your home for dinner?
Do you serve in your church or community?
Do you encourage people as they pursue their dreams?
Do you pray, faithfully believing God will answer?
Spiritual gifts can be found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4.

There are so many questions we can ask ourselves when it comes to how we are using the spiritual gifts God has given us.  I believe we all have more than one.  I also believe many of the gifts can be found within all of God's children, but a select few are where your strength lies.  For example, I have the desire to serve, to give, and to be hospitable.  I practice these things, but God has clearly given me the gift of leadership. It is easier for me to lead than to give a portion of my time to a family in need.  Does that mean I shouldn't give to that family?  Absolutely not!!  We all should give of ourselves, but let's be honest, giving above and beyond the call of duty just comes natural--for some people.  

Like Paul says, "Just as the body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ...." -1 Cor. 12:12

As I mentioned above, one of the gifts God has given me is leadership. God has put me in positions to act as a leader for His common good many times.  In high school, God used me as a leader on my basketball team.  To say the very least, I did not make God look good during those immature years of low self confidence and rebellion.  None the less, He has continued to place leadership opportunities before me, allowing me to grow and mature and be humbled and be uplifted.  
  • I have led a number of small group women's Bible studies
  • I have been a discussion leader for Bible Study Fellowship
  • I have co-led a group of high school girls for 4 years
  • I have been the vice president of my Physical Therapy Class
  • I have been on the Special Needs Ministry leadership team
  • I have been on the University of Kentucky FCA leadership team
Through these experiences and more I have been able to use the gift of leadership God has given me. While leading, I have been able to practice giving, practice serving, practice teaching, practice hospitality, practice evangelism, practice discernment, pray for wisdom, pray for knowledge, pray for mercy, pray for faith, and practice encouragement.  

God has changed me.  He has matured me.  He continues to mature me.  He has improved my confidence, by helping me succeed, by tearing me down only to build me up again.  God has humbled me only to teach me how to boast.......in HIM!!

What spiritual gifts has God given you?
Are you using them for the common good?
Will you share them with us today?

If you decide to share...enter the URL to your post in the linky tool below.  
You can link up any time through next Friday.

If you join, please help us find one another by sharing the "Journey of Faith" graphic within your post.  You can copy and paste the code below.

Next Friday:  Tis the season of Thanksgiving!!!  What are you thankful for?  If you have been reading Amber's Articles you know my list is long.  Next week, let's join together and focus on how God has blessed us on our faith journey.



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6 comments:

Amy said...

Hi Amber,

Good job on your post. I have always liked spiritual gifts - learning and applying what we learn about.

Where in Tampa do you live? I could not find an email to ask this. You can reach me @ Flyin Peru at yahoo dot com, if you do not want to publically answer. We lived there many years!

Amy @ Missional Mama

Kelsey @ Seattle Smith's said...

Thanks for stopping by by blog, yours is just lovely -- Excited to read more about your journey and faith!

Margaret Almon said...

I was fascinated when my husband scored very high on hospitality, and I scored very low. . .but I realize we all have different gifts and I appreciate his ability to be hospitable. The gift I remember for myself was discernment--taking a spiritual gifts survey in Bible study when I was in high school helped me give names to different aspects of myself and how to share them with others.

Kindra said...

Great post dear friend! You are definitely a natural leader and you've been faithful to use this gift that God has given you. Leadership is not a gift I possess, so I am always encouraged to see it in others.
I'm going to look for a spiritual gifts survey - I've felt like encouragement and giving are those I feel called to most, but I can't say with absolute certainty.

Karli @ The Bonnie 5 said...

Hi Amber - great to e-meet you! :-) Thanks so much for your sweet comment on my blog. Your blog is wonderful too. I'm amazed at how many gals I've met online who make their faith their #1 priority. How encouraging! I serve in my church by cleaning once a month and working in the crawler's room during church. What a blessing to be able to serve God in that way. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday! :-)

Heidi of Operation Organization said...

Great idea for next week, Amber!

I added a link to your blog and 'Journey of Faith Friday' on my post today.

Cheers!