I Peter 4:10, NLT

“The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

I Peter was written by the apostle Peter to the Christians living in various parts of Asia Minor. They were suffering rejection in the world because of their obedience to Jesus. Throughout this letter, he encourages them to stay the course, be courageous, diligent and good examples of Jesus and fix their eyes on their heavenly inheritance…and stick together by loving one another and serving one another with the gifts God has given.

There are many gifts distributed to us by God. Are you using yours? Are you being bold in your gifting? Are you allowing the fear of man to stifle your gift? Whatever your gifts may be, you were given them to bless and enrich others’ lives in the world, but most importantly in the Body of Christ. We are one body with many parts and each part is just as important as the others. All the parts must work together in love and consideration. This imperative for the healthy working of the Church of Jesus Christ. We must love one another and prefer others above ourselves, no matter how important we think we are. There is no place for jealousy, gossip or sabotage in the Body of Christ. That is what grieves the Holy Spirit. We will talk more about this in tomorrow’s devotional! Stay tuned!

But what is my gift, you may ask. Maybe you don’t even realize that God has given you a gift. I am going to list the many types of gifts below and I want you to identify yours. It may be more than one and you may operate in different gifts at different times, especially when you live a life surrendered to God!

5-Fold Ministry Gifts found in Ephesians 4:11. Gifts given by Jesus for the leadership of His Church:
Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor-Shepherd, Teacher.

Gifts given by the Father for the edification/motivation of the Body. These are also referred to as creational gifts. They are found in Romas 12:6-8:
Prophecy, Serving/helping, Teaching, Exhortation/encouragement, Giving/contributing, Leading, Mercy.

Gifts given by the Holy Spirit, called Manifestation Gifts. These gifts are usually used in a moment in time. They are found in I Corinthians 12:7-10.
Word of wisdom, Word of knowledge, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Faith, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues.

There are tests you can take to figure out your gift based upon your strengths and weaknesses if you have no idea. Why is this important? Because we must operate as a healthy, fully-functioning Body to fulfill our purpose as the Church in this earth. Plus, when you’re operating in your gifting, the amount of personal fulfillment you feel is amazing!

Lord, I thank you for being a Good Father who gives good gifts to His children. Help me to identify my gift, grow in my gift and use my gift the way that you want me to. Help me to not be jealous of others and be loving, gracious and supportive of all the other members of your Body. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I believe I have the heart of a pastor, I love to teach the Word, encourage people and lead. God has allowed me to be used by many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit at different times. So, see? You can have many gifts! What are yours? I’d love to hear!