I Love Christmas. As a family, we gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Also, we enjoy giving gifts to one another. And God has given each one of us a gift to help and serve others (1Peter 4:10).
Gifts from God
Romans 12:6-8 lists gifts from God that enable us to do things well and help others. The list includes Prophecy—reading and interpreting God’s Word; Service—giving practical help to those who have needs; Teaching—explaining the application of God’s Word in the hearer’s life; Encouragement—inspiring confidence and emboldening others; Contributing—doing a good job with our administrative abilities; Giving Aid—sharing our time and money to help others; Leadership—using our leadership skills to serve God and others; Acts of Mercy—showing acts of kindness to others.
Spiritual Gifts
In addition to the above gifts, the Holy Spirit gives us one or more spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is a talent or ability given by the Holy Spirit and empowered by him for the common good. God’s Word lists those gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. The list includes Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles-performing them, Prophecy-making known the truth of God, Discernment-knowing the truth of God’s Word versus false doctrine, and Tongues-speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues.
Finding our gifts
Do you know what your gifts are? If not, a good place to start is to ask God for help. You can also ask yourself what you enjoy doing and what you are good at doing. In addition, you can help identify your gifts by Googling articles, videos, and books that explain how to find and use your gifts.
Using our gifts
God created us to do good works for others (Ephesians 2:10). He did not create us to simply consume resources and only serve ourselves. Therefore, identify your gifts and start using them to serve, help, and encourage others.