Use Your Gift

1Peter 4:10-11(NLT)
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another. 11 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.

Are you exhausted from trying to make your life work? Many of God’s children are feeling this way, and they don’t have a clue how to manage it. We want positive changes in our lives, but we are not seeking the knowledge of God’s Word that will help us flip the script. One very important piece of knowledge that we need is about God’s purpose. Every born-again believer has a purpose within the plan and Will of God, but many of us don’t take the hint that life is giving us about this. We have our own vision about where we want to go and who we want to be, and we’re not checking in with God to see if He approves. We grow and mature through life’s experiences, and we make some headway here and there, but sooner or later, we’ll get a wake-up call that knocks us for a loop. It’s telling us that we’re on the wrong path, but by this time, some of us are so dissatisfied and unfulfilled in life that we don’t even notice the message life is sending.

God doesn’t want us to be disappointed and unfulfilled in our lives. In John 10:10(NKJV), Jesus Christ declared, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus Christ came to the earth to prepare the way for us. He made it possible to restore our relationship with God, so that we could become the children of light that He has called us to be. God is the one who directs our paths. Our lives are given so that we can live for Him through Jesus Christ. This truth is foundational. It must be anchored at the core of our being. It’s a building block that holds the weight of all our aspirations and dreams, and much more.

God sent His Son to earth so we could have a rich and satisfying life, and this life is not meant to be lived separate from God. Quite the contrary, this life must be lived in God in Christ. If we try to build the kind of life that God made available through Christ without walking daily with Heavenly Father, we will be disappointed. This is where many people are today.

Psalm 100:3(ESV) declares, Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” We belong to God. Every ounce of us is His. Our lives are not our own, but most of us do not see it this way. We want to be in charge, and this simply isn’t possible. Our Heavenly Father knows the plans He has for us, yet, He does not force us to follow His plan. It is totally up to our free-will choice. However, when it appears that life is no longer cooperating with you, it’s sending you a message. It’s telling you there’s a good possibility that it’s time for you to change trajectories and begin to do things God’s way. We can either catch a clue and begin to walk in a greater way with God, or we can continue to ignore God’s wake-up call.

1Peter 4:10-11 makes it clear that God doesn’t want us tinkering around down here, twiddling our thumbs because we’re not sure what to do. He’s given each of us a gift to use in service to others, and He requires that we use all He’s provided to bless others. As followers of Christ, we must develop a heart that is eager to love and serve God’s people. This passage tells us that when we get up every morning and ask God, “What can I do for You today, Father? How can I be a blessing?”, and we are faithful to do as He leads, everything we do will bring Him glory. This is the blessed life that God has made available to as many who will follow Jesus Christ.

Blessings sometimes seem very slow, especially to those women that have been praying to cross paths with their special someone for a very long time. God isn’t withholding the blessing of marriage from anyone. He has designed life in such a way that it cooperates with our faithfulness to be a blessing to His Kingdom. Have an attitude that you are committed to do something for God’s Kingdom every day of your life. Have faith that even though you can’t see it, He is helping you to increase in faith. Wait on Him, and He will reward your diligence and bless your life and the lives of those you love.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

“Use Your Gift”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.

 

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