What Will You Do With Your Gift?

What Will You Do with Your Gift?

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

2 Timothy 1:6

God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

Romans 11:29

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.

1 Peter 4:10-11

Have you ever watched someone make a campfire? If so, you know that it can burn strong for a while, but then it gets reduced to a pile of glowing pieces of wood. Eventually, these embers will become cold and hard if left alone. But if you want to get the fire roaring again, you can use a stick to stir up the embers, gently blow or fan them, and add additional wood, and the flame will burn strong again.

The gifts God gives to us are like a fire that frequently needs to be stirred up and fanned as well as fed with fuel. Every believer has a gift that he or she is responsible to use for God’s glory and for the good of other people. It’s our responsibility to examine ourselves to find the ember of ability or inclination that God has uniquely given to us and then figure out what it will take to fan that gift into a roaring flame of service to God. You might need someone you trust who knows you well to help you identify your gift. And perhaps you’ll need to develop your gift through study or practice or discipline. What you don’t want to do is ignore it.

Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:43, ESV). True greatness in the Kingdom of God is servanthood. God intends for you to serve by using your unique gift for the benefit of others. So if you have any desire to be truly great, find out what your gift is and use it to serve the world around you—for Jesus’ sake.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What gifts or special abilities do you see people using for God?

What gifts has God given you that can be used for him? (Remember, if it’s a gift from God, it’s not prideful to identify it, and it’s foolish to hide it!)

How could you “fan into flames” the gifts you’ve been given?