| 1 Peter 4:10 – “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” |
It’s easy to feel as if we don’t have any real gifts, or the gifts we have are small and insignificant. Perhaps we are not in a leadership role at our place of worship, or maybe we sing in the choir but do little else. It’s hard not to feel inferior to those who have more or bigger gifts than we do. But God has given all of us gifts, and it’s our responsibility to recognize them, develop them as best we can, and find ways to use them.
Many years ago, I was in my early 20’s and living more than 1000 miles away from my family. As exciting as it was to be on my own, it was also a struggle financially and emotionally. I had an old car that my dad had given me, but it was a constant source of frustration with many needed repairs. I just didn’t have the finances to fix everything and was quite concerned. One day, one of the men from the church that I was attending reached out to me and offered to look at my car for me. He ran a local repair shop and although I trusted him to give me an honest assessment of my car, I was secretly very worried about how much everything was going to cost. Imagine my surprise when he returned my car to me (now in perfect running order) and said there would be no charge! I cried when he handed my keys back to me – I don’t think he had any idea how much his kindness meant to me that day. He used his gifts in auto repair to bless me in ways he could never imagine. I will never forget his kindness.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father – help us to recognize the gifts you have given to each of us. Whether we are up front leading worship or working behind the scenes in a supportive role, you have given each of us talents and gifts, and a job to do. Open my eyes to avenues of service that are all around me and help me to step out in boldness to walk through the doors you open for me. Amen
– Betty Gossell
