In 1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 I read, “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NLT)
God created me with a number of different gifts, talents, abilities, and skills. There are certain ways I think and things I do that I’m just naturally good at.
Those gifts and abilities are how God shaped me. But God did not shape me uniquely for my benefit. My gifts are not just for my own good. My gifts are for the benefit of everybody else. And that means their gifts are for my benefit, too.
I may already know what I’m really good at. Why do I think God made me good at those things? He wants me to use those gifts for others!
How should I use those gifts or talents in the time left before Jesus comes back? Well, I should use them to reach others for Jesus. I should use them to be an ambassador of love in the world. In fact, if I’m not using those unique gifts the way God intended, then I’m really just wasting them.
God didn’t give me gifts just to use them for myself. James 4:17 says it like this: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT).
If I know what I’m good at and I know that many people in the world probably need my help, what am I going to do about it? Who am I serving? Who am I going to help between now and when the story ends and eternity begins?
God has given me, like the church the apostle Paul wrote to in 1 Corinthians, everything I need to serve well. “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 NLT).
Don’t waste my God-given abilities. So I need to use my gifts to serve God by serving others.
In summary, thank God for the gracious gifts he has given me. For I have spiritual gifts I need as I eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. God created me with a number of different gifts, talents, abilities, and skills. There are certain ways I think and things I do that I’m just naturally good at. Those things and abilities are how God shaped me. But God did not shape me for my own benefit. Rather my gifts are for the benefit of everybody else. The things I know that I’m already good at are to be used for others. I should use those to reach others for Jesus and be an ambassador of love in the world. If I’m not using my gifts the way God intended, then I’m really just wasting them. There are many people in the world that probably need my help. What am I going to do about it? Who am I going to help between now and when the story ends and eternity begins? I shouldn’t waste my God-given abilities, rather I need to use them to serve God by serving others.
It occurs to me that I should also be thankful for the gifts and abilities that God has given me. My thankfulness should affect my attitude and behavior. Because I believe in and follow Christ, I”ll be considered blameless when my life ends. One way I can use my talents and skills is to be a leader for a small Bible study group. This is something I have already set into motion. I should also consider how I should spend my time knowing that Jesus could return at any time. My perspective on life should change, being more thankful for what God has given me to use to help further his kingdom. I ask you Father for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I ask for in your Son Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.
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