1 Corinthians 12:7-11
7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
I was a very shy kid growing up. I was rarely the first to speak, and nearly the last person to jump into any group activity. When I looked around at my friends, I truly thought I was the least gifted and talented of them all. Later in my teen years, I began to notice something about my friendships… when someone had a problem, they turned to me for advice! Were they crazy? No, they just saw something in me that I couldn’t see myself.
Spiritual gifts are not for your own benefit, but rather for the benefit of others.
Sometimes it takes others to help us see how God has gifted us to help others. At a young age, God had given me the ability to share wise advice in a way that pointed people back to Jesus. Do you know how God has uniquely gifted you to help others?
“6In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.” (Romans 12:6-9)
God has given everyone at least one spiritual gift to be a great benefit to others. God asks that we use these gifts well! After all, Jesus says that we will be known as his disciples by our love for one another. We must not only “know” how God has gifted us, but we must put our gifts into action by serving one another in love, through God’s grace.
Thought for Today: How has God uniquely gifted you to serve others? Have you found a way to use your gifts within your friendships? Your church? Your community? If you’re not sure how God has gifted you, take this free spiritual gifts survey.
Today’s Prayer: God, help me to understand how you have uniquely gifted me to help others, and more. Give me the courage to use my gifts every day. Jesus, I pray that you would use me and the gifts that you have given me to help others meet, know, and follow you. Amen.
Last weekend, thousands from Sun Valley said “We Love Our City” through various service projects. We would love to hear your stories and see your pictures. Send those to Brian LaMew, and we’ll celebrate your story with the SV staff.
Sun Valley Community Church Devotional 