Deeper Day 144: Gifts

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8

We have all be infused with certain giftings. We don’t choose them, God does. He planted them within us upon our creation. They were part of His master plan before He even put them inside our little bodies. Giftings come from God and there are many different ones. We are not all made to operate the same. In fact, God deliberately made us different. Why? Well, I ultimately believe He did it so we could work together. He made us all different and He also made us with the need for fellowship and interaction with one another, with the plan that we would have all needs met when we come together and each move within our own gifting.

In other words (and this is also spoken to myself) stop trying to be like everybody else.

We need all the giftings to be used in order to function in wholeness. Each gift should be celebrated for what it is, none is truly greater than the other. I notice in the body of Christ that there is a “run” on the popular and upfront positions, while people shy away from the less glamorous positions. This behavior can and has led to a deficit. But something else it’s led to is far more dangerous, people operating in positions that they are gifted to operate within.

During my time within the church I’ve come across many people who were clearly serving in the wrong positions, whether it was out of selfish ambition or because the church simply needed a position filled. Honestly, I feel that’s a great tragedy, and ultimately it doesn’t serve the person who is making the compromise or the church.

There is a cycle that occurs when we place people in a position for which they are truly not gifted to operate within, and it goes like this: a person is wrongly placed in a position and this causes the person who could properly fill the position to believe that there is no need for them. While the wrongly placed person may thrive in that place for a season, it is inevitably short lived, or the person is truly miserable doing what they’re doing and just won’t say anything. Either way it’s not God’s best for our body. He made the body complete, we only need to trust His placement of people and His timing.

Prayer Moment: Today I challenge you to make a very honest assessment of the positions you currently fill within your church or the body of Christ at large. Have you found yourself simply volunteering for any position where there is a need or do You go to the Father before committing your time and talents? Years ago, God really convicted me to stop and press into His heart before I rush out to be “the guy”. You know, the guy who always says yes and fills any gaps in service. This is not God’s best for anyone. We all should go to Him and ask, “Is this where You want me to serve?” before we accept any position. Likewise, we shouldn’t be afraid to step out if He asks us to step into a position for which we had never considered moving into before. Be brave and be smart.