The Lord has gifts for you!
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Cor. 12:4-5 NIV)
When you become born again by receiving Christ, (John 1:12 & John 3:3) God gives you at least one spiritual gift, and sometimes several. (1 Cor. 12:11)
To help you and others!
These wonderful gifts are provided to help you grow in your relationship with God and to help you be effective in helping others, too.
You can find these gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:11.
God gives these gifts for a number of great reasons:
To equip His children for service. To build up His church. To bring unity in faith. To bring knowledge of Jesus. To bring spiritual maturity. And, to bring the whole measure of fullness in Christ. (1 Peter 4:10 and Eph. 4:11-12)
Therefore…
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you…” (2 Tim 1:6a NKJV)
You must “stir them up” and then put them to work, so both yourself and others can benefit from them!
Quote:
“Some people have a warped idea of living the Christian life. Seeing talented, successful Christians, they attempt to imitate them. For them, the grass on the other side of the fence is always greener. But when they discover that their own gifts are different or their contributions are more modest (or even invisible), they collapse in discouragement and overlook genuine opportunities that are open to them. They have forgotten that they are here to serve Christ, not themselves.“ - Billy Graham