God has given you a gift

A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of hearing an Alum of Oak Hills speak in our chapel session.  You may have heard of him or not, but he has been given a unique gift.  This person’s name is Ken Davis.  Ken is a remarkable man that is very humble as well.  He has a successful ministry and a loving and growing family too.  You can listen to him on the radio or even catch his blog here: http://www.kendavis.com/  You can watch this short video to hear some of the gift the Ken possesses.

But the main reason I am writing this today is that he gave our students a very powerful message and that was “God has given you a gift! Use it.” And I wanted to touch on that some and hopefully give you some insight on what gift God may have given you.  There are many gifts out there in the world and some of it may seem insignificant or just a part of who you are, but isn’t there something about you that people tend to comment on?  “You have the patience of a saint.”  “You are always so kind to everyone.” “My goodness you have a sense of humor.”  Just personality traits?  I think not, I think these are gifts that were given to you to further the kingdom.

Galations 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law….”

I know it seems weird but these little attributes are things that are given to you as a child of God and they can make a larger impact in the world around you than you know.  Our world is in absolute chaos and the love of Christ is needed more than ever.  Being able to be a beacon of light in the world and to show Christlikeness to others is a wonderful thing to do, because people don’t expect it anymore.  Many people are so aloof to everything going on around them that doesn’t have a direct effect on themselves.  So that when someone goes out of their way to help it is almost shocking.

So the big question is, “How do I figure out what my gift is?”  Well, I’m sure you already have a fairly decent idea of what your gift is, but for those who don’t, here are somethings to keep in mind:

1. Pay Attention. Notice the things that energize you and seem to come naturally. Remember the quote from the movie Chariots of Firewhen Eric Liddell explained to his sister why he was postponing his return to the mission field in order to race in the Olympics? "Because when I run, I feel the pleasure of God."
   
   Every spiritual gift gives off clues. Your spiritual gift will cause you to react a certain way in a given situation. If there's a problem, people with the spiritual gift of shepherding will be immediately concerned that people are cared for and growing in Christlikeness as a result of the issue. Those with the gift of intercession (prayer) will immediately say, "We need to pray about this," while those with a leadership gift will begin looking at solutions for the problem.
    
2. Once you've gathered enough information to create a list of some possible gifts (perhaps gifts of mercy, evangelism, encouragement, or hospitality), exercise your options. A great place to start would be a volunteer position at your church. While you're trying it out, you'll start to discern whether you're good at it or not. Also, others will tell you!
   
   When my kids were young, our church needed help in the nursery during the worship services. I volunteered for a three-month opening. I didn'tfeel the pleasure of God; the children didn't feel the pleasure of God. It was so not my spiritual gift. Part of learning what you're good at is having to go through the pain of learning what you're not good at.
   
   As you try different things, you'll eventually find yourself engaged in something during which time flies and you find a deep sense of connection to God. Pick that road to continue your adventure.
3. In 2 Timothy 1:6, the apostle Paul encourages Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God." We're responsible to develop our gifts. Perhaps one of the best ways to do that is to mentor someone who's just starting on this discovery process. People with the spiritual gift of wisdom are probably the best people to develop someone else with the spiritual gift of wisdom, and so on for each of the gifts.

It's remarkable how you can deepen your relationship with God as you uncover and live out the spiritual gifts he's bestowed on you. What could the church and our world look like if each of us used the gift God's given us?

So, get out there and figure things out.  Be a light in this world that we live in.

REAL FAITH. REAL LEARNING. REAL LIFE. at Oak Hills Christian College