Use The Gifts That God Has Given You

Every believer in Christ has been given a gift by the Holy Spirit to be used to glorify God and to edify the body of Christ. It does not matter if you are young or old, male or female, black or white, educated or uneducated, rich or poor, Baptist or Pentecostal, Methodist or Catholic; if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has given you a gift to be used to glorify God and to edify the body of Christ.

In Ephesians 4:7-8 it says, "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

In Ephesians 4:11-12, it says, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelist; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

In Romans 12:6-8, it says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation; he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mecry, with cheerfulness."

In I Corinthians 12:4-11, it says, "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differneces of administration, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestations of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."

In I Corinthians 12:28-30, it says, "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

Obviously, the answer to the questions that are set forth in I Corinthians 12:30-31 is "NO" because all of us do not have the same gifts. And because all of us have been given different types of gifts by the Holy Spirit to be used to glorify God and to edify the body of Christ, we should not be competing against each other, trying to out do one another because all of us recieved our gifts from the same source, which is God himself, and we are all on the same team.

In I Peter 4:10-11. it says, "As every man hath recieved the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Yes, if you are a believer in Christ, you have been given a gift the Holy Spirit to be used to glorify God, and to edify the body of Christ. And if you are a believer in Christ but yet you do not know what gift God has given you, you need to go to God in prayer and ask the Lord to reveal what gift he has given you.

In Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."

What gift God has given you , you ought to use it faithfully to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 says,"And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

Don’t use your gifts so you can be popular with man, so you can get a pat on the back, but rather use your gifts to glorify the Father in heaven. And when I say use your gift to glorify the Father in heaven, I’m not just talking about just using your gifts inside the four walls of the church, but God wants you to use your gifts at home, in your neighborhoods, in your communities, in your schools, or wherever you go. In other words, wherever you go, let God use you to be a witness of his glory.