Receiving Your Calling
1 Pet 4:10-11
10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
All of us have a grace gift from God.
Basically two categories of gifts:
- Speaking gifts
- Serving gifts
Are you using yours? Are we serving others with it?
Rom 12:6-8
6 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. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership(both), let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy(both), let him do it cheerfully.
2 Tim 1:5-7
5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
- Faith can be passed on by watching and learning to trust the faith in those over us.
- Gifts can be revealed and recognized by the laying on of hands.
- Fear can shut down our gift. This fear causes weakness, lack of love and lack of disciplined way of thinking.
1 Tim 4:12-15
12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
This is one way we are made aware of the gift that we already have. This is a better picture of the same event. The gift wasn’t given it was prophetically revealed during the laying of hands.
- ALSO because we find out what it is, doesn’t mean we are ready to use it. We will never be ready if we do not train, study and practice.
Rom 1:11-12
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong-- 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. (NIV)
Paul talked about imparting not in the sense of giving him something that he would from then on own, but to impart as to use the gift that he has to strengthen, comfort or bless him.
Let’s pray and ask God to begin to reveal the gifts that are in us. OK?