by Donna Baranowski
“In his grace, God has given different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership responsibility, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly” (Rom. 12:6-8, NLT).
Paul makes his point very clear, and that is, we all have been given at least one gift to build up His church. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “What spiritual gift has God given me and am I using this gift for God’s glory and purpose?” This is really not something to sit back and wonder about because the reality is that YOU do have at least one gift and God made us to serve each other. So there is no argument that you don’t have a gift and for those of you who are using your gift: “Great! DO IT WELL.”
The importance of using our gifts is so vital that Paul uses the concept of the body to teach how we should live and work together. Sometimes I think we can get so comfortable with the current status quo, one might be tempted to think, “New Hope has all these programs and talented people making things run so smoothly, I will not be missed if I’m not part of anything.” Wrong attitude.
But let’s take that reasoning and look at it from Paul’s perspective. If, as Paul states in Romans 12:5, “We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other”, then who are we to say that we are unnecessary? It’s something like this: You start an exercise regimen focusing on the upper portion of your body. You do all these strengthening exercises to improve your arms, back, shoulders and chest. You also do a daily routine of sit-ups. But when it comes to the lower portion of your body, you neglect it. You don’t take time to walk daily, do leg stretches and subject it to strength training. After three months of vigorous training do you imagine that this person will be fit? You may have the “appearance” of being healthy and fit. But the reality is that you are weak and unfit because one part of your body has been neglected.
In the same way our churches are not as strong as they could be if even one of us is neglecting his/her part. So my challenge today is to take a step of faith and reach out by getting plugged in! Let’s all take Paul’s words to heart “…and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, NIV).
