You are Gifted

Once we confessed with our mouth that we believe by faith that Jesus is the Son of GOD, sent to earth to die on the cross for all of mankind’s sin so that we could be made right with GOD, and that HE rose from the dead on the 3^rd day and is now seated at GOD’s right hand in heaven; we are made righteous.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

After our confession, we received the gift of salvation and are children of GOD. As new creations in Christ, we take on a new mission in our life or a new course in our lives, we no longer live for ourselves, but we now live for Christ.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. (Romans 12:6a NLT)

Each believer is given gifts (talents or skills) to use to help further the Kingdom of GOD, some are obvious talents like musical abilities or speaking abilities, some are more subtle like the gift of encouragement, prayer, or giving (of time and/or money). There are gifts of organization, teaching, handiwork, artistic abilities, etc. Really anything that is a skill or comes natural to you or that you enjoy doing can be used for the Glory of GOD. 

Most of us know what area we are gifted in, but sometimes we have to try out a few areas to discover what really works the best for us. If your church has an area where volunteers can get connected in different ministries, find out who you need to talk to about serving.  I've tried several different areas in my church and although I might help in different capacities, they are not all the area that I am necessarily 'gifted' in either. I also volunteer when our church has their different outreaches, it's not necessarily using my 'gift' but I believe anytime we volunteer to help our church, we are helping others.

Jesus spent HIS ministry giving HOPE to the hopeless, giving LOVE to the unloved, and CARING for those who thought they were forgotten.  Sometimes we need to stand up for justice, stand up and be a voice. The cliché term is, “you have heart for something”, make this more than a cliché – do something about it. I believe it’s in each of us, to be tender hearted to the cries of those around us. The Bible tells us to look after the orphaned and the widowed, the helpless and the poor.

External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world. (James 1:27 AMP)

It’s important to pray about everything, if some ‘cause’ keeps coming up in your heart and mind, pray about it, ask GOD for direction and leading; HE will always guide us in the right path. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

Once you’ve prayed about what GOD wants you to do, do some research and find out if there’s anything already out there in the area you would like to serve in. Lots of times, someone has already started a group that you can volunteer and /or serve in a capacity they already have available. GOD will always open doors if its where you are supposed to be.  As I’ve written about before, when we focus on others, it also helps take our minds off our own issues and by helping others, GOD blesses us as well.

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25 NLT)