We hosted the Christmas party for a local motorcycle ministry one year. As part of the festivities everyone brought gifts to exchange. We played “dirty santa”. As each person opened a gift the next gift recipient could either pick a new gift or steal one from someone who’d already opened it. It got pretty funny as there was a lot of gift wrangling going on! The night ended with lots of laughter and fellowship. Everyone went away a winner, but not everyone kept their own gift. It was light-hearted fun though as no one got upset when their gift was stolen.
Each of us has a gift that God has given us to edify the body of Christ. Sometimes we don’t especially like the gift we have. We see another believer and we wish we had their gift. We want to exchange our gift for theirs. It can get ugly when envy rears its ugly head. If we’re not careful we’ll so long to have a different gift than the one God has chosen for us that we’ll quit using the gift we have. But God knows what He’s doing. At just the right time our gift will be the best gift ever, useful, fulfilling and needful in the body of believers God puts us with. The enemy of our soul wants to snatch away all gifts by whispering lies into our hearts – telling us our gift is not good enough or that another believer shouldn’t have that gift.
Oh beloved, what gift has God given you through Christ for this very season of life? Yours is the best gift ever! You don’t have to wait around hoping you get a better one. In fact, as you use the gift you have it will grow and blossom and produce more fruit for the Kingdom. Don’t waste another moment wishing you had someone else’s gift. You are a magnificent showcase of God’s riches and He will use you as you yield to the Spirit and walk in what you have. Others may have said your gift is not worthy or that you have no use in the ministry of God. But the Lord says rejoice, I AM that I AM. I have called you to be who you are, no one else. You are Mine and I gift you with just what is needed to help grow Christians, share Jesus and live valued and blessed. If you have been given a voice or a talent or a spiritual gift, use it to God’s glory and He will shine through you all the days of your life.
God loves you and He’s for you. Open that gift up and take it out of hiding. Let God use you and set yourself free of desiring something God didn’t give you. No one else can produce the Kingdom work that you can for you are called, chosen, blessed and redeemed to share your gift with the world for your good and God’s glory as you live for the Lord’s honor all the days of your life.
Romans 12: 6-8 In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out 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 ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
I Corinthians 12: 4-6, 11 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
I Peter 4: 10 God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
I Peter 2: 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.