The Value of Your Gifts

"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." Romans 12:6-8

Do you value the gifts God has given to you?

Recently I took the time to talk with an acquaintance about her wonderful ability to listen and encourage others.  I happened to overhear her doing just that with someone she didn't know all that well. And while she was careful not to overfluff the individual with her encouragement, I found myself encouraged just hearing her encourage someone else.  She truly had the gift.

You have some pretty amazing gifts, too.  I am sure of it.  Do you know what they are?  Better yet, are you using them as God intends for you to?

2 Peter 1:5-6 tells us, "But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you."

If we are using our gifts selfishly and not as God intends, then our gifts are being wasted.

Beyond this, our loving Heavenly Father is so generous, he has even allowed us to ask Him for more gifts.  

Matthew 7:11 says, "And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?"

The value of God's gifts in your life and mine are simply impossible to calculate.  Their worth and the difference they make in the lives of others is far greater than we realize.  It is something we will never fully understand until we reach our eternal home.

I pray that we would not waste our gifts—that we would take stock of them and discover what He wants us to do with each one.  

May we take joy in putting our gifts to work that we might bless others and glorify our Heavenly Father.

Goodnight, Runners.